Why, when and for whom did consumer finance fail to deliver on this promise? How would you compare these failures? Why do these failures occur?

The promise of consumer finance

Postwar consumer finance promised a democracy of consumption, but in many ways did not deliver over the subsequent decades (not just during the postwar period). Why did consumer finance fail to foster a more egalitarian society?

Considering state policy, business practices, economic shifts, and other topics we have discussed, why, when and for whom did consumer finance fail to deliver on this promise? How would you compare these failures? Why do these failures occur?

[Clarification: While the promise of the democracy of consumption was from the postwar, feel free to discuss events from 1945 to 2010. One possible argument possibility is comparing the post-1970s with the postwar.]