"What we learned is that the consumer hasn't fundamentally changed, but to the extent they are changing [it] is because the environment around them is evolving, characterized by economic constraints and new competitive options. They’re changing because of the financial constraints they find themselves in. This, in turn, has been triggered by a rise in nondiscretionary expenses such as health care and education and the growing bifurcation between income groups. They’re also changing in reaction to the abundance of competitive options available to them, made possible by technology."

-Kasey M. Lobaugh, Bobby Stephens, Jeff Simpson, all of Deloitte Consulting, writing late last month for Deloitte Insights about how consumers might not be changing in the ways we think.