Thank god for the internet. It is now easier than ever to search and compare the cost of items online. In the past I used to be a lazy consumer and I would generally take whatever the first product was that I was offered. Savvy salesmen and marketeers had a field day with me by selling me the highest priced item that they had. But now I use online comparison tools and it is true that they actually do help save me money. In fact it has become a bit of an obsession. In the past I would just check the prices of other items that I would buy online like holidays or insurance but more recently I have even searched for cheap prices on tools, spare parts and even car tyres! I only wish I had made a note of the money I had saved it would help me justify spending more money on a holiday!
I wonder what the impact of this new found consumer power will be. Businesses will probably have to become more efficient so that they can charge higher prices. Will this mean that the quality of the products and services will get worser? Or will it simply remove those businesses that are not run efficiently? Will this mean that only the best and largest businesses will survive? Who knows!
