2016 Consumer Staples?

[rayray]

(01-11-2016, 12:38 PM)Rasec Wrote:

(01-10-2016, 06:40 PM)rayray Wrote: Consumer staples are goods or services that people are UNABLE or UNWILLING to cut from their budgets during financial difficulties. Not necessarily a NEED. A way to look at the consumer staple sector is any company that sells goods or services that are in demand every day no matter what the financial atmosphere looks like, in good or bad times.


My great grandfather gave my grandmother his last 10 cents in his pocket so she could buy some ice cream, because she was his baby girl and she wanted it. It might have been unnecessary but the joy that it must have brought them most likely cannot be described in words, at least by me. BTW, Hershey also makes ice cream.

He could have bought her some flowers, a ticket to the movies or a shiny new ring because it was his baby girl and she wanted it instead of an ice-cream, it wouldn't make these 3 examples consumer staples as well!  

Well, those items are not consumer staples. And I guess, technically ice cream is not but Hershey Co. is and they do make ice cream. My point is that during the Great Depression someone bought his loved one ice cream with the only money he had in his pocket during severe economical trying times. It was my poor example in describing what a "Consumer Staple" product could be in broad terms, I suppose. Hershey makes candy and Altria makes cigarettes, maybe not right in more ways then one but they are what they are, "Consumer Staples." Products or services that people may not necessarily need but want and will spend money on in difficult times. Products that they can still afford or at least something they are willing to buy during hard times as opposed to discretionaries such as high end clothing or restaurants.