Retail Anarchy: A Radical Shopper's Adventures in Consumption (Paperback)

~ Sam Pocker (Author)
Key Phrases: retail anarchy, coupon shoppers, coupon shopping, Best Buy, United States, Radio Shack (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From condescending ad campaigns to tricky math at the register, consumers may not realize everything they have to be upset about in the tanking economy. Self-trained economist Pocker, for one, is mad as hell, and thinks you should be too. In four wide-ranging "movements," Pocker tackles everything from Dollar General, Target and late electronics retailer The Wiz to Red Lobster and Coca-Cola to women's fashion and brand loyalty. Much of Pocker's observations are highly insightful, such as his story of ordering a Sausage McMuffin without egg and being charged for the egg anyway: "McDonald's would make an extra $95,000 a day simply... because nobody wants to look like a maniac demanding a nineteen-cent refund." Analysis of insulting marketing includes a Dominos Pizza-The Dark Knight promotion that gave pizza buyers online access to a movie trailer ("Apparently, no one at Dominos Pizza ever heard of YouTube"), and simple shopping tips ("complimentary alcoholic beverages... should present an enormous red flag") push back against retailer efforts to quash consumer common sense. Pocker is driven by crystal-clear X-ray vision and no shortage of indignant fury; the anger may not appeal to everyone, but Pocker's canny insight will resonate with any American shopper.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Publishers Weekly.com, June 22, 2009
"…Pocker's canny insight will resonate with any American shopper."

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Paperback: 224 pages Publisher: Running Press; 1 edition (March 30, 2009) Language: English ISBN-10: 0762434392 ISBN-13: 978-0762434398 Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #698,408 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
retail anarchy, coupon shoppers, coupon shopping, sales floor, big box retailers

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Best Buy, United States, Radio Shack, The Wiz, Parliament Funkadelic, New York, Rolling Stones, Ruby Tuesday, Dollar General, Red Lobster, Fat Wallet, Burger King, Tower Records, Serena Altschul, Disney Dollars, Sam Goody, Boston Market, Dollar Week, Dollar Tree, Refundle Bundle, Refund Cents, South Carolina, All-Beef Patty, George Clinton, Cameron Diaz

