Each person in life is surrounded by many products. We make purchases almost daily without thinking about what relates to non-food products, what are their specifics, what are the rules for their purchase and return. Let's talk about what types of such things exist, and what makes up the concept of their quality. Let's try to compile a list of non-food products and build their classification.
The concept
Traditionally, it is customary to separate all goods on the basis of the possibility and impossibility of eating. By this criterion, food and non-food products are distinguished. The list of items that are not eaten and are not raw materials for cooking is extremely large and varied.
Non-food products satisfy numerous human needs, both biological (protection from the cold, safety, sleep), and social (prestige, fashion, group membership). Different industries produce an increasing number of products. In connection with the growth of the assortment and product categories, the task of dividing products into types is becoming increasingly difficult.
Classifications
All non-food products, the list of which is huge, can be divided into groups according to various criteria. Historically, there has been a classification within which goods are classified into household, sanitary, haberdashery, construction, furniture, carpet, hardware, tools, electrical goods and household appliances, clothes and shoes, fabrics, jewelry and watches, stationery, music and photo products, sports, books and printed materials.
According to the frequency of demand and its characteristics, goods of everyday and special, as well as impulse demand are distinguished. Non-food products can be divided into fashionable, seasonal and related. By purpose, they distinguish products of wide use and industrial and technical purposes. All these classifications have intersections and cannot always cover the whole variety of non-food products.
Categories
For the convenience and unambiguity of assigning certain goods to certain groups, an economic and statistical classification was developed in which they are distributed into enlarged categories.
All non-food products, the list of which is practically inexhaustible, are divided into groups in accordance with their purpose, composition, characteristics. The classifier offers a complex coding system for groups and can only be used by commodity specialists. For educational purposes, a simplified classification was developed, which was widely used due to its convenience and a fairly high degree of versatility. It proposes the allocation of 9 large commodity complexes:
- Household goods. This complex includes glass, ceramic, plastic and glass products (dishes, building materials, tools, etc.), as well as household chemicals and furniture.
- Oil and oil products.
- Clothing and footwear, including fur products.
- Perfume and beauty products.
- Jewelry.
- Haberdashery goods (bags, wallets, combs, belts, ties).
- Electrical products (household appliances, lighting, food storage).
- Cultural and household (TVs, musical instruments, books, sports equipment, watches, vehicles, cameras, telephones).
- Products of art crafts.
Specificity
Features of non-food products are that they usually do not require special storage and transportation conditions. But non-food items are often items of high complexity or danger. Therefore, some of them require special training in operation, so the consumer must be trained in the use of such goods - this is their specificity. Therefore, there are special rules for the sale and quality assessment of non-food products.
The concept of the quality of non-food products
Features of non-food products consist in the method of their production, purchase and consumption. During operation, things and devices manifest their properties, by which their quality is evaluated.
Non-food products, the list of which covers a wide variety of products, from combs to cars, do not have uniform criteria for assessing quality due to their high diversity. The properties of each category of goods is regulated by state standards and technical regulations. In this case, the non-compliance of the quality with the required standards can be proved only with the help of expertise. Such an assessment is carried out using the following methods:
- organoleptic, i.e., external examination using the senses of an expert;
- registration, instrumental and settlement, which allow to evaluate the physico-chemical characteristics of the goods;
- sanitary-chemical;
- microbiological and environmental.
An expert interview method is also used to assess the aesthetic properties of the product.
Consumer properties of non-food products
When purchasing a product, the consumer does not use special assessment methods, but bases his choice on evaluating its properties. Of course, they are very different for products of different categories. So, the consumer chooses sporting goods in completely different ways than the new refrigerator. But there are general consumer properties that are characteristic of all non-food products. These include:
- Durability . The product must, in accordance with the standard, serve a specified period. The consumer assumes that each product will last for some time, for example, a refrigerator - 10 years, and sneakers - 2 years.
- Security . The product must be made of environmentally friendly materials.
- Ergonomics . The product should create a feeling of comfort in the consumer.
- Physical and technical properties. The consumer, using his own methods, assesses the condition of the product and its ability to perform specified functions.
- Aesthetics . The buyer on the basis of his ideas about beauty evaluates this indicator of goods.
- Maintainability . By purchasing sophisticated equipment or a used car, the consumer thinks about the availability and price of repairs if necessary.
- The image of the manufacturer. Many consumers, under the influence of advertising, believe that some brands are better than others, and choose products based on their ideas about the prestige and reliability of the manufacturer.
Purchase and operation
Trade in non-food products is subject to independent rules. They govern the requirements for packaging and transportation of products. Special rules apply to fragile items such as televisions or glass vases. Also, the seller must ensure the established storage conditions for goods with a certain humidity and temperature conditions. For example, electronics requires strict storage conditions. Also, the store must ensure the correct service process: a competent seller who is ready to give expert advice on the properties and functions of the goods must meet the buyer in the sales area. For example, when purchasing sporting goods, the buyer should be informed about the purpose of the product and its operating conditions.
Exchange and Return
Unlike food, non-food items are returned and exchanged. Although there are a number of limitations. Refundable clothes, shoes, accessories (bags, belts) in the event that the products did not fit the buyer in size, color, style, etc. Moreover, the goods should not have been in use. Within 14 days from the date of purchase, the buyer can return the goods to the store if there is a receipt and the packaging is intact, without explaining the reasons for the return. Also, the consumer can exchange goods of inadequate quality for a product that meets the requirements of the standard. If 14 days have passed from the date of purchase and a defect has been identified in the product, then it can be returned or exchanged after an examination. She must prove that the product was not damaged by the consumer during operation.
Non-Returnable and Exchangeable Goods
However, there are restrictions on returns and exchanges. The list of products not subject to such procedures contains some non-food items. These are jewelry, pharmaceutical equipment and medicines, household appliances, fabrics, animals and plants, perfumes and cosmetics, books, construction and decoration materials.
Special conditions apply to the return and exchange of technically complex goods. They can’t just be brought to the store if you don’t like the colors. In this case , an examination will be required , it can be an on-site assessment by the seller or a procedure ordered from specialists. Technically sophisticated products include cars, computers, refrigerators, washing machines, boats and yachts, motorcycles, and tractors.