I love working with color, it's my favorite part of quilting. I am also drawn to scrappy quilts with color/contrast themes. So when I'm going shopping, I tend to look for colors that I need for my various quilt projects. It takes time and planning to find a minimum of 40 prints for each quilt.
For instance, two of my planned quilts need to have predominately browns/creams at the request of the recipient. I have my stash stacked by color on the shelf above my computer. I can tell by glancing at the folded pieces that I need more dark browns with warm undertones instead of cool to complete the full range I would like. On one particular quilt, any secondary colors should be cool blues or purples and play a very minor role. I can tolerate a wider range of secondary colors on the other "brown" quilt.
Only after a print passes the "color" test do I consider the texture or print, and then I only consider density and shapes.
I've also learned to shop for fabrics by looking at them at a distance. Computer screens and tiny shops sometimes force us to look too closely at fabrics. I don't have a LQS anymore, so unless I buy at JoAnn's or Hancock Fabrics, I shop online. As we all know color sometimes isn't very accurate, so I end up with some rejects that are destined for a future "anything goes" scrappy quilt.
Of course, my fixation on color sometimes means that I am drawn to a cheaper quality fabric or even something that is too expensive. Usually my need for a color wins out, and I accept the risk of working with the fabric.