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	91% buy the item featured on this page: Retail Anarchy: A Radical Shopper's Adventures in Consumption 3.8 out of 5 stars (13) $10.58
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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews 5 star:  (8) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:  (3)           Average Customer Review 3.8 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Never pay retail again, March 19, 2009 By  Heidi "queenofthehivemomof5" (Wyoming, USA) - See all my reviews Sam Pocker delivers an easy to read, enlightening, eye opening, and humorous look into the way Americans shop, the experiences all of us have had at one time or another with bad customer service, and an interesting look into what I like to call "hard core" coupon shoppers, of which I would like to consider myself a part of that group. Hard core meaning we dumpster dive for coupons, take road trips across state lines for money making deals, get so much free stuff that we don't know what to do with it and cupboards, closets, drawers, garages and attics start to look like a grocery store threw up in our homes. This is the first book in a long long time that had me laughing out-loud and forced to read aloud passages that were just too funny to keep to myself to my uninterested husband, who eventually told me to knock it off and go in another room...well guess who ended up going upstairs to watch TV? Him, not me. In the beginning of the book Sam tells us that the book will read much like a blog, and he is correct. I was a tad bit disappointed in that part, but once I got into the meat of the book, I took it for what it was worth and was able to follow along pretty well and the blog style of writing did not bother me too much in the end. My only question is why could I not have been one of the lucky unexpected shoppers to find Sam and his fiances shopping carts of Kikkoman teriyaki sauce that was left behind because it was a money maker but no room in the car? Man, my family loves that stuff! 7 of 8 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Delivers on it's promise of making you think about things differently, May 9, 2009 By  E. Sluder (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Although I never found myself as angry at the book as Pocker claims a reader will get, it did start off on a sour note for me. As a marketing professional, his sharp criticism of marketing as being this evil entity rubbed me the wrong way and felt lacking in a complete picture. But as I pushed on and got into the rhythm of the book, the missing pieces I was looking for came together - lack of critical thinking, herd mentality, taking in everything at face value, being a passive participant in our own consumerism, general mis-education of our youth that leaves them uninspired and unmotivated... these are all things our society is guilty of. It feeds a vicious cycle that is not just bad for individuals and communities but is bad for our economy and our environment. Pocker offers his solution to these issues (which may or may not be right for you), and his points are all well taken. and ultimately, he achieves what he tells you is his purpose from the start... to make you think differently about what you buy and how you buy it. I found myself reading the ads on the subway differently, double checking my receipts before leaving stores (only to find that the second time I did so - at Whole Foods - they had rung up two identical items with two different prices - one as marked, and one $0.61 higher!), signing up for a pharmacy frequent shopper card to take advantage of 1/2 price vitamins even though I'm not thru the ones I have now (I'll get there eventually, and they don't go bad anytime soon), and even (gasp) clipping a few coupons. All left me with a sense of empowerment, and, frankly a sense of fun as well. Yes, sometimes there is an incomplete picture of the entire "value chain" required to get products to you, and sometimes Pocker seems to declare what's a "fair" versus "outrageous" price without much evidence to back it up. But isn't that what sharpening your critical mind is all about? catching those things and thinking through what is right for you and your family - NOT just blindly taking in what everyone (yes, even Pocker) tells you? Even without being a tree-hugger, how can you deny that our society churns out more useless junk than items that actually improve lives? By shining the spotlight on these bizarre and inane practices by large faceless organizations, Pocker is in his own small way trying to make the world a better place. And he's doing so in an entertaining way that was a really enjoyable read. Now that, I call value. 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: 1.0 out of 5 stars Who signed this guy to this book deal?, August 14, 2009 By  L. Chen (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    I'm as much a cynic as anyone, but this guy just rambles on (which he found the need to forewarn us that he's going to do), bitter about how the world of retail works and without proper respect to opposing thoughts as a good journalist knows how/needs to do. For instance, he complains about walmart's every day low price strategy and how you could find the same thing cheaper when another store has a sale and you use a coupon. Yes, that's probably true, but who's got the time to read circulars, clip coupons and run around to every store each week buying to save $1 on cereal (we dont get the benefit of double coupons here in nor cal.) You're going to spend more money on gas than you save on the best deal. His material is better left to a blog, not something that consumes valuable paper, dye, production and transportation energy. Thankfully, I bought the second-hand thru amazon and only paid $4 for it. I could only read 49 pages of it. If there was something worthy at the end of it, I didnt have the patience to get to it.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 1.0 out of 5 stars This guy is the problem The more of this book I am reading, the more disgusted I am getting. From a woman's point of view, I've got to say that I think this guy is looking for trouble when he goes out,... Read more Published 1 month ago by J. Jamison 2.0 out of 5 stars Not my kind of humor. I guess I picked this up at my local bookseller because it was on the staff recommendation shelf and touted to be funny. Read more Published 2 months ago by Russell V. Lenth 5.0 out of 5 stars Great laugh in the current economy! Retail Anarchy is definitely good for laughs in the current economy! The stories about making money on bottles of Kikkoman and Sunny D and then giving them away (or not) just had... Read more Published 4 months ago by D. Wilharm 4.0 out of 5 stars Saving Capitalism One Waffle at a Time Retail Anarchy? More like full scale Retail Guerrilla Warfare! Sam Pocker, "stand-up economist," is an angry man. At least that's his shtick. Read more Published 5 months ago by takingadayoff 1.0 out of 5 stars Think hard about where you spend your money. In the very beginning of his book, Pockers declares that he intends "only to make you think about" how you spend your money, so I will proceed in the same spirit. Read more Published 6 months ago by ericurus 5.0 out of 5 stars fun and informative The information in this book is impressive and inspiring. It stops short of being a "how-to," but provides plenty of easy to understand information, while, at the same time, being... Read more Published 7 months ago by J. Voegtlin 5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and Educational, a Perfect Combination As a person who cringes at the thought of using a coupon and thinks that things on sale are defective, I can truly say this book changed how I look at the retail world. Read more Published 7 months ago by J. Fulton 5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant! Fantastic read! Sam Pocker will have you laughing out loud, and reading the lines to others. Pocker will teach you how to manipulate the price on everything you buy. Read more Published 7 months ago by Dee 5.0 out of 5 stars ANARCHY SHMANARCHY RETAIL ANARCHY WILL HAVE YOU ROLLING ON THE FLOOR WITH LAUGHTER, WITH ITS BRILLIANT OBSERVATIONS ON THE INSANITY DISHED OUT TO CONSUMERS, WHILE, AT THE SAME TIME, IT WILL HAVE US... Read more Published 7 months ago by MeKey218 5.0 out of 5 stars This book will have you cutting coupons, reading store ads, and filling your car with pudding Retail Anarchy is an easy read that makes you feel like you are listening to road trip stories over a cup of coffee with the author. Read more Published 7 months ago by Jan Brunette-Hunyady Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Running Press; 1 edition (March 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762434392
• ISBN-13: 978-0762434398
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #698,408 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Never pay retail again, March 19, 2009

