THE QUESTION OF WHAT WE NEED – AS OPPOSED TO WHAT WE WANT — is on a lot of minds now, particularly as we finish our holiday shopping in the midst of a recession. Technically speaking, our needs are fairly basic – food, clothing, shelter – but this is America, where folks are accustomed to expecting far more than the basics, where we are forever being tantalized with the latest “must-have” gadgets and luxuries, be it a $2,000 MacBook Pro or a $5,000 large-screen high-definition TV.
Evidence is everywhere that people are making tough choices, deciding what is essential and what is frivolous, what they can spare and what they truly can’t live without. The answers are sometimes surprising.
At David’s Instant Shoe Repair on Federal Street, owner Ara Arakelian says business is thriving because “people are not buying ((shoes)) as much; they’re repairing more shoes.” On the other hand, business has picked up sharply at La Residencia Spa, a high-end day spa in Newton. “Before the election it was slow, but the day after the election the phone was ringing off the hook,” says owner Jane Aransky. “We all looked at each other and said, ‘Can you believe it?’ A lot of people were losing a lot of money, and you’d think they’d really be afraid. I thought we’d be affected more.” “What could I not live without? Honestly? I need my perfumes,” said Melissa O’Connor, 24, of South Boston. “When I smell something nice, it makes me feel better.” She added: “I also need my black shoes and ((Coach)) handbags.” This may be what psychologist Abraham Maslow had in mind back in the 1940s when he formulated his pyramid-shaped “Hierarchy of Needs,” still a staple of introductory psychology textbooks. As Maslow saw it, our needs are not equal but hierarchical, and until our basic physiological needs such as food and water are met, we can’t pay attention to higher-level needs, such as making friends, being creative, or developing self-esteem.
Or, apparently, buying perfume.
“I still think it’s a really clever way to look at what’s going on in the economy,” says Kit Yarrow, a consumer psychologist in San Francisco and author of the forthcoming book “Gen Buy,” about the shopping patterns of people in their teens and 20s, known as Gen Y. But she believes today’s Generation Y-ers may be different than 20-ysomethings in Maslow’s day.
“They are the only group not seeing the need to cut back,” she says.
“They grew up completely in this era of growth and prosperity.
They have no fear, and fear is what causes us to rein in spending. For my mom, it is forever in her soul to be cheap and fearful. Gen Y-ers are not having what you would call an easy transition to the new economy.” Though he has cut back a bit on spending, it’s still life as usual for Nathan Sawyer, 26, of Brighton. “For myself and my friends, we do still go out and do things we normally do,” says Sawyer, who works for an educational advisory company. “Nightlife. Shopping. Spending money at the mall. Though it is at the back of your mind that we should be saving money.” “It’s all about what your job prospects are,” says Leora Maccabee, a third-year law school student at Northeastern University. “I am fortunate that I have a job waiting for me and that colors my experience. I did feel comfortable going to the Limited on Black Friday and getting a skirt. It allows you to be even a little bit more reckless. But a lot of my friends who don’t have jobs are very scared.” Interviews with shoppers of all ages suggest that there are a lot of people having trouble with the transition to the new economy, and many are at the lowest level of Maslow’s needs pyramid.
“What can’t I do without? It would be my son; he’s all I have left,” said Bernie McGoon, who was holding a hand-lettered sign next to Macy’s reading “My Son and I Are Homeless. Can You Help?” McGoon, dressed in pressed khakis and a black nylon jacket, said he and his brother ran a gutter and roof repair company, but when the economy went sour, they stopped getting calls. Now he and his son are living in motels.
Up the street, Chris Hunt was collecting money for the Salvation Army. He said his needs these days are minimal. “My main thing is, as long as I have clothes on my back, I have everything I need,” said Hunt, 24.
“I’ve been on the street like a lot of guys, and I could always go to soup kitchens.” In the Public Garden, Amna Ali who recently moved to Boston, and her friend Fatima Khan, who lives in Arkansas, agreed on what single thing they could not live without: clean water from a tap. It seemed like a strange answer from two fashionably dressed 31-year-old physicians, but they explained they both grew up in Pakistan. “Even in more affluent areas of Pakistan, drinking water and electricity that’s 2-4/7 is a luxury,” Ali said.
Several people said they’ve recently discovered they do not need gourmet coffee anymore, including one woman who declined to give her name but said she’s had no trouble eliminating Starbucks from her life but would not at any cost give up her cleaning service. “I’d rather eat gruel than clean my own bathroom,” she said.
“I have changed from latte to regular coffee, and I can live without the fancy stuff,” said Paul Daigneault, producing artistic director of the SpeakEasy Stage Company. What he and his partner, Jeff Mello, have decided they can’t live without is theater and entertainment. “I think it’s important to be able to escape, even if it’s Netflix. Music, too.
Our ((8-year-old)) son loves to listen to music, and I like to add new tunes to my iPod now and then, so he can hear new music.” Bonnie Berger said she definitely needs her daily morning fix of fresh raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries, no matter what the season, she said. “I feel like I need them to take care of myself.” Matthew Pillari, 8, of Greenwich, Conn., who was shopping on Boylston Street with his father, did not hesitate when asked what he needs the most: “Oh. My blanket,” he said confidently, noting it is black with white stars on one side, and white with black stars on the other. “I’ve had it a long, long, long, long time,” he said. “But I’ve chewed on it and messed it up.”
