Cheap The Real Cost of the Global Trend for Bargains, Discounts & Consumer Choice

Cheap The Real Cost of the Global Trend for Bargains, Discounts & Consumer Choice David Bosshart FRONT FLAP: In most developed countries, in almost every trade sector, prices have decreased considerably over the last few years in some cases, by more than 20 per cent. The choice of products on offer is immense, and customers are inundated with a vast range of goods, costing very little money. In this compelling, powerful and shocking account of society's greedy over-consumption, David Bosshart paints a bleak picture of our increasing obsession with cheap goods. He exposes the darker side of some of our favourite organizations such as easyJet, Wal-Mart, Aldi, Hennes and Mauritz, and Disney and reveals some substantial paradoxes in their business strategies. David Bosshart leads us to question our pursuit of unbridled consumer choice and low prices, and the effect that it is having on the world's economies and societies. Can we rise to the challenge and overcome this obsession for cheap goods before it's too late? REAR COVER: "Our relentless drive to get a discount changes the food we eat, the wages we pay, the care we take of our planet and the way we look after the poor and the powerless. We're overdue a book like Cheap that spells out the often sinister politics of price." Tim Phillips, business journalist and broadcaster, author of Knockoff "David Bosshart is a brilliant contrarian. As political scientist and Director of the Swiss Retail Think Tank GDI, he challenges the idea of cheap. Just as the word cheap comes explosively out of the mouth of consumers so does his analysis leap from the page." Paco Underhill, author of Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping "In recent memory we thought badly of people and products we called 'cheap'. David Bosshart has revealed how the new 'cheap' is thought to be trendy and cool. But, he shows us it comes at a terrible cost to society. This is an astounding book." Christopher Muller, Professor, Rosen College of Hospitality Management, and Director, Center for Multi-Unit Restaurant Management University of Central Florida, Orlando, USA REAR FLAP: Dr David Bosshart is the CEO of the Gottlieb-Duttweiler Institute in Switzerland and an international lecturer on consumer trends, retail analysis and social change. He is also the author of Cult Marketing and The Future of the Consumer Society.Bosshart, David is the author of 'Cheap The Real Cost of the Global Trend for Bargains, Discounts & Consumer Choice', published 2006 under ISBN 9780749445348 and ISBN 0749445343.