This isn't the nation's first recession, and in the past, people have gone back to their spending patterns once the financial environment improved. Blinkoff believes that this recession - longer-lasting and deeper than others - will have a greater impact. Behavioral changes take time, and this recession will provide that time, he said.
Blinkoff's company has used the results of his surveys to help companies market differently to the evolving consumer. He cautions that people aren't going to become frugal and cheap - they'll just look more closely at their spending choices.
But not everyone agrees the spending shift will be permanent.
Alex Rudolph, who runs Towson Bootery, the shoe store his father founded in 1948, sees how shoppers have cut back because of the economy. They may buy three pairs of shoes, instead of five. He's adjusted by waiting longer to buy some inventory, rather than buying a full season ahead.
But Rudolph, whose business has survived many recessions, believes people will shop again once the economy shapes up. He pointed to tough economic times in the 1970s, when people could only buy gas on designated days.
"I remember the gas lines, and then things went back to normal and people got their jobs back and they spent again," Rudolph said.
Sara Raley, an assistant professor of sociology at McDaniel College with a specialty in consumerism, said shopping is too big a part of people's lifestyles to be drastically changed. She recently asked her students to name things they couldn't live without and many listed cell phones, high-speed Internet and multiple televisions.
She also said television, movies and other entertainment media promote luxury living too much.
"I don't think we'll see permanent change unless we see some large structural change in the way we idolize consuming," Raley said.
Jean Johnson, an event planner who lives in Suitland, is being a little more cautious with spending but doesn't plan to abandon her shopping habits anytime soon - especially her shoe habit. The 46-year-old, who shops about once a week, said it's something she enjoys.
"There are still going to be plenty of people out there who shop," she said.
