Aging Out Of Consumerism

Watch for this to be promoted as "active living" for seniors.

"For the rest of the 21st century, the fastest-growing consumer group in the world will be people over the age of 60."

Oh, no.

Consumers have a best before date, and many of us around the world are reaching it.

It is a demonstrable fact that older people consume less.

With our current demographic shifts toward a higher percentage of older folks, the proponents of consumerism are panicking.

What will those who profit from it do when it all collapses due to the wrinklies tapping out?

They are desperately trying to find out why old people eventually give up on the shopping lifestyle.

Is it because the elderly already had everything they needed decades ago? 

It can't be - when has having everything  ever stopped people from buying more?

Or do we all eventually age out of doing self-harmful things once we become wise enough?

Let's face it - recreational shopping is an exhausting and taxing endeavour. 

Buying stuff is another full time job that must be managed. 

All that searching, buying, carrying home, storing, and maintenance takes a lot of time and energy, not to mention cold har cash.

A lifetime of acquisition is a slog to the end, when finally we all feebly raise the white flag atop our pile of mostly useless stuff, and retreat to a calmer lifestyle free of the obsession to own more.

As we age a lot of things change, including the fact that the psychological boost from buying ceases to give the kick that it used to. 

Our priorities begin to change. 

The older we get the more we come to realize there are more important things in life than frantically chasing after ever more stuff and "experiences". 

We learn that the relationships we have with the life around us is where it is at.

We realize that no one wishes they shopped more when on their death bed, and tap out before it's too late.

But don't count out the consumer scammers just yet. 

They have a solution to their demographic challenges, and that is to promote "active aging". 

That is code for "lets keep the oldies buying our stuff and services as long as we can".

I don't think they will be successful. Highly experienced folks are too smart for that. 

Old folks will continue to quit the marketplace, and retire from shopping to a slower, simpler, more satisfying end of life.

My prediction is that the growing grey tsunami will crash over the creaking consumer commercial enterprise and wash the whole thing into the ocean of history.

As a simple living old fogey myself, I look forward to hastening that process.