Will the current crisis have any lasting effect on consumerism?

I think we'll just drift back to exactly how we used to be, in fact there could be a massive boom, after all the roaring twenties came straight after a war and Spanish flu. So there might be an economic upswing.

The care thing is interesting re- both this and Brexit - suggesting that care work is both low skilled and low paid (I don't believe it's a low skilled role, but do agree it's low paid) if the implication is that economic migrants from the EU formed a bulk of the workforce.

Before anyone calls me racist etc...economic migrants traditionally take on work that other wont. For instance , you might have a Lithuanian law graduate, who for reasons of need/want comes to the UK to work, but perhaps due to the qualification not being recognised here, cannot practice law, and due to language limitations isn't able to find white collar work, so he/she ends up selling posh coffees, picking fruit, wiping bums etc - jobs that many people sneer at (but shouldn't, because they might need their bum wiping one day...) I voted remain, I cried when we left. I do not enact racism.

So, post Brexit and post pandemic there will potentially be jobs no one wants, jobs they do but that no longer exist, and no willing economic migrants to fill the gap?

Many people I know have put holidays on hold, cancelled holidays, and spent their money refurbishing their homes and gardens, during this past year. There is a small retail park close to my house, and it looks busier than ever really, during this lockdown, always queues in and out.
I noticed on my aol newsfeed that people are flocking to book holidays abroad now that Boris has announced possible easing on travel restrictions.

We booked a holiday for August this year in January. We were lucky to get it and we got the last 2 spots. Our friends tried to get the same holiday just a few days later but they couldn’t, it was too full and not even a waiting list. People are sick of being locked up and confined.

I think you only have to look at the queues outside Ikea and Primark after the first lockdown to know that most people will always want to shop, not necessarily because they need anything but because they can.

I am sorry so many retail businesses are closing; I dislike shopping online because I like to see articles before I buy them, as so many pictures are deceptive, and also assistants have a great deal of expertise and advice to offer.

It worries me that our economy seems so dependent on Hospitality and Leisure, as these are luxuries not necessities and are the first to go when money is tight. I would like to see more manufacturing and less importing of essential goods, thus generating money through trade.
Care workers certainly need better pay and conditions; a review of nursing home fees and expenditure is urgently needed, with more money going to the workers, not the owners, often conglomerates; personal knowledge of both. sides

I can't imagine that many retired people will have saved £££ during this pandemic. For my DH and me (average age 80) our savings are producing virtually nothing, reducing our income quite a lot. Far from looking forward to splashing out, we know that we shall have to be even more careful to ensure that we don't run out of money before we die.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mumofmadboys

Do you think that after a year of buying very little people will think we really don't need to keep buying 'stuff' and we already have plenty? I know this doesnt apply to everyone. Although we need to open up shops etc to support the economy and jobs we also need to protect the environment and stop producing so much stuff we don't need. If less people were employed in retail maybe the Care industry could be better staffed. Thoughts ?

I really don't think you can shunt people into jobs they are not cut out for. Some may chose to work there but we need a complete change in how we see some of the "hands-on" jobs - the ones you can't do from home that require cross-sectional skills.

Honestly, I’ve bought more than I normally do in this past year. But then, my house is looking nicer and my wardrobe is full of things that make me feel good. My garden has improved enormously, I go cycling and I have a yoga mat at home. Bought more books.

Yes it’s consumerism, but my life is more enjoyable for it.

I do think people have seen there are some things they can do without or which don't have as high a priority as they first thought. I really do hope we can stop the "we are what we buy" attitude.

A while ago I read that in Germany, I think it was, they have "libraries" set up locally, for DIY tools. People donate their tools and others borrow. It is run locally. The average time an electric drill is used is, apparently 19 minutes. As I know some people who use them a lot it must be the case that some never come out of the box! We do not "need" to own all these trappings and, with food, clothing and other basics likely to get more expensive I do think we will be looking at how we apportion our incomes and it may well lead to politicians rethinking an economy built on continuous consumerism.

I would definitely support local shops when they reopen, if there were any left in our area. When we moved here 30 years ago, there were 6 independent shops in the next road to us plus a post office.
A short walk away were another 11 including a branch of a small chain of supermarket, plus 3 banks and a building society. All gone now.

I don't think we'll stop spending but online ordering may drop and high street shops will increase. I think we have short memories and life will continue as near to normal as it has ever been subject to recession.

I do not know how we are going to manage the need for care. But I think we need a number of different strategies. We have to bear in mind the ordinary human lifecycle. Some may be interested on leafing school, some after university and some people after having had their own children etc. Thus possibly some people who have not felt like being carers may after their families grow up be interested in a career in care.

I think progressing through careers at increasing levels and in different industries should be part of a person's development of emotional intelligence as an adult.

So on leaving school, if care was an area of interest, one would go into what is a natural start in a support role in the relevant area and then as one matured hopefully move up and or across.

Perhaps instead of national service or a gap year young people should be encourage to try out a field they are not sure of for a year.

When I visited an old persons home in China is asked how they managed with so few staff. The resident spokes person said that each landing was a community and they all helped each other out as they were able.

We are going to have to become imaginative.

