UN2002 assignment on attached question

¶ … Irrational consumption: more is more 'More is more.' Consumers tend to associate 'more' -- as in more volume, larger amounts of a product, and even simply bigger products -- with greater value. Companies have capitalized upon this by using super-sized portions to convey a sense of value, or even charging consumers for the privilege of buying in bulk from so-called 'big box' stores. To encourage sales, companies may keep their packaging the same size while shrinking the actual amount of food within the boxes.

The perception of 'more' being good is particularly manifest in the irrational consumption patterns exhibited by consumers who eat fast food. Fast food is attractive because it offers predictable food, quickly, at an apparently bargain price for its volume. Fast food restaurants emphasize their cheapness by having 'dollar menus' and creating the perception of value. But this 'value' hides many hidden facts, including the cost of eating an unhealthy diet. These super-sized portions are carbohydrate-dense and sugary. For the company to increase the volume of French fries and sugary water is pocket change, but consumers see this as 'value' despite the fact that it is devoid of nutritional content.

Even the illusion of maximized 'speed' is actually often not really the case with fast food consumption. Long drive-through lines in addition to the time devoted to getting to the fast food establishment may mean that it would actually have been less time- consuming to shop at the beginning of the week and to prepare food to eat at home. People often say that they have no time to cook yet they have time to watch television -- even cooking on television. A full fast food meal is not necessarily cheap, given that it may cost as much as four or five dollars for a meal, versus cooking inexpensive chicken, rice, and vegetables at home. In fact, "a new study by a professor at the University of California-Davis medical school has found that it's Americans with salaries at the higher end of the spectrum -- in some cases as high as $80,000 to $90,000 -- who are driving fast-food consumption at the likes of McDonald's and Burger King" (Theah 2011). Consumers who patronize such stores need a certain level of income.

Nutritionally, even when given information about the food they consume, people do not always make rational choices. "A 2009 study by NYU and Yale professors found, after checking receipts, that customers actually ordered slightly more calories than the typical customer had before the calorie count law was implemented," possibly because consumers misinterpreted 'more calories' as being more filling, conveying more value, or larger portion size (Theah 2011). "Two years later, an NYU School of Medicine study demonstrated that calorie labeling did not change the number of calories teenagers and parents purchased at fast food chains in the city, with teens buying a whopping 725 calories on average even after the labeling" (Theah 2011).

Irrational beliefs about volume, value, and food have been strongly correlated with weight gain, and also consumption patterns such as eating large amounts of sugary and highly-processed foods (Olsberg et al. 2008). Eating more fast food leads to cravings to eat more fast food. Fast food sales are driven by a fairly substantial core group of consumers who are frequent users, rather than eaters across all spectrums. It is for this reason that, other than to circumvent negative publicity, fast food companies have historically been extremely reluctant to offer healthy food options, given that the target consumer has a preference for traditional fast food standards, and prioritizes volume and value over health concerns.

It is not only in terms of fast food, however, that volume is considered to convey value in the eyes of consumers. "According to new research from Harvard Business School, paying a fee to shop leads people to think they are saving money even when they aren't" (Study: Costco Customers Are Irrational, 2007, U.S. News & World Report ). Consumers feel that they are getting a bargain at Costco, but they actually consume more, "including massive amounts of pasta or toilet paper...than they could ever eat or use (Study: Costco Customers Are Irrational, 2007, U.S. News & World Report).