Talking Stick - Being a Consumer - IQL

After visualizing ourselves as consumers, finding artifacts that represented us as consumers, and passing  the talking stick to openly share our ideas about our own consumerism, we came up with the following themes:

1. Shopping had a visceral effect:

• People hated shopping
• People loved shopping

2. Consumption changed with the economy and with lifestyle (people going to college - became more frugal with spending)

3. Jobs had a significant effect on consumption

• Having a job meant no longer receiving money from parents
• Having a job gave a greater sense of responsibility
• Buying was made more carefully - just the necessities were purchased
• Money became more valued because of the time it took to earn it.  
• There was less spent and more saved

 4. Shopping was associated with guilt

• Impulse buying quickly resulted in feelings of guilt.
• Sales and discounts (thrift store) often led to impulse buying because of the idea that there was "savings" in the purchase (a bargain).
• Though if the purchase was a gift for someone else there was a feeling of pride in the purchase.
• And if the purchase was local there was less guilt because one was helping their neighbors.  The consumer knew where the money was going. 

5. Shopping was associated with empowerment

• Shopping could be empowering - especially with a large purchase which needed to be paid off over time.  
• Greater feeling of responsibility

6. Debit and cash were preferred over credit which was harder to manage

7. Status and a feeling of place were important.  Also important was:

• The design of the products and the place where purchased
• The image the product had
• The class it catered to
• How one felt when owning an item of a certain brand.

8. Most items bought were food, clothes and cosmetics (in that order).

• When buying food place, quality and price were important.

9. Social and solo

• People liked shopping as a social activity
  People liked shopping alone