Supermarkets

• Consuming has never been about the basic needs, some people argue that consuming has become about peoples individual identities and self-expression. On the other hand others argue that families and peoples communities help shape how they consume.
• What people buy, and what people do with these things gives an indicator of the kind of person they are. This is especially true with people who are trying to sell things, such as advertising agents and retailers themselves.
• Its a common assumption that through consumer activity people are free to create a lifestyle that reflects their personalities, hobbies and individual identities.
• People like to think that when they shop they are exercising their right to freedom of choice, however its not that simple. Many in fact most people are influenced buy celebrity lifestyles, peer pressure from family and friends, what’s on special offer, how much money they have to spend, all of this is impacting on their ability to make a individual decision.
• Consuming is a form of socialisation and generally people want to be accepted and feel like they belong so they might conform to other peoples ideals. Aspirational fantasies generally focus on celebrity lifestyles and lifestyle magazines they may purchase, this can influence peoples consumerism. Concern for family, such as children influence people, another influence is environmental concerns.
• These all provide a diverse social context of attitudes, values and a sense of belonging and thus will influence how people act when they consume.
• Social scientist suggest that a variety of social factors need to be taken into account when looking at what consuming is about and whether is out of freedom of choice or necessity. Some useful things to consider are; income, education, social pressure from family or friends, social expectations, media influences, the role of retailers and the nature of goods themselves.

• consumer habits change, over time what is