Shopping Patterns: Social Class and Consumption Preferences Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

The analysis of the grocery stores in Jacksonville FL shows that there are certain differences in consumption patterns caused by race, class and family traditions. For this reason, I visited General Grocery Store located in 5059 Normandy Blvd and Dino European Grocery Store located in 10230 Atlantic Blvd. the analysis shows that black people have different consumption and dietary patterns in contrast to white population.

In both grocery stores, black consumers prefer to buy large amount of fruits and vegetables while white population buys products for 2-3 days only. This case shows that families are social institutions and as purchasing units, they have shared dietary principles and rituals. The consumption differences are based on emotional, nonlogical, ethical, and moral factors. The majority of poor family prefers to buy low quality products in large quantities. They pay a special attention to discounts and promotion campaigns trying to save money on other purchases. At General Grocery Store, it was evident that the style of life of the family has a great influence on purchasing and consumption patterns as while population never bought cheap and spoilt goods. At Dino European Grocery, black and racial minorities prefer to buy more vegetables than fruits while white population buys exotic fruits and less vegetables. Race plays an important role in consumption and affects family values, shaping purchase behavior. Within the family unit a difference may be drawn between requests and actual needs. When a male member of the family requests something for dinner, he is the decision maker, and the obedient wife, or shopper, is just the instrument in making the purchase, although she may have significant latitude on choice of brand. It is evident that in black low class families the decision-making remains solely with the wife, and though the woman may take into account the requests, desires, and advice of other members of the family, she has no obligation to do so.

At General Grocery Store, purchasing decision are influenced by the head of the family and healthcare diet followed by the family. The middle class and upper class consumers follow health conscious menus trying to buy quality grocery products each day. The coordinated and well-matched family, which is regarded as the ideal model, encompasses an estimated 50 % of all families. In middle class black and white families, the family shares a good measure of common sense regarding their economic situations and purchasing issues. The poor, incompatible family is an unstable, unsatisfactory purchasing tool that seems to bring little satisfaction to members of the family. In General Grocery Store, it was evident that many people travel to this supermarket from other neighborhoods (McCracken 23).

In sum, the analysis shows that social class and consumption preferences of the family are the main factors in decision-making. Race does not have a great impact on consumption patterns. It is not income alone but life-style of the family factors that are viewed as among the most important issues influencing and shaping purchasing activity. In black and white middle class income families there is a lack of income and expenditure planning: all expenditures are made for items that cannot be afforded. In contrast, low class poor families with many children purchased at Dino European Grocery Store use budgets, gather and organize information, plan purchases, specialize purchase behavior, evaluate benefits received, and make purchases to solve daily problems. In poor families, the housewife is a person who performs the buying function and becomes specialized and is usually most skillful in grocery purchases.

Woks Cited

McCracken, G. Culture and Consumption: New Approaches to the Symbolic Character of Consumer Goods and Activities Indiana University Press, 2002.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2021, November 10). Shopping Patterns: Social Class and Consumption Preferences. https://ivypanda.com/essays/comparative-shopping-project/

Work Cited

"Shopping Patterns: Social Class and Consumption Preferences." IvyPanda, 10 Nov. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/comparative-shopping-project/.

References

IvyPanda. (2021) 'Shopping Patterns: Social Class and Consumption Preferences'. 10 November.

References

IvyPanda. 2021. "Shopping Patterns: Social Class and Consumption Preferences." November 10, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/comparative-shopping-project/.

1. IvyPanda. "Shopping Patterns: Social Class and Consumption Preferences." November 10, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/comparative-shopping-project/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Shopping Patterns: Social Class and Consumption Preferences." November 10, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/comparative-shopping-project/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1