Consumer Society

The UK Economy is monitored on a monthly basis in order to produce information by which the movers and shakers in positions of power and influence make their decisions, with or without an actual understanding of what goes on in the real day to day lives of the people.

We are bombarded with figures and opinions which confuse and mislead, for example, the value of the Pound Sterling may be falling against other currencies so that we get less for our money whilst holidaying abroad or purchasing foreign made goods but this makes our own exports seem more attractive in overseas markets and manufacturers have a boom period.

It is this type of reverse logic that helped me to get through Economics as a subject at school as well as being a major module in my later degree course at college. I just thought of an answer and then wrote down completely the opposite of it and I was usually correct through this wholly illogical approach.

Regular information is fed to us on inflation figures which, when expressed in percentages, may not mean much but at the supermarket checkout  the bill for what may be our regular store-cupboard purchases and nothing extravagant, just seems to creep up by a few pence on each trip.

Fluctuations in house prices and the confidence of the market are an easy news item to stir up insecurities and anguish amongst a population where home purchase and ownership was encouraged as an aspirational and asset accumulating thing. Yet many have found themselves trapped due to negative equity and burgeoning mortgage payments.

We are also supplied with statistics on life expectancy, survival probabilities of terminal illness, crime and incomes. We may feel, on alternate days, healthy, wealthy and wise or the opposite dependant on what we are fed with in terms of figures.

In the wider European and indeed global economy the UK is now compared and judged against the performance of other nations and continents in a sort of Planet Earth Premier League Table. It is accepted that we are slipping back in most categories but this seems to be indicative of an older, depleted industrially based Western economy generally. We are now more of a Service based economy and perhaps it will not be too long before a UK based call centre, for example, will be ringing up homeowners in New Delhi, Shanghai and Sao Paolo and annoyingly at meal times or well into the evenings selling payment protection insurance and undertaking consumer surveys.

Trends do change over time in the habits of a nation and in the UK this is reflected in the regular changes in the basket of goods that are used on which to base the statistics of the Retail Price Index (RPI) and the Consumer Prices Index (CPI).

The categories of goods cover from Food to Housing, Transport to Recreation, Health to Hotels and around 180,000 price quotations are obtained monthly for around 700 items and services to determine trends and patterns.

In 2012 a number of new items were added to the list and these are quite interesting, on analysis, to see what we, as a nation now buy more of.

A sample of these items neither suggests a recovery nor a further recessionary decline or double dip but does illustrate fundamental shifts in how we live and which sectors of the population have the money to spend.

New entrants include food products. Hot oat cereal may be an indicator of frugality and health concerns or even a trend for colder seasonal weather. A bowl of Ready Brek was a favourite breakfast in my childhood and even some 40 years later is still popular. What is only really a basic staple food has been re-invented to appeal to adults as well as children and with many tasty variations available. Its preparation is now so much easier than the boiling stove method and ready made products are now available.

Soft continental cheese has also arrived on the list. This may mean we are more outward looking in our tastes or health conscious if it is of lower fat content than hard cheeses. The marketing of branded soft cheeses is quite prominent during peak time viewing but blending it with chocolate, as has happened with a leading brand is, in my opinion, just a step too far.

Pineapple, generally regarded as a fruit too troublesome to prepare has appeared. We should thank the gadget makers for a range of handy utensils to extract the juicy fruit from an armoured and inhospitable host.

Unusually, a four pack of Stout Ale now figures and I have no explanation for this unless it follows another new item, in the shopping basket, of teenage fiction. What better way for a group of youths to have a book club on a park bench whilst downing strong beer. The only other explanation may be in the testimonies of those reaching a ripe old age who attribute their longevity to a daily half pint of stout and many have just assumed the practice on perceived health grounds.

Chicken and Chips are a new addition in response to an upsurge of fried chicken fast food outlets. Recent TV programmes have seen this as a sign of urban poverty and austerity as a substantial meal can be purchased for comparatively lower cost than other take-away or home cooked options and particularly in our large towns and cities.

Disturbingly there has been an upsurge in the purchase of baby wipes so we are either undergoing a population boom or using them on a multi-purpose basis.

It is not all depressing though as we are buying more tablet computers which can be a sign of affluence and aspiration.

Trade Union membership fees and subscriptions to Professions are also on the up but this may reflect feelings of insecurity in traditional unionised occupations and an increase in doctors, accountants and lawyers as the UK economy moves further away from an industrial and manufacturing base.

The new items have pushed out an equivalent number of goods.

Candy Coated chocolate has been licked in the ratings by branded chocolate sweets and the  consumption of foam based sweets has expanded to the sticky demise of bags of boiled and jellied sweets. Outdoor adventure boots have been downtrodden by specialist walking and hiking footwear. Glass ovenware casserole dishes are clearly out in spite of our enthusiastic interest in cook books and accompanying TV shows. Step ladders have had to climb down. Digital cameras have seen off the developing and printing of 135/24 colour films . Subscriptions to local leisure centres have also fallen off and the pounds and ounces are likely to mount up as a consequence amongst the former patrons.