I am a class 10 student working on the project, "How to become an aware consumer?" Please give suggestions.

Answer 1

Research products before you buy
SHop around for best price

Answer 2

You can become an aware consumer by doing a lot of reading,

I subscribe to Consumers Reports. The federal government also has a number of pamphlets.

Clark Howard is an excellent consumer advocate who has written a number of books, has an excellent radio show and a free e-mail letter.

Many newspapers and magazines publish occasional articles about consumer awareness.

You should also become aware of your local Consumer Affairs Bureau and the Better Business Bureau.

The site below has links to many other resources.

Answer 3

Here are some points to consider:

-Research where your products are made. If they are foreign, Are you supporting sweat shops, slave labor, child labor, etc.?

-The actual cost of making products. How much is the mark-up? Is the store you are buying from paying WAY less than you have to? A good example is how much pop corn at the theater costs. I think it's something like 1 cent for a popcorn, but they charge 7 dollars! (so the mark-up is very high!)

-Marketing Schemes. So many products are marketed to us to make us think that we need them. Take animal products for an example, dogs don't care or even notice if a toy has eyes and a pink jacket on it, he just wants it to have a squeeky toy in it for the fun sound. There are a million other examples of why products are marketed a certain way to sell more.

-Materials that a product is made from. Most products are made of of materials from places all over the world. Are they recyclable, poisonous, etc. An example is how lead (which is poisonous) is often found in paints, like the recent toy recall.

Answer 4

Read labels.

Don't believe everything you see in ads.

Compare prices.

Read consumer protection magazines like Consumer Reports.