Introduction
The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast family decision making rules within couples that vary in age of relationship. To accomplish this I interviewed two couples. One couple was engaged and had been together for 4.5 years; where as the other couple had been married for 27 years. The younger couple was a family friend and the older married couple was my aunt and uncle. My aunt and Uncle would fall in the traditional family realm because they are married with two kids living at home. Where as the engaged couple have no children and live in the same home. During the study I found differences and similarities in both couples most likely due to the length of their relationship.
Methods To recruit …show more content…
The married couple have two children that both live at home. They admitted that the children have just as much or even more purchasing power than they do. When I asked what they meant they said we want to keep our children happy so if they ask for something from the grocery or from the store and it is reasonable we are going to get it for them. The couple that is engaged has yet to have children so they base what they want off of their own feelings and emotions. In both couples the product category changed who was the initiator, purchaser, user, etc. This has to do with role specialization because generally (not trying to stereotype) males have more experience with big purchases like automobiles and bigger objects but less experience in grocery store trips. This was apparent in both couples. The males were specialized in the bigger purchases and the females were specialized in the grocery store …show more content…
For instance the married couple bought an electronic fridge that has all kinds of buttons on the outside. It was a Samsung fridge. That is our culture right now; everything is turning to digital and electronic even our appliances. The couple that is engaged bought a new car. The car was a brand new ford Taurus. It has all the new electronic gadgets in it, including Sirius radio, GPS, park assist etc. Even in the younger children’s lives, everything is going digital. This cultural influence extends from children to elderly and influences our purchasing decisions whether we know it or not. Values can also effect purchasing decisions. Some people only buy American made products. The couple that is engaged bought a Ford because it is an American made car. I know people who won’t buy Nike apparel because they believe Nike is using sweatshops in China with child labor. These values and culture impact everyone differently but definitely influence our