Konsum

Konsum is a German noun meaning the act or process of consuming goods and services, i.e., consumption. In economics it refers to household expenditure on goods and services and is a component of gross domestic product. The term appears in expressions such as Konsumgüter (consumer goods), Konsumverhalten (consumption behavior), and Konsumquote (the share of GDP spent on consumption). The word derives from Latin consumptio and the French consommation, entering German through modern economic usage in the 19th century. In everyday language, Konsum can also denote the consumer market or the act of using up resources.

In historical contexts, Konsum also referred to a retail network in the German Democratic Republic. The Konsumgenossenschaften operated a nationwide system of consumer cooperatives providing everyday goods, organized under the Handelsorganisation der Konsumgenossenschaften (HO). This network formed a central part of the planned economy and the retail structure in East Germany.

After German reunification, many Konsum outlets were privatized, renamed, or merged into western retail chains, and the Konsum brand largely disappeared from most markets. The legacy of the Konsum system is discussed in studies of East German consumer culture and the transition of the retail sector during reunification.

Konsum-related topics include Konsumgüter (consumer goods), Konsumverhalten (consumption behavior), and macroeconomic measures of consumption as part of GDP. The term remains in use in modern German to denote the act of consuming and the broader consumer sphere.