Consumer Studies is not about shopping. It is about making good choices with what you have, from your plate to your wardrobe to the place you call home.The GOAT Notes™
Consumer Studies teaches you to use your money, time and energy wisely when you buy and use goods and services, so that you choose well, know your rights and look after the environment. It starts with you: you are a consumer when you buy a snack, top up airtime or take a minibus taxi.
Consumers have power. What people choose to buy tells businesses what to make, how to price it and how to treat their customers. A consumer who knows how to choose, complain and plan therefore protects their own money and also pushes the market towards fair and safe products.
Goods are things you can touch, such as bread, a school jersey or a phone. Services are things done for you, such as a haircut, a taxi ride or a data connection. Someone who buys stock only to sell it again is buying for the business, not for their own use, so they are not the consumer of that stock.
Maslow ranked human needs on five levels. A person normally tries to meet the lower levels first, because a hungry person does not worry about a certificate. Learn the levels from the bottom up and attach one example to each.
One mark for each level, need and example. Write each level name as Maslow words it.
A right is something every consumer may expect. Every right carries a responsibility, a duty that you must carry out so that the right works. Learn the eight rights first and the duty that goes with each.
A right only works when people use it. A buyer who never reads a label cannot say the information was missing, and a buyer who throws away the slip finds it hard to claim redress. That is why each right comes with a duty.
| Right | What it gives you | The duty that goes with it |
|---|---|---|
| Basic needs | Access to food, clothing, shelter, water, health care and education | Use what you have wisely and show concern for people who have less |
| Safety | Protection from goods and services that can harm your health or life | Read warnings and instructions and use the product as directed |
| Information | Honest labels and advertising, so that you can choose well | Read the label and compare products before you buy |
| Choice | A range of products at fair prices and quality to choose from | Weigh up price and quality and do not buy under pressure |
| Representation | A voice when decisions that affect consumers are made | Join other consumers so that your voice is heard |
| Redress | A fair settlement when goods are faulty: a refund, repair or replacement | Keep your receipt and report the problem politely and honestly |
| Consumer education | The knowledge and skills to make informed choices | Use what you learn and share it with others |
| A healthy environment | Surroundings that do not harm your health | Care for the environment when you buy and throw away |
Every purchase is a decision, and the type depends on how it was made. CAPS names three types that are not fully thought through. The fourth type, the rational decision, rests on facts and is the next heading.
One mark for the type, one for the clue quoted from the scenario, one for what the type means.
A rational decision is made after the buyer has thought about the facts and the alternatives. The process has five steps, always in the same order. The flow below follows Lerato, whose school laptop has stopped working.
Each step has a job. At information search the buyer collects facts from friends, labels, shop visits and reviews. At evaluation the buyer weighs those facts against what the product must do and what the budget allows. Skipping either step turns a rational decision into a guess.
Name the step first, then apply it to the scenario.
Sustainable consumption is the use of goods and services to satisfy basic human needs while reducing the harm done to the environment and to natural resources. Everything you buy had to be made, carried and finally thrown away, so each purchase leaves a mark.
Sustainable consumption matters because natural resources such as water, forests and minerals are limited, and waste has to go somewhere. A consumer who reduces, reuses and recycles makes the same needs last longer on fewer resources.
| Principle | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Reduce | Buy less, and only what you need, so that less waste is made | Do not buy a third school bag |
| Reuse | Use an item again or give it a new use instead of throwing it away | Fill an old tin with soil and grow herbs in it |
| Recycle | Put waste such as paper, plastic, tins and glass in a recycling bin so that it can be made into new products | Sort empty bottles and tins for collection |
A good buyer makes a plan before reaching the till. These habits protect your money and your rights:
Buying locally means choosing goods made or grown nearby. The money stays in the community, local workers keep their jobs and the goods travel a shorter way, which saves fuel. The goods are often fresher, too.
Two buyers with the same pocket money can still buy different things. CAPS groups the reasons into three sets of factors.
The factors work together. A buyer may want a phone because of lifestyle (psychological), choose a brand because friends own it (socio-cultural) and still be limited by what the family can afford (economic). In an answer, name the group first and then the factor.
Quote the part of the story that shows the factor.
A consumer is a person who:
Which of these is a service, not a good?
Which sentence describes a need?
Zinhle is hungry after school. She buys a sandwich to stop her hunger and a milkshake because she fancies one. Which statement is correct?
