In summary, our results indicate that math anxiety interacts with promotional format to affect consumer purchases. For High MA, stronger conceptual activation (FN400 effects) and quicker onset of retrieval processes (LPC latency effects) during price evaluation lead to non-buys under no promotions and buys under promotions. High MA consumers consequently seem to naïvely infer that complex processing indicates a bad or unascertainable price under no promotions yet a good price under promotions. A larger P200 during price evaluation to buys versus non-buys under no promotions among this group bolsters our argument and suggests that a rapid assessment of price evaluation confidence and/or changes in memory search criteria under promotion drives price evaluation and ultimately buying decisions for High MA consumers. In contrast, strong conceptual activation only when needed under promotions and delayed retrieval processes to buys under promotions reflects a more deliberative buying approach among Low MA. These different buying styles, we contend, are evidenced in opposite P3 patterns at purchase decision. We believe this occurs because High MA expect reward when buying because it feels right, which elicits a larger P3 to buys. Absent an earlier rejection signal similar to High MA at FN400, Low MA elicit a larger P3 to non-buys, possibly a “painful pay” cue. Finally, we interpreted our P3 non-findings under promotions as due to cognitive load, and we explicitly call for future research to explore this further.