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Too Much of a Good Thing: Choice

Noel Hendrickson

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Too Much of a Good Thing: Choice

Americans are spoiled for choice. The average American supermarket carries 48,750 items, more than five times the average in 1975, according to the Food Marketing Institute. The problem is not confined to the grocery store: People are also presented with an array of options for credit cards, calling plans, televisions, clothes, retirement plans, even colleges. Consumers may now have a more robust selection, but the abundance of options can also be overwhelming, leading them not to buy at all or be less satisfied with their decisions—a concept called the "paradox of choice," according to a report by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The result is we can be overwhelmed or lose sight of what we need.