By	Heidi "queenofthehivemomof5" (Wyoming, USA) - See all my reviews

Sam Pocker delivers an easy to read, enlightening, eye opening, and humorous look into the way Americans shop, the experiences all of us have had at one time or another with bad customer service, and an interesting look into what I like to call "hard core" coupon shoppers, of which I would like to consider myself a part of that group. Hard core meaning we dumpster dive for coupons, take road trips across state lines for money making deals, get so much free stuff that we don't know what to do with it and cupboards, closets, drawers, garages and attics start to look like a grocery store threw up in our homes.

This is the first book in a long long time that had me laughing out-loud and forced to read aloud passages that were just too funny to keep to myself to my uninterested husband, who eventually told me to knock it off and go in another room...well guess who ended up going upstairs to watch TV? Him, not me.

In the beginning of the book Sam tells us that the book will read much like a blog, and he is correct. I was a tad bit disappointed in that part, but once I got into the meat of the book, I took it for what it was worth and was able to follow along pretty well and the blog style of writing did not bother me too much in the end.

My only question is why could I not have been one of the lucky unexpected shoppers to find Sam and his fiances shopping carts of Kikkoman teriyaki sauce that was left behind because it was a money maker but no room in the car? Man, my family loves that stuff!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delivers on it's promise of making you think about things differently, May 9, 2009

By	E. Sluder (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Although I never found myself as angry at the book as Pocker claims a reader will get, it did start off on a sour note for me. As a marketing professional, his sharp criticism of marketing as being this evil entity rubbed me the wrong way and felt lacking in a complete picture. But as I pushed on and got into the rhythm of the book, the missing pieces I was looking for came together - lack of critical thinking, herd mentality, taking in everything at face value, being a passive participant in our own consumerism, general mis-education of our youth that leaves them uninspired and unmotivated... these are all things our society is guilty of. It feeds a vicious cycle that is not just bad for individuals and communities but is bad for our economy and our environment.

Pocker offers his solution to these issues (which may or may not be right for you), and his points are all well taken. and ultimately, he achieves what he tells you is his purpose from the start... to make you think differently about what you buy and how you buy it. I found myself reading the ads on the subway differently, double checking my receipts before leaving stores (only to find that the second time I did so - at Whole Foods - they had rung up two identical items with two different prices - one as marked, and one $0.61 higher!), signing up for a pharmacy frequent shopper card to take advantage of 1/2 price vitamins even though I'm not thru the ones I have now (I'll get there eventually, and they don't go bad anytime soon), and even (gasp) clipping a few coupons. All left me with a sense of empowerment, and, frankly a sense of fun as well.

Yes, sometimes there is an incomplete picture of the entire "value chain" required to get products to you, and sometimes Pocker seems to declare what's a "fair" versus "outrageous" price without much evidence to back it up. But isn't that what sharpening your critical mind is all about? catching those things and thinking through what is right for you and your family - NOT just blindly taking in what everyone (yes, even Pocker) tells you?

Even without being a tree-hugger, how can you deny that our society churns out more useless junk than items that actually improve lives? By shining the spotlight on these bizarre and inane practices by large faceless organizations, Pocker is in his own small way trying to make the world a better place.

And he's doing so in an entertaining way that was a really enjoyable read. Now that, I call value.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Who signed this guy to this book deal?, August 14, 2009

By	L. Chen (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm as much a cynic as anyone, but this guy just rambles on (which he found the need to forewarn us that he's going to do), bitter about how the world of retail works and without proper respect to opposing thoughts as a good journalist knows how/needs to do.

For instance, he complains about walmart's every day low price strategy and how you could find the same thing cheaper when another store has a sale and you use a coupon. Yes, that's probably true, but who's got the time to read circulars, clip coupons and run around to every store each week buying to save $1 on cereal (we dont get the benefit of double coupons here in nor cal.) You're going to spend more money on gas than you save on the best deal.

His material is better left to a blog, not something that consumes valuable paper, dye, production and transportation energy. Thankfully, I bought the second-hand thru amazon and only paid $4 for it.

I could only read 49 pages of it. If there was something worthy at the end of it, I didnt have the patience to get to it.