Consumer_Society_Gives_People_Choice

Essay Plan In approaching this essay I explore what a consumer society is. I pose a number of questions about the role of the consumer society. Does a consumer society give choice to everybody in the same way' Who and what within consumer society is responsible for giving or impeding choice' I then explore possible answers to these questions. I investigate and explore the analysis of numerous social scientists, economists, journalists and other members of society. I use the OU course materials as the base of my exploration and look at how the arguments presented are supported by external reports from current research. Their research presents both qualitative and quantitative analysis of retail and consumer issues faced by contemporary Western consumer society. • The outline of this essay commences with the defining of what a consumer society is and the role of the consumer in that society. I will explore Hetherington’s ideas of the development of the consumer society from the industrial society and how consumer society became established. • I introduce Veblen’s theory of conspicuous consumption and then explore Bauman’s concept of the seduced and the repressed. • This then leads to an exploration of what retail choice we have and look at the role of the supermarkets in creating choice in consumer society. Including an introduction to Ian Fribbons idea of a trade-off being required between society and the supermarket. • I explore the audio report presented by John Allen in interview with how Helena Rimmer (Friends of the Earth) and Richard Dodd (British Retail Federation). I discuss how they both interpret the Competition Commission report in different ways. • I conclude that we do have choice, though not everybody has the same choice. I then discuss this in relation to Patrick Freynes comment. I then ask if in fact we should be asking not if we have choice but should consumer society have consumer responsibility' Consumer society gives people choice. Introduction: When I read this title I asked myself a number of questions. What is a consumer society' Does a consumer society give choice to everybody in the same way' Who and what within consumer society is responsible for giving or impeding choice' Napoleon famously dismissed the British as a nation of shopkeepers. What would he call them now' A nation of shoppers perhaps' Much of contemporary society is preoccupied by shopping (Hetherington 2009, pg. 13). Though all societies acquire the basic essentials to live, in a consumer society it has become a required part of a lifestyle. According to Hetherington in response to the emerging middle class economies of consumerism, wherein people held status according to their material lives, consumer society has evolved from the work and job status of the industrial society. Industrial society status was established by what they ‘did’. However, in the 20th and 21st centuries the industrial society was overtaken by the consumer society. Within consumer society people are more identified by what they own or are able to purchase. They use their material lives as a symbol of status. Therefore does this present the idea of consumer society as a rational thinking society free to make its own choices' Social scientists Thorstein Veblen (1899) and Zygmant Bauman (1988) present two theories (Hetherington, 2009). Veblen presents the idea of conspicuous consumption by American industrialists and their families at the end of the nineteenth century. Essentially, they consumed at extravagant levels to acquire and present a status of importance and success. They had been seduced by the idea of a lifestyle, of material items that give you status and that in turn make you happy. It was perhaps the beginning of a consumer marketing that is still evident today. Writer Lauren Sandler calls it ‘...the greatest marketing slogan of all time… “the pursuit of happiness”. In this American industrial society the consumption was limited to the very wealthy. But who is being provided for in contemporary UK consumer society' Almost one hundred years after Veblen, Bauman has presented the theory that in contemporary Western societies, consumers can be categorised into two divisions: the seduced and the repressed. Bauman suggests those who are financially and socially mobile consume effectively in a consumer society that promises choice and freedom. (Hetherington, 2009). Like Veblen’s American industrialist consumers, this section of society are the seduced, those whom are able to participate in consumer society. Evidently if they are included in consumer society, whom is excluded' The excluded are those that Bauman labels the repressed. Bauman’s repressed are those on the margins of this consumer society and those who are excluded because of economic issues or disabilities. The seduced and the repressed each present a status in society, the seduced purchase a desired status and the repressed have a marginalised status placed on them by society and its restrictions. What are their choices in a consumer society' Let’s look at where society consumes every week: the high street, and farmers markets but 90% mostly at supermarkets (Allen, 2009). Hetherington presents the evidence of the power of the supermarkets at the expense of the other smaller retailers. They are referred to as the big four in the UK, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, ASDA and Morrison’s, and the American retail giant Walmart. (Hetherington, 2009). David Fitzsimons, (CEO of Retail Excellence Ireland) writes of the changes happening in the British Isles retail industry. He argues the industry is following a pattern created in the US where 70% of the market is controlled by only three supermarket giants. His concern is the dominance of large industry players will have a detrimental effect on the high street. Big players such as Walmart arrive and demand their own terms and conditions to commence business, has led to a diminution of choice, had a negative impact on town centres and small retailers.