How do you see the role of consumption in structuring your day-to-day existence?

How do you see the role of consumption in structuring your day-to-day existence?

Since the 14th century, the word “to consume” had negative ideas associated to it which meant to destroy, use up or exhaust while the word “customer” referred to the positive, continuing relationship with the supplier (Gabriel & Lang, 2006). The notation of consumption as an economic aspect of goods and services being purchased was introduced later in the 19th century. The act of consumption brought about different concepts concerning the consumers’ society and consumerism. In today’s era, everybody is a consumer, be it tangible, intangibles or edibles products but the way consumerism shapes a consumer’s life is dependent on factors like the individual’s wants, needs and desires. Consumption now has become a trend because through our consumption pattern, people are able to evaluate our social rank in the society (Gabriel & Lang, 2006). It can therefore be said that people consume to impress and not only for their basic needs. I do not related to this statement because I have come to the conclusion that this type of mindset is unhealthy and I prefer to stay like I am rather than trying to impress others.

According to Hamilton (2005), overconsumption has become an addiction to the society as media plays a role in influencing a customer to consume more than they really need. I somewhat agree and disagree with such statement. It is true that to an extent it is possible that I buy things that are not on my list, but I also think twice before doing any purchases. Whenever I find myself in this kind of situation, I stop and think about why I am actually trying to purchase the product. If it is something that I’ll use for sure, I buy it, if not then it stays on the shelf. Media definitely plays a role in attracting potential buyers but in my case, I can spend half a day in the mall and I still will not be tempted to buy because I know my budget. I can therefore relate how Slater links consumption to culture and meaning. According to the author, “individuals normally act on their own private desires but are sometimes pressured in other directions by cultural forces (Slater, 1997).” He further explains that that the basic items have its functional use but also a meaning attached to them. I am able to link my shopping experience to this theory as the way I consume food or products and my perception of objects is different to someone from another country. Based on Timothy’s article (2005), shoppers differ from each other and can be classified based on their actions and desires. I form part of the ‘combined purpose consumer’ which is referred to someone who has “several purposes, including shopping for a specific item, browsing, entertainment, to show someone around, and/ or to eat a meal (Timothy, 2005)”. I considered myself as a traditional shopper as well because I might not always shop but whenever I go, I prefer to get the minimum attention from salesperson. I prefer to browse at my own comfort rather than someone on my back every time I touch a product. The product should be worth its price for me to spend money on it.

I prefer to shop at Port Louis which is packed with small shops selling at affordable prices or even “La foire”. Such shops are not associated with big brands but still offer quality and trendy products. I always notice that some expensive or luxurious shops tend to copy the clothes from small shops. One example that I can think of is Island Haze. I was looking for a dress in the shop, but it was way too expensive for me. I strolled through ‘La foire de Quatre Bornes’ and to my surprise, I found a similar dress at a much cheaper rate. Despite not being a branded piece of clothing, I find satisfaction in looking for them items I want. Despite being time consuming, at least I get to experience different aspects of my country. For example, the atmosphere of shopping mall is way different to the atmosphere of a local shop or market. In the market on Thursdays, at Quatre Bornes, there are different kinds of products like clothes, artisanal one-piece objects and so on. Bargaining is something that is allowed in small or local shops, but nobody dares to try to bargain in malls. Going through the small shops of Port Louis or Curepipe, shopping is like a leisure time activity for me (Perera & Sutha, 2018). I am able to find peace by walking around and spend time with my family or closed ones rather. It can hence be deduced that shopping in a way promotes socialising.

(Two different places in Port Louis. First is in the streets of Port Louis, while the second one is at Caudan Waterfront where there is its shopping Mall.)