Will the current crisis have any lasting effect on consumerism?

It’s certainly made me take stock of the stuff that I have. I have a lot of things to go to the charity shops when they open. Not only clothes, but other lovely items that I hardly ever use or look at.
But I do feel for the businesses that are struggling and have decided to shop in independents first, before the large chains.
Eating out was never a problem, I only hope I can get a table! I think restaurants and tea shops are going to be very busy, as we’ve been deprived for so long!

We will definitely support the small local shops when they reopen, including eating out. We changed hairdressers after the first lockdown and our old one was part of a large chain, we now use a well established local one who is actually much better anyway, waiting for her to reopen. Up cycling and being green is a large part of the little town where we live so will continue to support this venture. Will it change consumerism? We will have to wait and see but I hope so.

I hope so it has made me reflect on issues such as commuting and how much money I spent just in going to work. I am afraid part if that will be cafes, not so much restaurants which are a social occasion but more the cafes that I used for convenience and havent missed.

I'm not sure the care industry would be better staffed if people who formerly chose to work in retail were compelled by economic forces to suddenly take up a job in care. There is a skill set deficit for a start and not everyone is cut out for such a job. So they might end up with more staff, not sure they would necessarily end up with effective or good staff though in many cases. Putting it very bluntly I can't imagine many who previously worked in a high end boutique, or a gift shop, suddenly rushing into a job wherein they are required to physically handle human waste and be caring whilst they are doing so - it requires a certain temperament, and training. Not saying some wouldn't want to, but it's not really a simple case of just redeploying excess people to fill a perceived need.

Brexit is also going to have a huge impact on care jobs

I agree carers need to caring, patient, sensitive, hard working to name just a few qualities but I suppose until some people try these jobs they arent aware how rewarding they may find it.

I think we have a bit of an unhealthy view of those in the care industry, we view them as paragons of virtue whilst treating them very badly. It's an odd juxtaposition. I managed childrens care homes and honestly I am no more sensitive than the next person, actually less so I reckon . However there are very specific skills to the role, I was about to say no one should go into it without wanting to do the role, but again that's probably quite naive about some already in the field.

I would like to think that the environment will benefit from the experiences during lockdown and that if people must buy things they don't really need they will do so locally and as much as possible in charity shops.

Human nature being what it is I doubt that will happen,

A lot of well known highstreet shops have closed ie Debenhams, Peacocks etc so a lot of people have lost their jobs and some businesses are just hanging on by a thread and after furlough ends I expect more will close and more will lose their jobs. Perhaps some will be glad of any jobs they can get ie care work so they can pay their bills.

It will be spend,spend ,spend when everything is re opened. That is for those who have a steady income. They have saved stacks of money they would have spent on going out and holidays. How do I know ? I see it happening all around us after our 6 months in isolation. Spending like there’s no tomorrow.

Let's hope consumerism / waste is reduced. Unemployment may have risen with highstreet closures but the last thing anyone in / needing care wants / needs is people going into it so they 'have a job' - it must be something a person wants to do for genuine reasons

I think they need to pay care workers more and some kind of model around non profit or profit cap care needs to be developed. It seems either under funded or completely creamed off by private companies and then in the middle are a lot of hard working carers who are on zero hours contracts getting paid minimum wage. Then there are the human beings* who deserve a certain level of care, as we would all want.

I have said human beings as I have a real dislike of people being called clients, people within service or any other current buzzword that is fashionable to use.

I realise i have gone off subject. I am not really a shopper anyway. I like going into little independent places but the thought of going into a big shopping centre turns my stomach. I don't like the acoustics in big stores either, it makes me a bit dizzy.

Since the beginning of the pandemic the price of food shopping has risen sharply . Even the gas , electric and water company have increased there charges . So I think a lot of people will only be buying essentials goods to cope with rising costs of every day living .

There will always be people who care, and they will do the best they can for the planet and society. Then there are those, who feel they have missed out and do anything they can to make up for it.
Last summer I thought that there had been enough information about how damaging plastic litter was for nature, wildlife and the environment, but once lockdown lifted, there was more litter everywhere than I had ever seen before.

I completely agree Janejudge, I would however be completely astounded if any of the things you mentioned happened with regards to the care field.

At the beginning of the first lockdown, I bought 'stuff' online. Now, although I do actually need more clothes, the whole gang of ordering, trying, returning, is too much. I'm trying to do without.

JaneJudge

I prefer buying shoes from a shop. There are few shoe shops left in Southampton. However there is one delightful shoe shop run by the same family. I am hoping that they will reopen. There are so many things I cannot buy on line or they turn out to be rubbish or incorrectly described online.

Probably going off the point a bit here but do think there should be some formal training and maybe qualification for care workers. Not just straight from the job centre. Maybe there already is I don’t know!

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.

Walk straight into a position that should say. What is wrong with me today.

I think and hope I've been cured of my shopping habit.
About time too! Luckily I discovered the gardening obsession so can't wait to go on a major plant buying trip.

It's now 3 weeks since my 1st jab so I have a degree of confidence about browsing the shrub aisle. But my mask will be a must for me when out and about 😷

I am reading 'Loved Clothes Last: How the Joy of Rewearing and Repairing Your Clothes Can Be a Revolutionary Act' by Orsola de Castro. It really, really will make you think before buying anything.

I really hope that people will stick with using the local shops still. So many have bent over backwards to get in many of their supplies and cater to many people that wouldn't normally have darkened their doors.
It has also opened many people's eyes to what actually is available not far from their front door.
Shopping online may not continue to be as popular as it has been, I don't think. Not because of what is available but because of the total inefficiency of some of the courier companies. Not a day goes by without someone on our community Facebook group asking if anyone had seen their parcel that had been supposedly delivered.
Also, I always think that for what you often pay in delivery fees, you can get several items at different shops, when the shops are open for the same price !