Shoptimism: Why the American Consumer Will Keep on Buying No Matter What by Lee Eisenberg

From the Publisher

In this smart, engaging book, Lee Eisenberg, best-selling author of The Number: A Completely Different Way to Think about the Rest of Your Life, leads us on a provocative and entertaining tour of America's love/hate affair with shopping, a pursuit that, even in hard times, remains a true national pastime.

Why do we shop and buy the way we do? In a work that will explain much about the American character, Eisenberg chronicles the dynamics of selling and buying from almost every angle. Neither a cheerleader for consumption nor an anti-consumerist scold, he explores with boundless curiosity the vast machinery aimed at inducing us to purchase everything from hair mousse to a little black dress. He leads us, with understated humor, into the broad universe of marketing, retailing, advertising, and consumer and scientific research—an arsenal of powerful forces that combine to form what he calls "The Sell Side."

Through the rest of the book, Eisenberg leads us through the "Buy Side" — a journey directly into our own hearts and minds, asking among other questions: What are we really looking for when we buy? Why are we alternately excited, guilt-ridden, satisfied, disappointed, and recklessly impulsive? What are our biases, need for status, impulses to self-express, that lead us individually to buy what we buy?

Are you a classic buyer (your head wants to do the right thing), or a romantic buyer (your heart just wants to have fun)? How do men and women differ in their attitudes towards shopping, and does the old cliche — "Women shop, men buy" — apply any longer?

Of special interest are the author's findings on the subjectof What Makes a Good Buy? We all purchase things that we sooner or later regret, but what are the guidelines for making purchases that we'll never regret? What, for instance, defines the perfect gift?

Brimming with wit and surprise, Shoptimism will be delightful and instructive reading for anyone with a credit card and a healthy curiosity about American culture, through good times and bad. For here, in one vivid journey, is a memorable, panoramic portrait of our everyday self-delusions, desires, and dreams.

Publishers Weekly

Eisenberg (The Number) reveals the mechanisms of manufacturing needs and wants in this book that explores every facet of retail consumption, from advertising to behavioral marketing, from malls to Internet communities. The author presents his own family's consumption habits as a litmus test, which, while providing context, effectively sidelines the experiences of those who do not embrace consumerism with the same fervor. Dividing the retail landscape into "Buy" and "Sell," Eisenberg provides a cornucopia of consumption trends, brain scans indicating beer preferences, zip-code-based lifestyle data, psychographic information, blogs and "buzz" measurement. Searching for a "Unified Theory of Buying," the author dismisses analysts such as Marx for misunderstanding needs and Schor for scolding consumers. Entertaining the possibilities of "Brand Communities," the author superficially considers Bourdieu's concept of cultural capital, settling finally on a typology of "Romantic" and "Classic" buyers. Although a thorough compendium of today's marketplace, the author's friendly "come along with me" tone sometimes devolves into glibness, and in accepting conditions as is, his observations might prove as fleeting as buyer's remorse. (Nov.)

Library Journal

Why do Americans buy what they buy? What tricks do advertisers use on unsuspecting consumers? These are some of the questions addressed by Eisenberg (former editor in chief, Esquire; The Number: A Completely Different Way To Think About the Rest of Your Life) in this illuminating work. With his humorous and captivating style, Eisenberg leads readers through his shopping experiences, with which readers can easily identify. Ultimately, this is an overview of the psychology of buying and of the advertising and retailing industries all in one book. In addition to using stories from his own family, Eisenberg relies on interviews with shoppers, advertisers, and retailers as well as his short stint working for a popular retailer during the holiday season just for the experience. Readers who wish to explore the subject further will find a plethora of sources throughout the book. VERDICT Well researched and including an extensive bibliography, this study of shopping in America from the perspectives of shopper, retailer, and advertiser may at times overwhelm the reader with too much information, but it's an engaging read and would be a solid choice for those interested in consumer or marketing studies.—Holly S. Hebert, Rochester Coll. Lib., Rochester Hills, MI

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Table of Contents