Final answer:
Consumers typically adjust to unexpected price changes by modifying their buying habits rather than waiting for equilibrium to return, maintaining former spending patterns, or seeking government aid.
Step-by-step explanation:
Consumers adjust to unexpected price changes by adjusting their buying habits. In a market-oriented economy, adjustments of equilibrium price and quantity occur without requiring much government intervention. For instance, when an event like a frost affects the coffee crop in Brazil, causing the supply curve of coffee to shift to the left and the price to rise, consumers react differently. Some may continue purchasing coffee despite the higher prices, whereas others might switch to alternatives such as tea or soft drinks. These individual decisions in response to price changes contribute to the overall demand adjustments in the economy.
Sometimes, consumers may also need to adjust their consumption in other areas to accommodate the increased cost of certain items, as it happened during energy cost surges in 2005 due to natural disasters. Overall, such price adjustments happen smoothly and rapidly within a market economy.