Non-food products: list, categories, purchase and right of exchange and return

Every person in life is surrounded by many different products. We almost daily make purchases, without thinking about what concerns non-food products, what are their specifics, what are the rules for their purchase and return. Let's talk about what kinds of such things exist, from which the concept of their quality develops. Let's try to make a list of non-food items and build their classification.

The concept of

Traditionally, it is common to divide all goods on the basis of the possibility and inability to eat. According to this criterion, food and non-food items are allocated. The list of items not consumed in food and not being the raw material for cooking is extremely large and varied.

Non-food products meet numerous human needs, like biological (protection from cold, safety, sleep), and social (prestige, fashion, belonging to the group). Different industries produce more and more goods. In connection with the growth of the range and product categories, the problem of dividing products into species is increasingly being resolved.

Classifications

All non-food items, the list of which is huge, can be divided into groups on different grounds. Historically, a classification has been made in which goods are classified into economic, sanitary, technical, haberdashery, construction, furniture, carpet, hardware, tools, electrical goods and household appliances, clothing and footwear, fabrics, jewelry and watches, clerical, musical and photographic goods, Sports, books and printed products.

By the frequency of demand and its characteristics, the products of everyday and special, as well as impulse demand, are singled out. Non-food products can be divided into fashion, seasonal and accompanying products. By designate the products are widely used and for industrial and technical purposes. All these classifications have intersections and can not always cover the whole variety of non-food items.

Categories

For the convenience and unambiguous attribution of certain goods to certain groups, an economic-statistical classification was developed in which they are distributed according to enlarged categories.

All non-food products, the list of which is practically inexhaustible, are divided into groups according to their purpose, composition, characteristics. The classifier offers a complex system for coding groups and it can only be used by specialist commodity experts. For educational purposes, a simplified classification was developed, which was widely used due to its convenience and a sufficiently high degree of universality. It involves 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 refined products.

- Clothes and footwear products, including fur products.

- Perfume and cosmetic products.

- Jewelry.

- Haberdashery goods (bags, wallets, combs, belts, ties).

- Electric appliances (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 products are often items of high complexity or danger. Therefore, some of them require special training in the 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 evaluation of the quality of non-food items.

The concept of quality of non-food products

Features of non-food goods consist in the way of their production, purchase and consumption. In the course of operation, things and devices exhibit their properties, according to which their quality is assessed.

Non-food products, the list of which covers a variety of products, from combs to cars, do not have uniform criteria for assessing quality because of their high diversity. The properties of each category of goods are regulated by state standards and technical regulations. In this case, the inconsistency of quality with the required standards can only be proved with the help of expertise. Such an assessment is carried out using the following methods:

- organoleptic, i.e., external examination with the help of the expert's senses;

- registration, instrumental and settlement, which allow to evaluate the physico-chemical indicators of the goods;

- Sanitary and chemical;

- microbiological and ecological.

Also, the expert interview method is used to assess the aesthetic properties of the product.

Consumer properties of non-food products

When acquiring a product, the consumer does not use special methods of evaluation, but bases his choice on evaluating his properties. Of course, they are very different for products of different categories. Thus, the consumer chooses sporting goods according to completely different parameters than the new refrigerator. But there are common consumer properties, characteristic for all non-food products. These include:

- Longevity . The goods must serve a certain period in accordance with the standard. The consumer assumes that each product will last for a while, for example, a refrigerator - 10 years, and sneakers - 2 years.

- Security . The product should be made of environmentally friendly materials.

- Ergonomics . The product should create a sense of comfort for the consumer.

- Physical and technical properties. The consumer conducts his own methods of assessing the state of the product and its ability to perform specified functions.

- Aesthetics . The buyer evaluates this indicator of the goods on the basis of his ideas of beauty.

- Repairability . Buying a complicated technique or a car with mileage, the consumer thinks about the availability and price of repairs, if necessary.

- Image of the manufacturer. Many consumers under the influence of advertising believe that some brands are better than others, and choose goods, focusing on their perception of the prestige and reliability of the manufacturer.

Purchase and operation

Trade in non-food products is subject to independent rules. They regulate the requirements for packaging and transportation of products. Special rules apply to fragile products, such as televisions or glass vases. Also, the seller must ensure the established conditions for storage of goods with a certain humidity, temperature regime. For example, electronics require strict storage parameters. Also, the store must ensure the proper service process: a competent seller is required to meet in the buyer's trading floor, who is ready to give a qualified consultation about the properties and functions of the goods. For example, when buying sports goods, the buyer should be informed of the purpose of the product and the conditions of its operation.

Exchange and refund

Unlike food products, non-food items are subject to return and exchange. Although there are a number of limitations. The return is subject to clothing, footwear, accessories (bags, belts) in the event that the products are not suitable for the buyer in size, color, style, etc. However, 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 check and the safety of the package, 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 from the date of purchase have passed and a defect in the goods has appeared, then it can be returned or exchanged after the examination. She must prove that the damage to the product was not caused by the consumer during the operation.

Goods not subject to return and exchange

However, there are restrictions on return and exchange. In the list of products not subject to such procedures, there are some non-food items. These are jewelry, pharmacy and medicine, household appliances, fabrics, animals and plants, perfumes and cosmetics, books, building and finishing materials.

Special conditions apply to the return and exchange of technically complex goods. They can not just be brought to the store, if you did not like the coloring. In this case , an examination will be required , it can be an on-site assessment by the seller or a procedure ordered from specialists. To technically complex products include cars, computers, refrigerators, washing machines, boats and yachts, motorcycles, tractors.