With an emphasis on everyday life, this respected text offers a lively and perceptive account of the key theories and ideas which dominate the field of consumption and consumer culture. Engaging case examples describe forms of consumption familiar to the student and illustrate how a range of theoretical perspectives - from semiotics, to theories of practice, to psychoanalysis - apply. Written by an experienced teacher, the book offers a comprehensive grounding drawing on the literature in sociology, geography and cultural studies. The new edition includes more extended discussion of gender as well as contemporary issues of ethics, sustainability, scarcity and wellbeing.