A consumer is a shopper who is sore about something.

The quip plays on the difference between the neutral economic term “consumer” and the lived experience of “shopping.” By defining a consumer as a shopper “sore about something,” Coffin suggests that people become “consumers” most visibly when they are dissatisfied—complaining about price, quality, service, or being manipulated by advertising. The joke also hints at a broader critique of modern market culture: consumption is not merely rational choice but an emotional, sometimes resentful relationship with goods and sellers. In a single line, it captures how grievance and frustration can drive consumer identity and behavior as much as desire does.