The Paradox of cheapness: Why buying cheap counterfeit products is expensive in the long run

When people perceive that times are tough economically, the immediate reaction is to institute austerity measures that will allow their households to survive the tough times.

Family budgets are substantially cut to size, the frequency of family trips and luxuries are reluctantly reduced, expenditure is consistently reviewed and scaled down, and as families go into financial survival mode, cheaper goods end up on the shopping basket to replace more expensive items that would have been preferred in better days.