Customer Reviews

I Want That!: How We All Became Shoppers

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really wanted to like this book. The reviews were glowing and, as a former marketing professor, I was more than a little interested.

I Want That is a birds eye view of shopping, with pages devoted to everything from gift giving to mall design to deviant buying behavior. There's a history of shopping and a sociology of shopping. Each chapter -- and some of the headings -- could be the topic of a doctoral dissertation. Brevity in this case has become misleading and, frankly,
not very exciting. All the juicy stuff has been edited out!

For example, Hine devotes just a few pages to compulsive buying, yet there has been considerable research on this topic by marketing researchers as well as clinical psychologists. There are correlations with other forms of addiction, while Hine notes only gambling. There are degrees of compulsion that vary by person and situation.

The chapter on attention emphasizes that shoppers can judge without being judged. Hine suggests that friends who join the shopper may be judgmental, implying that friends decrease shopping; however, research shows that people who shop together buy more.

The author cites research that suggests people continue to follow traditional gender roles. The real story is the change. In fact, some observers believe retailing has been transformed by gender roles more than by any other factor. Why do stores stay open 24/7? Why do more teens do the family shopping these days? What about men who are self-described clothes horses? And while women still buy most Christmas gifts, we need too recognize the increasing numbers of single-person households and families who choose to spend Christmas on a cruise.

Anyone who says, "Wow -- a book on shopping! What a great idea!" will probably enjoy this book. Those who are aware of other books on the topic, offering greater depth and insight, will be dissatisfied. This book lacks the focus, depth and analytical underpinnings of Paco Underhill's Why We Buy and Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point. And I wish the author had looked at some research published in journals, not just a selection of books.

Rarely does one happen upon a sociological and economic analysis that is truly fun to read, as hard to put down as a good mystery, amusing, insightful. That is what is so amazing about I Want That. It is anthropology, and a sound analyis of why two-legged creatures have wanted to acquire since time when, and it is a real joy to read.

From the author's creation of the concept of 'buyosphere' onward (and this is the same observer who created the so-Fifties and so descriptive term for that era, Populuxe), you have to sit back and enjoy his perceptive analysis of our behavior and our culture. Read it as entertainment, read it as cultural introspection. Either way, it is illuminating, thoughtful - and fun.

More than worthwhile for the buying season - and after.

Thomas Hine's writing reveals a unique blend of history, marketing and pop culture savvy. Of course, anyone familiar with "Populuxe," his groundbreaking view of consumerism in the 1950's and early '60's, knows this full well.

"I Want That!" continues in that vein. Immensely readable, the book chronicles the history of shopping and consumer behavior, examining *why* humans have liked to shop over the centuries. Taking us as far back as the ancient Egyptians, Hine illustrates how politics, technology, transportation, geography and even religion have shaped our relationship with consumables and our methods of acquiring them. Even those of us who like to shop regard it as a rather mundane experience most of the time, but Hine shows how complex and significant the act of shopping truly is.

"Columbus killed more Indians than Hitler did Jews, but on his birthday you get sales on shoes" --The Goats

What at first might seem mundane subject matter is made illuminating and interesting by Thomas Hine's engaging narrative, personal and historical examples, and downright deep digging. Excavating our culture of consumption from the perspectives of power, responsibility, discovery, self-expression, insecurity, attention, belonging, celebration, and convenience, Hine unearths the desires and rituals that have made us all shoppers in one sense or another. In the spirit of the quote above, I Want That! points out the fact that we "mix up reverence with consumption." Our every holiday is tied to purchases and a subsequent sale of some sort.

Are women born to shop? Do today's shoppers truly have choices? Why do we buy what we buy? All of these questions and more are answered and explained in a free-for-all spree of analysis of what Hine calls the 'buyosphere.' "The buyosphere," he writes, "is both a set of shopping opportunities and a state of mind. It encompasses the shopping streets of the city, the mall, the supermarket, the home shopping channels, advertisements, and the Internet." Comparing the shopping experience of a Persian bazaar to the non-experience of shopping at Wal-Mart, as well as how humans have moved from hunting/gathering to sharing their surpluses through marketplaces, Hine shows just how far the story of consumption has come throughout history. He even highlights the postmodern aspect of our current ubiquitous marketplace, writing, "There are no fixed identities in the buyosphere."

