Discounting

A classic cash register shows us how much we have sold. Though barely noticeably yet, amounts in cash registers at the end of the day have begun to shrink. Small, tell-tale signs are visible in households, in stores and in manufacturers’ plants as well. In many kitchens, storage of food is no longer the main problem. In some cases, shopping lists still contain no compromises, but in many cases families start going to cheaper types of stores. Of course, we do not feel nostalgic about times when bread was cheap and we drank 100 litres of beer per year. In those times, we listened in astonishment to stories by friends just returning from cities like Paris or London and the food prices they recited. (Two weeks’ average wage could buy us only a few kilos of meat in London). Rationalisation of our food consumption habits began in the 90’s and lead to many businesses throwing in the towel. Today, statistics tell us what we already know, that sales of FMCG products are in decline. Smaller, independent stores are losing more than hyper markets or discount stores. Global enterprises are less effected by recession in a specific region than local businesses. Managers are engaged in desperate attempts to produce figures which show at least something which can be presented as a positive development due to their efforts. Cheaper products can be manufactured with more attractive packaging or customers of rivals can be lured away or even discounts may be granted. We live in a discounted world, with discounted prices for air tickets, car rental and even dental services. So what’s wrong with buying our food in discount stores?