From consumptionism to shortages
Consumption is an area of research that is gaining in interest among researchers and business practitioners. In the article the authors paid attention to two extremes: on the one hand, consumerism that is characteristic of consumer society and is associated with excessive consumption of goods and services and, on the other, shortages in consumption, that is, the phenomenon consisting in the inability to meet the needs which are relevant from the point of view of a household. In their deliberations, the authors related to the present circumstances of economic slowdown which has an impact on the purchasing behaviour of consumers and their households. The authors’ theoretical considerations have been supplemented with the findings of primary and secondary research. As the authors’ study shows, financial difficulties meant that urban households mainly bought cheaper goods and services. Such a situation occurred in almost every third household in relation to food, stimulants and non-food goods, and in every fourth household with regard to services. Due to financial difficulties almost every fourth household purchased fewer non-food products and reduced the use of services, and almost every sixth household bought less food and stimulants.