(Fitzsimmons, 2011) Fribbons suggests the notion of a ‘trade-off’, that if we choose to have these supermarkets then we choose to trade other aspects of our consumer lives. (Economics and Politics, 2009, track 1).To provide jobs we risk losing small business. He asks if this is a necessary trade-off' However, Helena Rimmer (Friends of the Earth) sees no need for out of town supermarkets. (Evidence in the social sciences, 2009, track 1) In discussion with John Allen, Rimmer and Richard Dodd (British Retail Consortium) we hear both sides of the pro and anti-supermarket debate. Dodd presents an argument that suggests supermarket growth is a positive sum game it offers consumers choice, creates jobs locally and in poorer countries. (Allen, 2009), He suggests that consumers want the choices presented by the supermarkets. Yet both see ‘choice’ in different ways. Rimmer sees choice as being a choice of all forms of retail and Dodd refers to choice between supermarkets. Rimmer argues that the development of out of town supermarkets is detrimental to the high street traders, repressed consumers (if we may apply Bauman’s theory), suppliers, and both poorly paid migrant workers in the UK and abroad, many of whom work and live in standards unacceptable to Westerners. Rimmer discusses the recent report by the Competition Commission that shows up to fifty small shops are closing per week. The report shows that in 2009 12% of high street retail premises are vacant as opposed to 4% in the previous autumn. Rimmer argues that their loss removes choice from those who cannot or do not wish to access the out of town supermarkets. Thus presenting the concept that these supermarkets marginalise some members of consumer society. Rimmer also argues as to the choice being given to those in this type of consumer society where payment for goods and wages are dictated by the need for the big four supermarkets to increase profit margins. Yet, we also see that we choose to analyse information in a way that supports our requirements. Richard Dodd argues that supermarket growth is driven by the consumer. The supermarkets offer choice to a suburban demographic, where the majority of people live. It offers transport links, product choice, one site service, safety, competitive pricing, they give jobs to locals and bring money into the community. He points out that the consumers can choose the supermarkets in either suburban areas or the emerging smaller high street traders such as Tesco Express or Sainsbury’s Local. Dodd suggests that the entry of small supermarkets such as Tesco Express brings choice to the high street and boosts the local economy; the big four are employing more than 870,000 people. However, Rimmer counter argues that the arrival of Tesco Express has led to a further 30 – 40% per cent decline in small shops. Dodd notes that supermarkets are providing choice to all at competitive prices and that they can’t force customers to make choices. In response to Rimmers suggestion that supermarkets limit choice he points out that the recent Competition Commission has found that 94% of UK consumers have access to a choice of three different supermarkets within fifteen minutes of their home. It’s an exhausting debate in which sides often use the same research to justify their argument. Rimmer seems to argue that the growth of the supermarkets is a zero-sum game (Allen, 2009), whereby the high street traders are negatively impacted and consumers have less choice, and that the choice and quality of food is not supportive of our local suppliers. In conclusion, in consumer society the seduced have a platform of choice and the repressed have a more limited choice. Both retailers and consumers have power of choice. Retailers choose how to operate; consumers choose how to support them. Journalist Patrick Freyne (2011) presents the idea that classical economists, such as he, see the average consumer as an ‘inherently rational being who weighs up all the options in a calculating manner and then comes to a well thought out decision’. It may not be a universal decision but choice is relative to the desires or constraints of individuals and collectives. Perhaps the question we should ask is: Should consumer society have a consumer responsibility' Word count: 1367 References Hetherington, K. (2009) ‘Consumer society' Shopping, consumption and social science’ in Taylor, S., Hinchliffe, S., Clarke, J., (eds) Making Social Lives, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Sandler, Laura. (2011) ‘The American Nightmare’, Psychology Today, April 2011 Fitzsimmons, D. (2011) ‘Shutting up Shop’, Irish Times Finance, February 2011 Evidence in the social sciences, (2009) Making Social Lives, Milton Keynes, Open University. Allen, J. (2009) One –stop shopping: the power of supermarkets’ in Taylor, S., Hinchliffe, S., Clarke, J., (eds) Making Social Lives, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Fribbons, I. ‘Economics and Politics’ (2009), Making Social Lives (audio cd) available online http://learn.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php'id=499190&direct=1 (accessed 26/03/2011) Freyne, P. (2011) ‘The Psychology of Selling’, The Irish Times, March 14th.