Shopping is something we all do with little thought as to why or how. As Hine writes, "Whether you are a buyer or a seller, when you are in the market, you're a part of the performance. You're looking. You're learning. You're alive." I Want That! will make you rethink your purchasing habits and why you want to buy what you buy.

Thomas Hine heavily researches and objectively looks at the history, psychology, and sociology behind what drives the almighty American economy: consumer spending (shopping). He also examines the Internet, demographics, other current trends, and the future of the almighty American pastime: shopping.

What was shopping like in the 1850s? Read this book. How has the role of different sociological groups such as women, teenagers, and the elderly changed? How has these shopping patterns affected society? Many retailers depend on the fourth quarter (christmas shopping) to make a profit at all. What is the second largest shopping bonanza after Christmas? Surprisingly, it's the "Back to School" onslaught.

I hear a lot of Americans complain, and rightfully so, about the crass materialism, long lines, jammed parking lots, and frenzied rude shoppers every Christmas. "I'm tired of it all, it's too much," people tell me. "The spirit of it all is lost," they add. And yet this year in 2002, Americans forked out 110 Billion dollars for the christmas holiday. Glad I've spent the last three christmas holidays outside the United States. Hopefully, this will continue.

I was excited to run across this book and eagerly dived into its pages. I was hoping it would explain American consumerism and explore the psychological and biological origins of our acquisitiveness. Sadly, this book only barely skims the surface. It is much more descriptive than explanatory. Where there are explanations, they are superficial and unsurprising. For example, Hine asserts that one reason why people shop and acquire things is to demonstrate status in society. No, really?!

For those looking for an analysis of why we Americans are materialistic -- often to our detriment -- I'd recommend instead: American Mania: When More Is Not Enough, by Peter C. Whybrow.

As an anthropologist and researcher on popular culture, I found this book a fun read and an informative study of the history, psychology, and anthropology of shopping. Oh sure, it could have done more--what book couldn't?--but for its range and accessbility, it is a fine piece of work. It makes the point, that other books like those of George Ritzer have been making, that consumption is a serious cultural issue that has been neglected by social scientists. When I look, for example, at cultural anthropology textbooks, there is usually no mention, or at best a few words, about consumption at all. It is as if production and distribution are important and mysterious but consumption is trivial and obvious. I welcome the new direction that emphasizes consumption, especially because, as he and Ritzer suggest, we are in a post-production society where supply is not our problem any more. Rather, demand and how our demands are shaped are the main issue. This book is a great lauching point: from here, people can dig more deeply into the aspects of the subject that interest them. But if this is as far as they go, they will have had a pleasant and informative journey.

This interesting little book takes a rather serious--but often humorous--look at one of the great equalizing behaviors in which humans engage: shopping. Like it or not (and I personally don't like it very much although I can tolerate it at times), we must all shop for the things we need and want. Hine examines how and why people shop, how shopping has developed socioculturally and economically throughout history, how factors such as gender and class affect shopping, and the psychological aspects of shopping--what do the things we buy say about us? Why do we buy the things we buy?

Although, as I mentioned, Hine takes his subject rather seriously (he consults a varied assortment of sources, and the book contains a somewhat annotated bibliography, suggestions for further reading, and an index), this is not a dense, academic text. It's a fairly comfortable read. Read it for a change of pace, if you're even the slightest bit curious about how shopping affects our behavior and culture in general.

I loved this book. As a woman, I feel vindicated and sure that anyone who reads it will see themselves in a totally new way. Hats off to the author.

The previous reviews by C. Goodwin and R. Walker pretty much sum the book up. I liked the book, but would have preferred a little more depth.