The recession has put a damper on many of the ordinary conveniences consumers had gotten use to.
Wired PR News – The recession has led to among other things, lessoned convenience for shoppers. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), shoppers are seeing many of the things they once took for granted fade away due to the troubles of the economy. These include things ranging from having to travel greater distances for items they need due to numerous store closings to shortened hours of operation for businesses.
As noted in the report, many businesses are finding it necessary to make several changes to accommodate for decreases in revenue from increased unemployment and modified consumer-spending habits. David Urban, a professor of marketing at Virginia Commonwealth University, is quoted in the AP report as stating, “If having a business open an extra hour is more of a cost than a benefit, it’s a pretty easy decision to cut back on hours… In the big scheme of things, consumers are already cutting back dramatically on dining, travel, and other non-necessary expenditures, to stay afloat financially. So in a sense, they are doing the same things in their personal lives that retailers are doing in their business lives.”
Photo Credit: Ben Schumin