It really isn't going to take that much imagination. There needs to be a turn away from private institutionalised care and push towards more community based bespoke care. It is actually ALOT cheaper Like galaxy has commented though, it is going to be difficult to make that happen. There is too much money invested in care by people who have absolutely no interest in CARE or CARING, they are interested in investment, profit and patient acquisition.

I think the biggest shift will be to even more online shopping & an even sharper decline in actual physical shopping.

'Will the current crisis have any lasting effect on consumerism?'

Well, let's hope so! The only certain thing is change - and change is urgently needed anyway!

Many will reflect on how they don't need to constantly spend. On the other hand and I think this will be what happens spending will go mad. Remember when stores opened after the first lockdown, queues to get into Primark and others. The tourist industry is already reporting massive holiday bookings even with inflated prices and no definitive date for holidaying/foreign travel. I do worry about all the small retailers who gave lost so much business. Therefore once allowed to visit nearest town I will be shopping at independent shops there for what I need.

Since the pandemic began, it seems more and more people have changed to online shopping and I'm sure some will carry on, finding it more convenient.
However, it's not for me, whether for clothes or food, I prefer to go to the shop and choose what I need, if it's an item of clothing, try it on, if it feels right, buy it and take it home ready to wear. I hate the idea of changing/returning items and almost resist it on principle, it needs to be faulty or such like before I can be bothered to go back to change or return it.
It has been good to go through our wardrobe and wear things we had possibly forgotten about
However, it will be nice to have that bit of retail therapy when the shops are open again and it is safe to do so.

Nellg.
Spot on the care industry needs people that enjoy doing the job a good carer is worth their weight in gold believe me its not for everyone.
The spending money thing, l think lockdown has made some people think that they dont need new things all the time,others have gone the othrr way and gone crazy on internet shopping.
I will think before l buy in future and will buy from local independent shops to support local businesses.
Not line the pockets of supermarkets and certainly not Amazon and the economy in China.

Galaxy

There are qualifications but it is also possible to work straight into a position and do the qualification as you work. My experience of the quality of those providing the qualifications was very mixed.

You are right to be concerned about the quality of those providing the training. My sister was an NVQ care work assessor after she retired from the NHS. She worked for a private company and was under a lot of pressure to pass people to meet targets. She didn't last long in the job because she couldn't stand what was going on. In her opinion, some of the people she was forced to pass would never have lasted in the NHS.

JaneJudge

It really isn't going to take that much imagination. There needs to be a turn away from private institutionalised care and push towards more community based bespoke care. It is actually ALOT cheaper Like galaxy has commented though, it is going to be difficult to make that happen. There is too much money invested in care by people who have absolutely no interest in CARE or CARING, they are interested in investment, profit and patient acquisition.

Community care isn't cheaper than institutionalised care and doesn't offer the same level of care.

Many of the care staff in my department joined us from retail, the customer care skills and conscientious nature can make them excellent carers. I would not, however encourage anyone to work in care unless they are very financially stable. In private companies there is no sick pay except SSP, 40% of staff are on zero hours contracts and over 50% on minimum wage. The private care home operators make huge profits and treat their staff very badly, even the nurses have pay and conditions far worse than the NHS. Most of the supermarkets pay more.
Will we change our shopping habits? I did find before the last lockdown the shops had a very poor level of stock. John Lewis in particular had very little Whistles Toast or Hush on the rails, all the concessions seemed to be running very low.
I've spent quite a lot on line today, starting off my summer wardrobe. Come 12 April I'll be out there having a look at what is actually in stock before I decide how to go forward.

Consumerism is always what other people do isn't it? We of course would not dream of beong consumerist. We only shop for the things we need, which is why our wardrobes are bursting open with all the clothes we have and our houses are cluttered with things we desperately needed at the time. Henc eall those decluttering books etc and decluttering aids the decluttering experts encourage us to buy.

Shopping patterns may change. I am afraid I am cynical. I do not think the one year glitch of of COVID is anything like long enough to make major changes.

We may buy different things, but buy we will, as much as ever.. I had a lovely time at the Garden Centre this morning buying all the seeds I 'need' for my veg patch.

I haven't bought much over the past year but I have suddenly got the urge to replace all our pictures with big bright ones!

As soon as I feel brave enough (and the shops are open!) I'm off to hunt some down....

I totally hate online clothes shopping and have only ever bought a couple of items of clothing this way. I also refuse to buy anything in shops when they reopen that I am not allowed to try on. The shops that let me try eg Hobbs and a local outdoor wear shop will get my custom and shops where I have spent a lot of money in the past but now refuse to let me try first will no longer get my custom. It’s all very well saying that I can bring anything back but for me the fun of shopping is trying different outfits and I rarely want to go back to the city just to take things back.
Additionally my need for clothes has diminished, I’ve learned that I really don’t need very much and the same for odds and ends for the house.
But I have used this time to have a major kitchen renovation completed as well as remedial work in the attic and much of the house redecorated. I’ve had walls knocked down and rebuilt completely. The planning and overseeing of this project helped keep me sane throughout the lockdowns. Much of the money I have saved from not shopping has been spent on this which has given me a great deal more pleasure than impulse buying in shopping sprees.
In the future less clothes buying and a return to buying flights abroad for the previously planned but abandoned adventure holidays.