This document defines key concepts related to consumers, goods, services, needs, wants, rights and responsibilities. It discusses that consumers are anyone who uses goods or services. Goods are products bought, while services involve work done for payment, like hairdressing. Needs are things required for survival, while wants are desires but not necessities. Consumer rights include truthful information, choice, value for money, safety and redress. Responsibilities involve knowing rights/laws and making informed choices. Resources are anything used in a task, and decision making follows steps of identifying problems and alternatives before choosing and evaluating. Factors influencing decisions internal like preferences or external like advertising.

1. CONSUMERS
Anyone who uses goods or services
© PDST Home Economics

2. Goods and Services
 Goods: Products that are bought
e.g. food, clothes
 Services: Doing work for another
usually involving payment
e.g.hairdressing, car repair

4. Needs and Wants
 Needs: Things we cannot do without
e.g. food, clothing, shelter, warmth
 Want: Things we’d like to have but can live without
e.g. MP3 players, holidays, mobile phones
Some wants are considered to be luxuries

6. Needs and wants
Needs and wants change depending on a number of things:
 Age
 Culture
 Circumstances
A priority is something that is very important to you

7. Consumer Rights
 The right to truthful information
 The right to choose
 The right to value for money
 The right to safety
 The right to redress
A monopoly happens when there is only one supplier of a
product or service i.e. there is no competition

8. Consumer Responsibilities
 To know your rights
 To know consumer law
 To inform yourself about goods and services so you can
choose wisely
 To understand the balance between cost and quality
 To read labels and follow manufacturers instructions
 To complain about faulty goods and services
 To avoid wasting resources and protect environment

9. Resources
Anything that is used in doing a task e.g.
 Time
 Money
 Skills
 Information
 Equipment
 Materials

10. Consumer Information
 Consumer information:
any knowledge that helps a consumer to buy wisely
 Consumer education:
using this knowledge to make informed decisions when
purchasing goods and services

11. Why do consumers need to be
informed?
 So they make wise buying decisions
 To get value for money
 To understand consumer law
 So they know how to get redress

12. Sources of consumer information
 Consumer Association of Ireland and
National Consumer Agency
 Advertising
 Showrooms & exhibitions
 Salespeople
 TV/radio consumer programmes
 Internet consumer sites
 Manufacturer’s leaflets
 Other consumers
 Magazines and newspapers
 Community info services

14. Decision Making
 Step 1 Identify the problem
 Step 2 Collect information
 Step 3 Consider alternatives
 Step 4 Consider consequences of each alternative
 Step 5 Make a decision
 Step 6 Put the decision into action
 Step 7 Evaluate results

15. Factors which influence our
decisions when choosing goods
Internal Factors
 Personal preferences
 Personal values
 Needs
External Factors
 Advertising /Marketing
 Peers / Friends
 Family
 Price / cost
 Fashion
 Sales people
 Time

16. Impulse Buying
Buying something on the spur of the moment