Consumer Culture of Low-Income Consumers

Consumer Culture of Low-Income ConsumersLiteraturePaper focus on low-income consumers whose economic resources results in them existence unable to obtain the goods and services needed for an sufficient and socially acceptable received of income (Darley and Johnson, 1985, p. 206) in other words, consumers experiencing relative scantiness and relative deficiency (Townsend, 1987) in consumer culture.In todays consumer culture, as the standard of surviving rises, the gap between a survival income and a social enclosure income will continue to enlarge (Bowring, 2000). While economic escalation and consumer culture has raised the standard of living for many, there be also concerns that income gaps between the rich and the poor have widened and variation is deepening. It has been recognized that those living on a low income typesetters shield consumer disadvantage in the market place (Andreasen, 1975) encountering different exchange restrictions and negative results (Hill and Stephen s, 1997).It is being unable to obtain the goods and services needed for a socially competent standard of living (Darley and Johnson, 1985) according to low-income consumers encounter different other market place limitation. imperfect product openness can be a problem.littler variety have been partly endorsed to access difficulties in both the nutrition retailing industry (Cummins and Macintyre, 1999) .Equally, low-income consumers often have to be enough with lower flavour goods and services, for example, they whitethorn have no choice but to pay for second-hand goods, an option that is almost always viewed as second best (Williams and Windebank, 2001). Moreover, since the publication of The Poor fee More , it has generally been accepted that they suffer price bias in the market place (Chung and Myers, 1999).For low-income customers, such social behavior are often beyond reach as a large percentage of their money is tied up with basics such as food and rent (Alwitt and Donley, 1 996). This leads to a abstraction of lifes experiences .Low-income consumers may practice more difficultly in forming helpful relationships outside the instant household (Daly and Leonard, 2002) due to limited opportunities for socializingIn the case of low income they lose opportunity to take benefit of what life has to offer and are cut from what passes as a happy life (Bauman, 2005, p. 38).Low income consumers are often unemployed because they have not power of purchasing comfortable goods. Which can satisfy their demands m (Alwitt and Donley, 1996).These could include individualized payment plans that allow consumers control condition of their own budgeting strategy or credit opportunities that are specifically adapted to the needs of low-income consumers (Himlton 2004).This is not amazing that as these consumers are often considered as a group with different aspiration who are losing and risky, and not good for market-related research ( Hamilton and Catterall, 2005).People sp end more part of their income for their basic necessities, life style is not consider. The incomes that households actually receive play a significant role in ascertain their consumption (Tregarthen and Ritternberg, 2000) such that low-income consumers consume less fresh takes, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, low-fat milk, whole meal bread and fish compare to more economically advantaged consumers (Anderson and Morris, 2000).Low-income consumers can be defined as individuals whose financial resources or income results in them being unable to obtain the goods and services needed for an adequate and socially acceptable standard of living (Darley and Johnson, 1985 cited in Hamilton and Catterall, 2005).HILL and ADRANG studied on global destitution of the united nations contened that the poor are individual and families are some what rich.Lifestyle characteristics of the low-income consumer The incomes that households actually receive play a significant role in determining their consu mption (Tregarthen and Ritternberg, 2000).To rely on making incursions into other budgetary allocations and postpone other essentials, such that they decide on which item of necessity is less requisite (Matza and Miller, 1976).Most buying decisions for relatively low-priced products that have close substitutes would be low-involvement. A more detailed view of low-involvement products is proposed by Semenik and Bamossy (1995).It has been pop the questioned that An individual is socially excluded if (a) he or she is geographically resident in a society and (b) he or she does not participate in the normal activities of citizens in that society (Burchardt, 1999, p. 230).The take up of this paper is twofold. First, social policy studies surrounding social exclusion in terms of separation from mainstream society have focused on employment, often neglecting theorizing about the specific forms of social exclusion that can be associated with consumerism (Williams and Windebank, 2002 Hohn en, 2007).Positive discourse heralds the benefits of a consumer society suggesting that choice can be seen as the consumers assistant (Gabriel and Lang, 2006, p. 1)Marketing techniques are often critiqued for creating a strong social pressure to consume, leading to feelings of exclusion and shame for those consumers who cannot make their desires a reality (Bowring, 2000).Fullerton and Punj (1997) also suggest that as well as stimulating legitimate consumption behavior, the consumer culture can stimulate consumer misbehaviour. Previous research suggests that the poor may be peculiarly prone to consumer misbehavior as their financial resources may not be sufficient tosatisfy desires.Equally, low-income consumers often have to suffice with lower quality goods and services, for example, they may have no choice but to purchase second-hand goods, an option that is almost always viewed as second best (Williams and Winde bank, 2001).The British favorable Attitudes Report (theme substan ce for brotherly Research, 2008) highlights that a rising number of people place the blame for poverty on the poor themselves some 27 per cent think that poverty is due to laziness or lack of willpower, up from 19 per cent in1984.ReferencesDarley,W.K. and Johnson, D.M. (1985), A contemporary analysis of the low income consumer aninternational perspective, in Tan, C.T. and Sheth, J.N. 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