Shopping Habits of Gen X'ers

Dr. Laura Portolese Dias has written a very interesting article on the Shopping Habits of Gen X'ers. She reports that Gen X'ers may develope similar frugal buying habits much like the generation from the Depression Era. This is something that I have never thought of, but she believes the terrible economic blow of the Dot.Com failure will affect this generation with a sense of watching the dollars they spend. They will be much like the grandparents you never understood! You can read this article on: <http://naa.missouri.edu/trade/04shopping.pdf">drlpd@comcast.net>http://naa.missouri.edu/trade/04shopping.pdf.

I remember in the late 1970's, I wrote a paper for a Sociology class on whether we made the choice at that time to dress much more casually than earlier because we were so "hip" or was it the extreme economic crunch we were feeling at that time when salaries were being frozen, jobs were scarce and we all had to tighten our belts? Jeans were cheaper, sandles and no socks were much less expensive than designer shoes. Was it really our choice?

We like to think we are so in control of what happens to our lives. We like to think we choose how to dress and what car to drive, but in reality do we? I think this sense of false control we feel about our lives is just a way to feel more comfortable in our dress-down attitudes and smaller economical cars. Our minds seek out comfort and it likes to hide from stress. What better way than to spend less, but think it is our choice?

Just something to think about. I'd like to hear what you have to say about this subject.