Can't wait to shop? Blame your surname

Why do some people race to buy stuff while others wait patiently for their chance to grab goods?

The answer lies in your surname, according to a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

You might think you're apt to get in line early to get a new book because you just really, really like that book; or that you race to buy an iPad ahead of others because you happen to love the gizmo.

Not so, say researchers Kurt Carlson, an assistant professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, and Jacqueline Conard, an assistant professor of marketing at Belmont University.

"The tendency to act quickly to acquire items such as those above is related to the first letter of one's childhood surname," they said in a release.

In looking at how quickly people responded to opportunities to acquire "items of value," the researchers found that individuals were faster or slower to respond depending on where their last names fell in the alphabet. Those with surnames that started with letters at the beginning of the alphabet were slower, while those whose surnames started with letters later in the alphabet were faster.

Why are the Zieglers so keen and the Adams' so slow? The researchers believe it's because people with surnames near the end of the alphabet have spent their lives at the end of lists and at the back of classrooms.

"The idea holds that children develop time-dependent responses based on the treatment they receive," the authors said. "In an effort to account for these inequities, children late in the alphabet will move quickly when last name isn't a factor; they will 'buy early.' Likewise, those with last names early in the alphabet will be so accustomed to being first that that [sic] individual opportunities to make a purchase won't matter very much; they will 'buy late.'"

Before you dismiss this as a bunch of hooey, the researchers' explanation for the so-called "last-name effect" is supported by the fact that it only held for childhood names, and not surnames that had changed due to marriage.

Although it would be great if all the Ms. Bies-turned-Mrs. Zooholfs out there suddenly found themselves racing to the front of line ups after they got married.