In this essay we are going to be exploring the view that a consumer society produces both winners and losers. A consumer society is a society in which the buying and selling of goods is the most important feature of social and economic activity, where what is consumed is more important than what is produced (Allen, 2014, p. 121). This essay will first discuss the claims and evidence to support that supermarkets produce winners in society. Secondly, I will discuss the claims and evidence to support that supermarkets produce losers in society. I will use Bauman’s theory of the seduced and the repressed and Wrong’s concept of zero-sum and positive-sum game, to conclude given the evidence, that supermarkets end in a zero-sum game, meaning the disadvantages out weight the possible advantages, rather than a positive-sum game, where everyone to some extent gains.
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154) they have subsequently grown and expanded all across the UK, as has their market power and buyer power. Market power, which refers to their ability to act in the marketplace in ways that their competitors such as other supermarkets or small businesses can do little about, such as charging different prices for certain goods and buyer power, which is slightly different to market power in that it is how large a supermarket is to its suppliers (Allen, 2014, p. 155), and with stores like Tesco taking up the majority of the market share (Allen, 2014, p.) there is some concern over the unequal share of market power and buyer power supermarkets now have and how this is unfairly detrimental to local businesses and communities. However there are also claims that supermarkets have advantages and can help local communities by providing much needed
154) they have subsequently grown and expanded all across the UK, as has their market power and buyer power. Market power, which refers to their ability to act in the marketplace in ways that their competitors such as other supermarkets or small businesses can do little about, such as charging different prices for certain goods and buyer power, which is slightly different to market power in that it is how large a supermarket is to its suppliers (Allen, 2014, p. 155), and with stores like Tesco taking up the majority of the market share (Allen, 2014, p.) there is some concern over the unequal share of market power and buyer power supermarkets now have and how this is unfairly detrimental to local businesses and communities. However there are also claims that supermarkets have advantages and can help local communities by providing much needed