The economical crisis has forced low income consumers, who had achieved more elevated patterns of consume in a recent past, to change abruptly what they bought in supermarkets. Itens and brands that are no longer part of their shopping basket had important symbolic meanings. Stopping consuming them affected consumers self esteem, and in many cases their social identity, triggering affective answers, most of the times negative. Twelve people who live in Japeri (RJ) and are responsible for supermarket shopping in their residences were interviewed. All the interviewees had to change their shopping patterns and somehow feel embarrassed for not being able to pay for everything they put in their carts or for the impact their restrictions have in their social image.