Going Shopping: Consumer Choices and Community Consequences

by Ann Satterthwaite

We are how we shop. From Mesopotamian merchants and the fairs of medieval Europe to marble palace department stores and now Wal-Mart and the Internet, social, cultural, economic, and moral forces have shaped our shopping. In this engaging and generously illustrated book, Ann Satterthwaite traces the history of shopping and considers its meaning and significance.

According to Satterthwaite, shopping has become part of the American dream. To choose and to buy constitute not only a basic economic liberty but also the capacity to improve and transform ourselves. How we shop also reflects our culture, as in the twentieth century disposable incomes have grown, women’s roles have changed, and new styles of shopping and advertising have made their impacts on an old adventure. But there is a downside. Shopping used to be a friendly shoppers and clerks knew each other, the country crossroads stores and downtown markets were social as much as economic hubs. Shopping was meshed with civic life—post offices, town halls, courts, and churches. In place of this almost vanished scene have come superstores and the franchises of international companies staffed by pressured clerks in featureless commercial wastelands. Shopping and community have been savagely divorced.

However, shopping as a social plus need not be lost, says Satterthwaite. Examining trends in the United States and abroad where new approaches to an old activity are strengthening its social and civic role, she states that shopping is more than ever a public concern with profound public impacts.

Genres: History

384 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2001

Reviews

[Aaron Ambrose]

First, physically this is a wonderful book. Heavy paper, beautiful binding, luxurious cloth on the cover, handsomely illustrated - this book is just a pleasure to hold and to read. The content is good, but not great. It's a fantastic idea - a serious history of the evolution of retailing in the U.S. It's never just shopping - it's a crucial resource that equips and socializes a community. Satterthwaite brings a clear perspective and thorough review of the topic. I especially appreciate her emphasis on the social and civic impact of retail operations, and her highlighting of the gross lack of planning and oversight in America, to the detriment of city centers, the countryside and the social fabric. One detail that fascinated me - the first zoning laws in the U.S. were against urban laundries in San Francisco in the 1880's, which were run by Chinese immigrants. Nothing like xenophobia to motivate a normally laissez-faire American legislator!

But this book is too long by about 20%. Satterthwaite repeats many of her points - sometimes a dozen times - and the tone throughout is sludgy. It's not as heavy as a textbook, but neither is it energized with craftsmanship and wit. I'm glad I read it, and it gave me some new perspectives, but it's not a keeper for me.

[Christine]

Well researched history of merchandizing in the USA. Interesting stuff, but not something that can be read all at once. This is definitely something to be read in fairly small doses.