During WW2 there were Utility products. You had a choice- Take it or leave it. Wouldn't life be easier today with less choice?
2006-11-08 08:51:13 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Social Science ➔ Economics
The basic premise of the capitalist system is that the system is supposed to deliver what people want, and they show their wants by being willing and able to buy stuff.
Basically, if people didn't like variety, then there wouldn't be variety.
Many 'brands' you see today actually belong to the same conglomerate; it is just more profitable to 'segment' the market and extract higher profits from each segment.
It is possible to segment the market because people's tastes are different, and they are thus willing to pay more for a product that is closer to their ideal, than for one that is not so close to their ideal. Now, if there are enough similar people, then the opportunity for a new brand/variety is created.
If we were not willing to pay for variety, then there wouldn't be variety.
The bottomline is that we are getting what we seem to prefer.
We can make our own lives simple by sticking to a couple of brands, or buying the house brands, or by buying the cheapest... We can make our own lives easier; we shouldn't blame corporations or anybody else for the complexity of choices.
We should simply start taking responsibility.
2006-11-08 16:39:15 · answer #1 · answered by ekonomix 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Chances are it would be a lot cheaper, too, because of reduced advertising costs. Also it seems that if there were less repitition in avalible goods, more effort could be directed toward developing and manufacturing NEW products.
Of course capitalisim relies to varying extents upon market competition, but still, especially in the case of perishible goods (of which the inevitable surpluses are thrown away on a regular basis) less overproduction would lead to less waste, and therefore a lower cost to the consumer. Fields and factories freed up by the end of overproduction could then be utilized to produce different crops or products to further diversify the market.
You have asked an excellent question, thanks.
2006-11-08 17:34:00 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes it would. We are far too preoccupied with material gain. Not only that but the scale of personal debt probably wouldn't be in the headlines quite so often. We have been turned into a bunch of mere consumers, labelled and catalogued, constantly bombarded by advertising showing us the next "must have" gadget.
2006-11-08 17:07:02 · answer #3 · answered by Peter W 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In a super market I counted 23 different salad dressing and that wasn't including mayonnaise or salad cream and eleven different extra virgin olive oils.
2006-11-08 17:16:55 · answer #4 · answered by AndyPandy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yeah but then it would be boring i agree with some things like the milk for example we are offered cravendale, oraganic, goats soya welsh english low fat high fat and thats just the milk although they all taste the same so yes i partly agree but things such as make up and hair products i couldnt live with just one selected product.
2006-11-08 16:56:53 · answer #5 · answered by REBECCA W 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
not a problem.
asw of now you can only go to dairy queen
you can only drive a fiat
you can only buy chevron gas
you can only purchase skittles, chocolate is no longer being made.
lee jeans are the only brand available
get the idea?
2006-11-08 23:16:49 · answer #6 · answered by elmo o 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Perhaps, but we are living in a capitalist society, where products for sale are limitless.
2006-11-08 17:07:55 · answer #7 · answered by simon2blues 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Now you see why our country can't afford health-care, because we have so much salad dressing instead.
Our economy distributes our resources extremely inefficiently.
2006-11-08 18:39:53 · answer #8 · answered by ideogenetic 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes sick to death of too much stuff.
2006-11-09 08:00:04 · answer #9 · answered by trucker 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