Raising Smart Consumers

by Ann Douglas

"Parents need to recognize that they have a responsibility to teach their children to become wise consumers and to realize that their children are, in fact, being bombarded with advertising messages from a very early age."

Taking my nine year old daughter Julie shopping for a birthday present for either of her three brothers is an exercise in sheer torture. Rather than resorting to impulse buying, she's determined to weigh each option carefully and to compare the prices of different toys before making a purchasing decision. (Her Dad and I have learned to use the bathroom in the mall before we get started because once you hit the stores with Julie, you just know you're in for a marathon shopping experience.)

While shopping with her requires a tremendous amount of patience and stamina, Julie's well on her way to becoming a smart consumer. She understands the principles of comparison shopping, and she's grasped a hard truth that many adults still struggle with when your wallet's empty, it's time to go home!

Now let me tell you about our eight-year-old son Scott's approach to shopping. He's wowed by packaging, and often doesn't actually care what's inside. He's brand specific, he feels that anything with a Batman logo on it is worth buying, even if it's poorly put together or grossly overpriced. And he has not yet grasped the idea that if you spend your money today, there'll be nothing left for tomorrow.

We're confident that Scott's shopping skills will improve as he gets older -- with Julie as a trainer, how can he lose? - but we also realize that we have a significant role to play in ensuring that he leaves home knowing how to make wise purchasing decisions.

Kathy Lynn of Parenting Today (a Vancouver, B.C.-based consulting firm) agrees that raising kids who are aware of the impact of advertising is important in today's world "Parents need to recognize that they have a responsibility to teach their children to become wise consumers and to realize that their children are, in fact, being bombarded with advertising messages from a very early age."

They also need to be taught that when it comes to the glitzy world of advertising, what you see ain't necessarily what you get. "Children believe that what they see on television is true," notes Lynn. "Television is warm and fuzzy, and it's right in their livingroom." That's why it's so important to spend time watching TV with your kids, and to talk to them about what the advertising messages really mean.

"Make it a game," suggests Lynn. "Ask your kids if they can figure out how the advertisers made the breakfast cereal look so appealing, or why the toy on TV looks so big. Take the magic out of the advertising presentation."

Be sure to help your kids to identify any discrepancies between what certain products look like on TV and what they look like in real life, Lynn advises. (i.e. Point out the difference between the mouth-watering hamburgers that they see on television and the rather squished ones that they get at the takeout window of the local hamburger franchise).

The key, however, is to avoid turning a learning opportunity into a mini-lecture. The messages heard and the lessons learned will be far more powerful if you allow the kids to draw their own conclusions. After all, you only have to buy a superhero figurine once to discover that it doesn't come with all of the neat accessories (or make any of the nifty sound effects!) that were demonstrated on TV.

Another important aspect of becoming a smart consumer is learning to manage money. That's why parents need to encourage their kids to make their own purchasing decisions and to budget for special purchases. This isn't always easy in a society that thrives on instant credit and instant gratification.

"If our kids are into instant gratification, it's for good reason," insists Lynn. "It comes from not being asked to wait for anything. We need to teach them that if something's really worth having, it's worth waiting for."