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

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Every person in life is surrounded by many different 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, what makes up the concept of their quality. Let's try to compile a list of non-food products and build their classification.

Concept

Traditionally, it is customary to divide all goods on the basis of the possibility and impossibility of eating. According to 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 long and varied.

Non-food products satisfy numerous human needs, both biological (protection from the cold,security, sleep) and social (prestige, fashion, belonging to a group). Different branches of industry produce an increasing number of goods. In connection with the growth of the range and product categories, the problem of dividing products into types is becoming increasingly difficult to solve.

Classifications

All non-food products, the list of which is huge, can be divided into groups according to different criteria. Historically, there has been a classification in which goods are classified into household, sanitary, haberdashery, construction, furniture, carpet, hardware, tools, electrical goods and household appliances, clothing and footwear, fabrics, jewelry and watches, stationery, music and photographic goods, sports, books and print products.

According to the frequency of demand and its features, goods of everyday and special, as well as impulse demand are distinguished. Non-food products can be divided into fashion, seasonal and related. According to the purpose, products of wide use and industrial and technical purposes are distinguished. All these classifications have intersections and may not always cover the entire 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 almost inexhaustible, are divided into groups inin accordance with their purpose, composition, features. The classifier offers a complex group coding system and can only be used by commodity specialists. For educational purposes, a simplified classification was developed, which is widely used due to its convenience and a fairly high degree of universality. It assumes 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, including furs.

- Perfume and beauty products.

- Jewelry.

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

- Electrical goods (household appliances, lighting, food storage).

- Cultural and household (TVs, musical instruments, books, sports equipment, watches, vehicles, cameras, phones).

- Handicrafts.

Specifics

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 during operation, so the consumer must be trained in the use of such goods - this is their specificity. That's whythere are special rules for the sale and evaluation of the quality of non-food products.

The concept of quality of non-food products

Features of non-food products are the way they are produced, bought and consumed. During operation, things and devices show their properties, according to 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 are regulated by state standards and technical regulations. At the same time, the discrepancy between the quality and the required standards can be proved only with the help of an examination. This evaluation is carried out using the following methods:

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

- registration, instrumental and calculated, which allow you to evaluate the physical and chemical parameters of the goods;

- sanitary-chemical;

- microbiological and ecological.

An expert interview method is also used to evaluate the aesthetic properties of the product.

Consumer properties of non-food products

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

- Durability. The product must serve a certain period in accordance with the standard. 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 from environmentally friendly materials.

- Ergonomic. The product should create a feeling of convenience and comfort for the consumer.

- Physical and technical properties. The consumer uses his own methods to assess the condition of the product and its ability to perform the specified functions.

- Aesthetics. The buyer, based on his ideas of beauty, evaluates this indicator of the product.

- Maintainability. When purchasing sophisticated equipment or a used car, the consumer thinks about the availability and cost 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 perception of the prestige and reliability of the manufacturer.

Purchase and operation

Non-food trade is subject to separate rules. They regulate the requirements for packaging and transportation of products. Special rules apply to fragile items such as televisions or glass vases. Alsothe seller must ensure the established conditions for storing goods with a certain humidity, temperature regime. For example, electronics require strict storage parameters. Also, the store must ensure the correct service process: on the trading floor, the buyer must be met by a competent seller who is ready to give expert advice on the properties and functions of the product. For example, when purchasing sports goods, the buyer must be informed about the purpose of the product and its operating conditions.

Exchange and return

Unlike food products, non-food items can be returned and exchanged. Although there are some limitations here as well. Clothing, shoes, accessories (bags, belts) are subject to return if the products did not fit the buyer in size, color, style, etc. In this case, the product should not have been in use. Within 14 days from the date of purchase, the buyer can return the product 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 is found in the goods, 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.

Products not subject to return and exchange

However, there are restrictions on returns and exchanges. In the list of products not subject to such procedures, there are some non-food products. It's jewelrypharmacy equipment and drugs, household appliances, fabrics, animals and plants, perfumes and cosmetics, books, building and decoration materials.

Special conditions apply to the return and exchange of technically complex goods. You can’t just bring them to the store if you don’t like the colors. In this case, an examination will be required, this may be an on-site assessment by the seller or a procedure ordered from specialists. Technically complex goods include cars, computers, refrigerators, washing machines, boats and yachts, motorcycles, tractors.