Gourmets are tremendous bores; gourmet chefs are heroes.
It's also a marketing tactic to be exotic and to add a strange element to the center of your product that no one has, because if you're incomparable, you'll never have to compete on quality.
Commodity products actually have to be better to command loyalty, not just something you can mention in conversation to make your tastes seem more exotic and you seem more knowledgeable and experienced.
I don't think conspicuous consumption is a thing that can be prevented, though, as long as there is a middle class (or any other form of aspiring courtier.)
Sadly, in a crowded city, the economics don't incentivize retailers to hold middle-tier goods. High ticket items have better margins for the same shelf space. Low ticket items ensure some sale. But that decent mustard you can find in any suburban supermarket? Never in a city corner store.
Which is to say, you've a nice dream that, often, unintentionally our society conspires against allowing.
This mindset is problematic for at least a few reasons: - Every choice of consumption becomes an opportunity to over-examine - Devaluing goods because they're common lures us into a needless chain of "upgrades" as productivity improves. We can never have a post-scarcity economy if we're taught to shun whatever isn't scarce. - All of this plays into the framing that we're first and foremost workers and consumers.
Would we not all be happier and healthier consuming decent but not spectacular mass-produced and inexpensive food, drink, clothing, housing, cars, etc, instead of coveting a rare beer, or looking down our noses at people buying starbucks?