Working and Shopping

"We work harder, creating more workplace misery, to deliver more goods that create progressively less satisfaction. Is this a sort of mad tipping point?"

People in the South East of England are too exhausted by their jobs to go shopping according to an Experian (http://press.experian.com/ 30th August 2006) survey.

Joe wonders if shopping is part of the reason that work feels so bad. Most of us are Consumers and Producers. As Consumers, we want better-faster-cheaper-quicker-more. As Producers, we work harder-faster-longer-leaner to deliver it.

In the UK, we walk past 15,000 consumer brands a day, unless it's supermarket day, in which case it’s 35,000. A century ago, Royalty didn’t have this much choice.

The finance faculty at the University of Chicago studied what happens in supermarkets selling jam. More people visit the shelf when there's lots of jams to choose from. But on average they're less satisfied with their purchase than people who were offered a smaller selection.

We work harder, creating more workplace misery, to deliver more goods that create progressively less satisfaction. Is this a sort of mad tipping point?