‘Consumption as Work’ - Questioning the Meaning of ‘Retirement’ in the Self-Service Economy

• Main Author: Nicholls, R. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Springer Science and Business Media B.V. 2022
• Subjects: Ageing society; aging population; Co-production; elderly population; Older consumers; research method; Retirement; Self-service consumption; socioeconomic conditions
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher

 This article contributes to the establishment of a new perspective in the debate on how to respond to the economic and social challenges of ageing society. It re-examines the productive activity of older people through the lens of the self-service economy and initiates a discussion on how the self-service economy can be leveraged to help deal with some of the challenges created by an ageing population. The article’s main argument is built on the growing importance of self-service and the potential for older consumers to engage in such production/consumption. The substantial efficiency gains surrounding increased levels of self-service are illustrated. The potential of the retired population engaging in self-service and thus dampen the life cycle deficit is highlighted. Self-service activity by older consumers is presented as a type of productive activity and as forming part of older people’s contribution to society. It is argued that the growing self-service nature of consumption brings the meaning of ‘retirement’ even further into question. The policy implications of self-service are explored and a wide range of suggestions for further research areas related to self-service and the older consumer are put forward. © 2020, The Author(s).