Who doesn’t like shopping? I can’t name one person. Phyllis rose states many positive qualities in her essay “Shopping and Other Spiritual Adventures in America Today”. One of the positives qualities she mentions about shopping is that it’s a form of therapy. Being that I love to shop. Rather it’s online or going to the stores it’s something I also find very therapeutic. You don't really need, let's say, another sweater. You need the feeling of power that comes with buying or not buying it. You need the feeling that someone wants something you have--even if it's just your money. To get the benefit of shopping, you needn't actually purchase the sweater. After a long stressful work or school day there’s nothing more relaxing than walking around …show more content…
the mall window shopping or actually shopping to release the stress and tension of the day. Like a glass of red wine shopping just feels good. Rose compares shopping to flirting with men. In fact, window-shopping, like flirting, can be more rewarding, the same high without the distressing commitment, the material encumbrance. When someone flirts or shop. Our body produces endorphins and dopamine. Endorphins are sometimes referred to as the brain's "feel-good" chemicals, and are the body's natural painkillers. While dopamine neurons become activated when something good happens unexpectedly, such as the sudden availability of food or your favorite sweater suddenly on sale. They are both designed to make you feel good. While shopping can make you feel good.
It can also be a very humbling and embarrassing experience. I buy new blue jeans as seldom as possible because the experience is so humiliating. For every pair that looks good on me, 15 look grotesque. I remember one of my first shopping trips with my mom. I was so excited to spend time with her and share this experience with her. We were at Walmart and made our way to the junior department and I started picking out clothes. At twelve years old I had more of a womanly shape as opposed to a normal twelve year girl. So the junior clothes wouldn’t fit me. But “Mom all of my friends were these kinds of jeans”. “I know Shenay but they don’t have your size jeans we have to shop in the misses department”. I quickly found out the kind of clothes the miss department had. As my mom shopped I stood there looking at the junior department. I just knew I could fit those jeans. The jeans I had my heart set on. While my mom wasn’t looking I made my way back to the junior department. I grabbed the biggest size jeans they had and I ran to dressing room. In the dressing room I found out my mom was right. Not only were the jeans too small, I couldn’t take them off. I cried in that dressing room for ten minutes before my mom found me. At twelve years old I had
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1. The main idea is not only that owning stuff is not the key to happiness, it’s also that consumers today own more than they need to thrive which directly impacts the environment. Hill illustrates the environmental impact by showing statistics of global warming today versus the past century, and how consumerism is leading to a hotter climate. Hill debunks claims of buying happiness by discussing a study where stress hormones spike to their highest when people are managing their personal belongings. Hill’s most prominent example that consumerism is not the answer is himself, as he discusses some of the most stressful times of his life being right after coming into a large sum of money and buying whatever he fancied. When Hill concludes his article, he states that “I have less—and enjoy more. My space is small. My life is big” (213).
Over the years, the American department store has developed and evolved as not only a commercial business but also a cultural institution. While it has weathered many storms and changes since its inception and throughout history, its most predominant enemy has been a change in the lifestyle of the American people (Whitaker, 2013). As the customer’s needs and wants have shifted, department stores have struggled to keep up with demands. It has been argued that the decline of the department store has been ongoing for the last 50 years (Whitaker, 2013). This dissertation aims to understand how the department store has historically played a role in consumer culture and spending, and additionally, how this has evolved and changed in today’s retail market. Although department stores may not be able to take all the credit for inventing modern shopping, they certainly made its conventions and conveniences commonplace. They set a new standard for the way the consumer should expect to be treated, the type of services that should be provided, and the convenience that should attend the process of acquiring the necessities and niceties of life all in one place. They made shopping into a leisure pastime. This environment meant shopping was a means of freedom to look around, pick up objects with no obligations to buy. As one historian remarked, department stores: “encouraged a perception of the building as a public place, where consumption itself was almost incidental to the delights of a sheltered promenade in a densely crowded, middle-class urban space” (Whitaker, 2006). Although this perception and view of the department store has changed over the years, this paper aims to follow the trail of how and why that happened.
In the article “My Year of No Shopping,” critically-acclaimed American author and bookstore co-owner, Ann Patchett (2017), analyzes how a ‘no-shopping-year’ makes one observant about poverty and grateful of the things he/she has. She wants people to take some time off showing and differentiate between their wants and needs. Patchett began by casually following the rule of no-shopping until New Year’s Eve when she decided to stop buying anything personal; clothes, shoes, bags and jewelry. However, she continued to shop for things related to her career like books and bookstore supplies and grocery items. During the first months of this oath she realized she had more than enough self-care and personal products. Overtime,
On a sunny Saturday morning with beautiful blue skies, and birds chirping, James Hamblin was in his balcony with a cup of coffee on his desk eager to write his short argumentative essay titled “Buy Experiences, Not Things”. In this short essay, Hamblin wanted to depict the fact that happiness in individuals, is mainly due to experiential purchases than to material purchases. One of the things he said to prove that point was “waiting for an experience elicits more happiness and excitement than waiting for a material good’ (Hamblin, 2014). He also stated that “a mind should remain in one place, and a mind that wanders too much is a sign of lack of happiness” (Hamblin, 2014). Instead of buying the latest iPhone, or Samsung galaxy, we should spend
In today’s culture, consumerism is what defines it. Americans perplex the difference between wants and needs. Retailers constan...