Which example shows that a want in one situation can be a need in another?
Which list gives Maslow's levels in the correct order, from the bottom level up?
Nandi joins a netball team because she wants friends and a place to belong. Which Maslow level is this?
The Mokoena family fits a burglar gate and an alarm to their house. Which need are they meeting?
Thandi wants her classmates to respect her and is proud of her achievement when she wins the prize for best learner. Which level is this?
According to Maslow, a person normally turns to higher needs when:
A tin of soup shows its ingredients and expiry date so that buyers can compare tins before choosing. Which right does this protect?
A shop replaces Ayanda's kettle at no cost after it stopped working within two days and she showed the receipt. Which right was respected?
The right to safety means that consumers must be:
Which of the following is a consumer responsibility rather than a consumer right?
Mrs Dube and her neighbours form a group so that buyers speak with one voice about a faulty product. Which responsibility is this?
Sibusiso buys the same brand of bread every week because his mother always did. Which type of decision is this?
Seeing a flash-sale banner on her phone, Aisha buys a jacket within a minute, although she had not planned to buy one. Which type of decision is this?
Karabo chooses between two flats because one just feels right. He has not compared the rent or the distance. Which type of decision is this?
Which type of decision is emotional but not sudden, because it rests on what the buyer feels is right rather than on facts?
Which clue separates a habitual decision from a spur-of-the-moment decision?
Which list gives the five steps of the rational decision-making process in the correct order?
Naledi's phone battery no longer holds a charge, so she realises she needs a new phone. Which step is this?
Lwazi lists three bicycles and compares the price, the weight and the guarantee of each. Which step is this?
A week after buying shoes, Thuli checks whether they are comfortable and decides whether to buy the brand again. Which step is this?
Before buying a tablet, Imran asks friends, reads reviews and visits two shops to see the prices. Which step is this?
Sustainable consumption means using goods and services to meet basic needs while:
Zodwa fills an old paint tin with soil and grows herbs in it. Which principle is this?
Which purchase shows sustainable consumption?
Which is a good buying habit?
Why does buying locally help a community?
Which list contains only psychological factors that influence buyer behaviour?
Lunga buys the sports shoes that his favourite footballer wears. Which factor is influencing him?
Amahle wants trainers, but the price is higher than her pocket money, so she buys cheaper ones. Which group of factors decided this?
Ruth thinks a brand is of high quality because its packaging looks expensive, although she has never used it. Which psychological factor is this?
A family buys no pork and prepares its meals according to the customs of its religion. Which socio-cultural factor is this?
Nomsa walks past a shop, sees trainers in the window and buys a pair on the spot, although she did not plan to and her old ones are fine. Classify her decision, quote ONE clue from the scenario and say what this type of decision means. (3)
Nomsa made a spur-of-the-moment decision. The clue is that she bought the trainers on the spot although she did not plan to. It is a sudden, emotional decision made without thinking about the consequences.
A family wants to follow sustainable consumption at home. Name the three Rs of sustainable consumption and give ONE example of each. (3)
Reduce: they buy only what they need, so less waste is made. Reuse: they use an old jar again to store food. Recycle: they put empty tins and plastic bottles in a recycling bin so that they can be made into new products.
Mpho's cell phone fell and the screen is broken beyond repair. She has saved money from a holiday job. Describe how she should follow the five steps of the rational decision-making process to choose her next phone. (5)
Problem recognition: she sees that she needs a new phone because the screen is broken. Information search: she asks friends, reads reviews and looks at prices in shops. Evaluation of alternatives: she compares the price, camera and guarantee of three phones. Purchase decision: she chooses the phone that suits her saved money and buys it. Post-purchase behaviour: she checks that she is satisfied and keeps the slip in case of a fault.
Explain to a Grade 8 learner the five steps of the rational decision-making process, using something you want to buy.
Explain to a Grade 8 learner what Maslow's hierarchy of needs is and why a hungry person does not worry about a certificate.
Explain to a Grade 8 learner what sustainable consumption is and what reduce, reuse and recycle mean in a household.
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Example (already filled in)
| Date | Subject | Topic | Done |
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| Mon 8 Jul | Life Sciences | Your weakest topic, notes + summary | ✓ |
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| Wed 10 Jul | Life Sciences | A full past paper under time | – |
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Every need you can classify, every label you can read and every rand you can cost is a mark you have already banked. Go and collect them.