United consumers
America is divided in many ways. But in a basic way, Americans are all consumers. Use the word customer if that suits you better. Or buyer. In America, we have choices in the marketplaces and choices in labels.
It’s natural and necessary for sellers to work to draw customers. Advertising seeks to convince the buyer that the buyer has a need, a desire. Competing sellers seek to divide the throng of buyers. Sellers create custom items to appeal to perceived customer groups. Size matters, for example. Colors attract.
The divisions are temporary. The customers walk away from the marketplace, satisfied.
Conflicts occur when the marketplace contains limited items. Consumers worry. Will there be enough? As long as there’s enough, the buyers remain calm, but hopeful.
As consumers, Americans are united. Consider that over the course of a week, for instance, Americans spend most of their time consuming, or in activities related to purchasing. Now the marketplace is virtual and screens deliver some of the goods and services.
Americans drift to religion and politics but the driftings are short voyages.
Sports and pastimes can be passionately consuming but in the end most activities require a fee to play.
I think many issues deserve more examination from a market perspective. Creating a peaceful plentiful marketplace is what most of us want. It’s primordial stuff.
Mark Hastert
10 months agoAs important as consumption is (70% of the economy) you’d think that it would get more attention from the people in power. Consumers are obviously more important to the economy than investors yet investors are said to the job creators and they get tax breaks. What makes their contribution more important that 70%?
The Stock exchanges themselves depend on the trust of their consumers yet lax oversight and new Wall Street scandals undermine confidence an a system that seems to favor a few insiders.
Just today I heard a story about the influx of counterfeit goods (mostly from China)including prescription medicines. How can a consumer buy with confidence? Stable markets require trust and it is eroding.
Steven Fetter
66223
10 months agoIf you want choices in the marketplace,embrase capitalism. It will be chaotic, colorful, and titillating. It will require some education to fully understand the various claims, benefits, and value.
If you market stasis, with associated risk eliminated, move to a central planned economy. There, all consumers will be treated equally, wages will hardly vary, and government bureaucracies will certify the outputs.
Our current economy values consumption to a degree never seen in our history. The poor in our society have electronics, communication devices, travel, and access to comfortable temperatures that most could not have dreamed of 50 years ago.
The country should indeed value investors, as these are the people that have forgone some consumer item today for a chance of a greater return later. These investor’s 401k, pension funds, IRAs, and brokerage accounts are the fuel to power the future growth of our society.
Tom Ryan
Crossroads, Kansas City
10 months agoI was thinking about how “we the people” can communicate with a common-ground desire - that peaceful, plentiful marketplace where we can gather and sell, buy, barter, and just do business. I think writers here tend to discount the marketplace model of society…often I read (and I am guilty) pieces that discuss revenue-generating activities like college football and firearms manufacturing/distribution without discussing the revenue model. It’s not as trite as just saying “follow the money”. Business journalism is hard, I realize, but more astute business sense belongs in the modern newsrooms. I don’t sense that business acumen from the halls of the Kansas City Star. That sophistication could come from younger people but the Kansas City Star’s hiring stasis prevents new young voices. In time, all will be well as olde print mediators fade.