Whenever we go out shopping or relaxing at malls, we actually don’t see or recognize any effects of malls as we mostly go there for these two reasons. Malls are an integral part in the lives of America. They are shopping centers that have created a lot of buzz in many writers. This is because we have more malls in America than high schools. Malls have received praises from people like James J. Farrell, Jon Pahl and George Lewis who view malls as not only shopping centers but also as places that provide a reflection of the American culture and serve as centers of pleasure and entertainment. In contrast, William Kowinski and David Gutterson criticize malls for just being an artificial environment that creates disorientation among American shoppers. In my opinion, malls are just magnificent commercial buildings that create a sense of false dreams and imagination.
Rose, Phyllis. "Shopping and Other Spiritual Adventures in America Today." Language of Composition. Boston; New York: Bedford/St. Marten’s, 2008. 479-481. Print.
The economy is a very fragile thing; however it can have an enormous impact on people. Americans especially are affected because they are so greedy, they always want more. Because Americans are very materialistic, they can become overly arrogant and possessive since they are used to getting their way, on account of having money.
Down through the ages when it comes to shopping and acquiring goods, men and women differ so much that it’s led to many a row. So what makes each gender clash so much, and is there an amicable solution? Chief marketing officer of CVS Pharmacy, Robert Price says that “Women tend to be more invested in the shopping experience on many dimensions. Where men want to go to Sears, buy a specific tool and get out.” For women, shopping can be an enjoyable time, especially when it comes to buying items on sale. A man might not enjoy it as much, especially if he is going with her and has to carry her packages or wait with nothing to do while she tries on clothing. Perhaps this is why men avoid shopping at all costs. Let’s explore the differences that make it nigh onto impossible for the two genders to shop together. Then
Shopping and philosophy: Postmodernism is the new black. (2006, December 19). The Economist, Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/node/8401159.
When comparing two different ways of shopping most people do not even think about, they do both and not even realize it. In today?s society people shop while at work, after work and on the weekends, whenever time permits. Did you ever stop and think how can I get more time in the day for family or just myself? The best way to figure out with all the recourses we have; still most of us go into a store and spend time looking through racks and waiting in endless line to just purchase something. I compared going into a store verses online shopping; to see which on will save you time and money.
William Geoff informs the reader that making milestone purchases or small purchases with money will give someone pleasure in his article, “Can Money Buy Us Happiness”. Geoff explains how “some types of purchases have made his patients happy, particularly those that symbolize an individual or family reaching a new level in their lifestyle”. Happiness can come from purchasing a new item someone has been saving up for. After they have saved up and bought the item, they may feel accomplished or thrilled. On the contrary, impulse buying can cause distress among someone. Impulse buying is purchasing unneeded or unplanned items. Soon after making an impulse buy, someone may feel disappointment in themselves. Andrew Blackman’s “Can Money Buy You Happiness” also notifies the reader that spending money on friends and family instead of oneself will cause them to be more merry and cheerful. Saving up money for an exact product or spending it on others over impulse buying, builds pride and self-confidence in the
“Confessions of a Shopaholic” by Sophie Kinsella is a quirky take on modern consumption trends. The story address some very important themes faced by capitalist societies today. Whilst maintaining a consistent level of humor accompanied with a discreet romantic plot. This novel is about a 25-year-old girl named Rebecca Bloomwood trying to make it on her own in London, England. However, her addiction to shopping is her tragic flaw that leads to her downfall. The book follows her story as she encounters issue after issue as they escalate in all aspects of her life. Firstly she is thousands of pounds in debt from over spending. Secondly, she is ironically a journalist for a financial advisory magazine, which begins to translate into compulsive lying. Eventually everything crashes down and she must reconstruct her relationships, job, and spending habits.
While a good majority of Black Friday Shoppers are out to find a great deal on a Christmas gift, some are out just for fun. As the prices continue to drop, many customers use this as a chance to do some retail therapy. For many, it has become a tradition and an opportunity to spend time with family and friends. Others say they go out simply to enjoy the experience, and perhaps the occasional scene of someone losing their
Shopping is something that has to be done whether you enjoy it or not to get essentials needed. We all go places where merchandize is being sold for a specific reason. Whether you go to the mall, shopping centers, or your local grocery store, you 'll always encounter many types of shoppers. Shopping isn’t always as fun as it sounds to everyone, but it is something we often do. This is the only way we get products we need, by personally buying them. You have three main shoppers including impulse buyers, list makers, and bargain hunters.