The Daily Grind: Do item shop sales affect your purchases?

With more and more games adopting some form of the free-to-play model, item shops are becoming big business for many MMOs -- even some that aren't f2p are in on the act. Players can save a little (or a lot) of time by dropping a few dollars here or there to obtain an item that they don't have the time or inclination to work toward in game. Item shops are a bit of a controversial thing, with many people of the opinion that it gives an unfair advantage to anyone with access to a credit card.

But differing opinions aside, these lucrative little stores seem to be here to stay. With the increasing number of these stores offering both vanity and more utilitarian items, the competition for your dollar goes way beyond game purchases and sub fees these days. To that end, most item shops offer some sort of sale. Be it daily specials, package deals, or holiday sales, you can find a little extra incentive for your purchase nearly everywhere you look.

So the question is, do sales help you break out the credit card? Do you only buy if you were going to purchase that item anyway, or do you see a sale and think "Hmm, half price? Well, okay!"