The holiday shopping season is once again upon us, and the black Friday rush is soon coming. Even with the economy in the tank people still find the time and money to go out of their minds during the holiday season. In “Affluenza,” by De Graff, Wann, and Naylor, said that the National Retail Foundation estimated that American’s spend about $200 billion on holiday gifts, which averages out to about $850 per costumer (p. 13). They continued on with the statement, “We now spend nearly two-thirds of our $11 trillion economy on consumer goods.” When you break it down this means we spend more money on things we don’t need than we spend on education. That might be the most depressing thing I have ever heard. They discuss how we have a shopping fever and cannot get enough of a mall, and people will go across state just to visit a new mall (p. 14).
After reviewing the information in “Affluenza” it occurred to me to look up holiday shopping trends and I found some interesting information. The famous eBay payment system called PayPal may now be an even more integral part of a consumer’s life. New for this year stores are integrating the PayPal system which will make paying for goods accessible from any device and extended payment flexibility. It will give shoppers the ability to check for store inventory, receive in-store offers, and real time location based advertising. This seems to be a little over the top, and people should be more money conscious rather than just swiping away with more and newer methods of payment.
Our consumer society is dead set on coming up with a new and inventive way for everything. It can range from advertising, to where you shop, why you shop, and how you shop. In times like this we ask the question, is it really necessary to have another way of falling behind on bills and spending money on items that we truly do not need? The consumer society is attempting to go even more digital than it already is. Eventually everything will be done online, and the problem with that is consumers won’t go to the stores. All this means is more people out of work in a society that doesn’t care about your personal interests, rather what can you consume regardless if it is needed or not, and most of the time it isn’t.
Austin Payne Cultures of Consumption(Section 80)
It is difficult for people to give in the holidays. The people who went shopping must have a desire to escape from being contained in home and work. Perhaps they desired to use an item that could made them become accepted by their families or friends or desired to be appreciated for their works and efforts.
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I agree that the holiday gift giving is out of hand. It causes stress all around. Also, I just read about the new Paypal features- it is an interesting concept. I also agree that the brick and mortar stores will soon no longer exist as we have known them due to online shopping. Online shopping is great because you can purchase what you need at anytime. The bad thing is like you pointed out- that people will soon be out of work as a result of it. Thomas Walsh 01
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like the new PayPal system would be similar to some of the other applications that already exist for smart phones. Currently, applications such as FourSquare allow users to check-in at locations, and certain stores and restaurants offer special deals for users who have checked in a certain number of times. It seems as though this PayPal system would be moving in a similar direction where an individual would be rewarded for shopping at a certain store. Applications and programs like FourSquare and PayPal seem to be integrating new technology into the traditional ways of shopping. While I do think that online shopping will become overwhelmingly more popular than shopping in store, I do feel as though these sorts of programs help integrate the benefits of online shopping into traditional shopping.
ReplyDeleteI know of people who can't wait to go out on Black Friday to get those great steals. I am one of them. After the thanksgiving feast, I stay up until my family and I head out to the stores. I don't know why I do it, it seems just addicting to me. Last year it was bad because I went to Target at 4, shopped til 5:50, and clocked in for work at 5:55. Then worked til 3:30 that day. I could honestly say that was the longest day of my life! I do agree with you that the holiday shopping spree is out of control. However I disagree with your point that consumers will migrate toward the web to make get their holiday gifts totally. There's something about going to the store and physically holding the product until you buy it. It seems like you get a connection between you and the item.
ReplyDeleteAs a consumer, I much prefer buying online. Whether it is clothes or music, I find the whole process easier and more convenient. When the holiday season emerges, shopping via internet saves time and stress – no crowds to battle or whining children with snotty noses. I find that although the economy has been rough, it doesn’t deter the average American from consuming during the gift giving season. People can’t afford food, yet they’ll spend hundreds on gifts. It happens every year.
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The style in which we purchase goods today has dramatically changed over time. We see more and more people deciding to shop around online than in-stores, possibly because it is easier for the consumer to just click a button for the items that they want and enter their credit card number to check-out, instead of browsing around the store waiting on the checkout line and dealing with other shoppers around the store. The idea of online shopping makes so much sense for consumers because it completely takes the hassle out of shopping, especially during holiday season`s when all the stores are jam packed with chaotic people. Although the economy is in tough times I feel that people tend to forget about pinching pennies for the things that actually need to be taken care of. When there is huge sale going on throughout the stores you think about the discounts and the great deals that you`re able to get and not about the money that should be set aside for the important things. In many cases consumers get blinded by the bargains!
ReplyDeleteAly Palumbo, section 80
Working in retail for countless years has helped me realize how sales promote business. Black Friday is considered to be one of the biggest shopping days of the year. Customers will wait outside the store the night before just to be one of the first to get into the store for “door busters” or be able to purchase an item that is limited in stock. Nordstrom was never really too busy on this day because we picked days to have sales such as half-yearly sales and anniversary sales. Customers would over buy items just because it was “50% for Gucci sunglasses.” The average purchase price for a new pair of Gucci sunglasses is about $300, but when we have our sale they are sold for about $149.00. Instead of buying one, they would buy two pairs because it was a bargain. Not realizing that they were spending the same amount they originally thought was too much. It seemed to make sense because they were getting the two pairs for the price of one. Instead of just purchasing one pair and saving the extra money. People are driven by promotions and sales.
ReplyDeleteFrom my experience of working at Nordstrom, I have seen customers throughout the year purchasing just because, or for special events and gifts. I attained personal customers and had the pleasure of getting know them and their shopping habits very well. Due to a computer program called “personal book” with a customer’s permission, I was able to keep their contact information and purchase history. I could also keep track of the designers, or styles of their choice and when new items came in, I would get an alert to inform them. My other method was when I would “walk” the store and view the company web site. I was taking on the role of what customers do. It helped me know the products we had to offer so when they asked if we had particular items, I would know. It enhanced my units per transactions as well because I was able to suggest other products that would go perfectly with their new jeans, shirt, coat, headbands, and so on. My product knowledge enhanced my cliental and improved my sales. One last thing is the easy access of company web sites. They don’t have to deal with the lines, crowds, and no parking. They can also use websites to have get extra offers and discounts. This in turn makes customers spend more
Without a doubt, a major driving force of the American economy comes in the form of human desire; this is not highlighted any better than during the holiday season. It has become commonplace for Americans to overindulge during the holiday season. In contrast to some of the previous comments, I believe the whole shopping experience consists of a consumer scanning the items of any department store in person rather than online. When we as consumers go shopping, we are inclined to enjoy the entire shopping experience. Whether or not the shopping experience is enjoyable due to the actual retrieval of the goods is insignificant. Personally, when I go to the mall to shop I am allured by the configuration, variety of options, and social on-goings present. Online shopping, in my opinion, takes away from the shopping experience by demeaning the significance of the environment in which one shops. In belittling the importance of the surroundings in the shopping experience, consumers are deprived of the assosciation formed between the shopping experience and our senses.
ReplyDeleteDhrupal Patel Section 01