Written by Cove Johnson Rabidoux
In honor of Consumer Protection/Awareness Week, we must spotlight the critical issue of discrimination within consumer rights. But what are consumer rights? Consumer rights are rights and protections that benefit consumers, and influence businesses to produce beneficial and safe services for all consumers. There are five major consumer rights: Safety, Choice, Voice, Information, and Redress.
Safety: Consumers have the right to safe and effective goods.
Choice: Consumers have the right to a range of options in the marketplace.
Voice: Consumers have the right to express concerns and complaints regarding products.
Information: Consumers have the right to accurate information about services before making a purchase.
Redress: Consumers have the right to seek legal action/ help if they are harmed by a business.
These five major consumer rights help to create a fair and equitable marketplace where consumers know that their rights are protected. However, consumer discrimination still exists. Ultimately, discrimination directed against consumers erodes these rights and perpetuates greater inequality and injustice.
Discrimination can take many forms, including racial profiling, gender mistreatment, age bias, or prejudice against those with disabilities. Regarding consumerism, discrimination often results in unequal treatment and barriers to accessing goods, services, and opportunities. For instance, racial profiling is a general form of prejudice, but it often occurs in shops or other retail settings. Racial profiling concerning consumerism is when certain people are unfairly targeted for higher prices, denied access to certain products or services, or subjected to harsh treatment in customer service interactions. Another example is when people of certain racial or ethnic backgrounds are treated with higher surveillance in shops.
Gender mistreatment is another type of discrimination in the marketplace. One main example is a phenomenon known as the “Pink Tax.” This is when products marketed toward women are priced higher than similar products marketed toward men. Some products that typically experience the “Pink Tax,” are razors, shampoos, and deodorants.
These discriminatory practices not only harm individuals and communities but go against consumer rights. This undermines the fairness, equality, and dignity that all consumers are supposedly supposed to have liberties to. As a result, it is crucial that we highlight these discriminations. By highlighting the discrimination within consumer rights enforcement, we can bring more attention to the disparities faced by many when simply trying to enjoy a nice day shopping.
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