Customer Reviews

The Low-Income Consumer: Adjusting the Balance of Exchange

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Wow. Is there anything Alwitt & Donley didn't cover, at least peripherally, in this opus of research into low income consumers? From store availability, to pricing, to marketing communications, this book utilizes data, not empty rhetoric or opinion, to form a coherent picture of the poor in the U.S. during the mid 1990's. While in some ways it is a bit dated, especially in light of the recent housing bubble & recession, it still rings true and forms an excellent starting point for the serious poverty researcher, policy maker, or concerned marketer looking for an edge.

While this book does a stellar job of describing the poor through statistics and demographics, it does not foster the intimate connection brought forward by others. I recommend Nickled and Dimed or When Work Disappears for a personal look at the lives of the poor in the U.S. Between the data in this book and anecdotal, personal stories in the others, even the hardest heart has to be softened to the plight of these people.

This book tries to answer the question, "How can advertisers most effectively market to low-income consumers?" At first, it seems exploitative that someone would even ask that of such an oppressed group. However, the researchers are sensitive to the poor and make their study make sense, even in a politically correct manner. This was an anti-classist text. It was a wonderful mix of sociology and business research.

The researchers ask, "Who are the poor?" "How do they spend differently than the middle-class?" They undress myths that the poor spend foolishly or spend more on "sin" products. The book only asks at the end how advertisers may best reach them.

The book isn't perfect. It tries to put a human face on various phenomena with these cheesy real-person quotes. It fudges the question of whether the poor tend to live in urban or rural areas. It discusses many studies that the researchers themselves conducted, often in a haphazard manner. Still, I enjoyed this book. Those who love capitalism but hate poverty in the US will also get much out of it.