I Want That!: How We All Became Shoppers

The following is an email that I sent to Thomas Hine. BTW...I believe the book was great on so many levels and intent to go into sociology of consumption for graduate school and further the text in this area. > Hello Mr. Hine, <br />> <br />> My name is Frederick Hunter and I am a senior at the <br />> University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I have become <br />> really interested in the area, sociology of consumption: <br />> shopping. I am writing this email, not to boast about myself <br />> but to praise your book. Much of the history on shopping <br />> that you presented I learned in a sociology course before, <br />> however, your book gives more of an in depth account and in <br />> the same instance gives comparisons to today. This book was <br />> an adventure in its own, sometimes giving way to fun to <br />> comedic jokes. I just cant explain how much I loved your <br />> book. The funniest quote I intend to post on my dry erase <br />> board is the one on page 149, "Its only shallow people who <br />> do not judge by appearances." This sentence rings true on <br />> every level. On the other hand, you did make a mistake. I am <br />> not trying to be cruel by saying this, I just want to shine <br />> some light onto this. Towards the end of the book, you made <br />> a reference to the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Michigan <br />> Avenue, however you called it "Michigan Boulevard." I am a <br />> resident of Chicago, that is the only reason that I felt the <br />> need to bring it up. Overall, I loved the book and will <br />> recommend it as a reader for friends and loved one. It would <br />> be great if I could receive a message from you from this <br />> email, mainly because this is the first email I have ever <br />> sent to a Author. Thanks for your time and hope to hear from <br />> you soon. <br />> <br />> Frederick Hunter <br />> University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign <br />> Sociology (class of 2006) <br />

As an anthropologist and researcher on popular culture, I found this book a fun read and an informative study of the history, psychology, and anthropology of shopping. Oh sure, it could have done more--what book couldn't?--but for its range and accessbility, it is a fine piece of work. It makes the point, that other books like those of George Ritzer have been making, that consumption is a serious cultural issue that has been neglected by social scientists. When I look, for example, at cultural anthropology textbooks, there is usually no mention, or at best a few words, about consumption at all. It is as if production and distribution are important and mysterious but consumption is trivial and obvious. I welcome the new direction that emphasizes consumption, especially because, as he and Ritzer suggest, we are in a post-production society where supply is not our problem any more. Rather, demand and how our demands are shaped are the main issue. This book is a great lauching point: from here, people can dig more deeply into the aspects of the subject that interest them. But if this is as far as they go, they will have had a pleasant and informative journey.

Thomas Hine's writing reveals a unique blend of history, marketing and pop culture savvy. Of course, anyone familiar with "Populuxe," his groundbreaking view of consumerism in the 1950's and early '60's, knows this full well. "I Want That!" continues in that vein. Immensely readable, the book chronicles the history of shopping and consumer behavior, examining *why* humans have liked to shop over the centuries. Taking us as far back as the ancient Egyptians, Hine illustrates how politics, technology, transportation, geography and even religion have shaped our relationship with consumables and our methods of acquiring them. Even those of us who like to shop regard it as a rather mundane experience most of the time, but Hine shows how complex and significant the act of shopping truly is.

Thomas Hine heavily researches and objectively looks at the history, psychology, and sociology behind what drives the almighty American economy: consumer spending (shopping). He also examines the Internet, demographics, other current trends, and the future of the almighty American pastime: shopping.What was shopping like in the 1850s? Read this book. How has the role of different sociological groups such as women, teenagers, and the elderly changed? How has these shopping patterns affected society? Many retailers depend on the fourth quarter (christmas shopping) to make a profit at all. What is the second largest shopping bonanza after Christmas? Surprisingly, it's the "Back to School" onslaught. I hear a lot of Americans complain, and rightfully so, about the crass materialism, long lines, jammed parking lots, and frenzied rude shoppers every Christmas. "I'm tired of it all, it's too much," people tell me. "The spirit of it all is lost," they add. And yet this year in 2002, Americans forked out 110 Billion dollars for the christmas holiday. Glad I've spent the last three christmas holidays outside the United States. Hopefully, this will continue.

Rarely does one happen upon a sociological and economic analysis that is truly fun to read, as hard to put down as a good mystery, amusing, insightful. That is what is so amazing about I Want That. It is anthropology, and a sound analyis of why two-legged creatures have wanted to acquire since time when, and it is a real joy to read.From the author's creation of the concept of 'buyosphere' onward (and this is the same observer who created the so-Fifties and so descriptive term for that era, Populuxe), you have to sit back and enjoy his perceptive analysis of our behavior and our culture. Read it as entertainment, read it as cultural introspection. Either way, it is illuminating, thoughtful - and fun.More than worthwhile for the buying season - and after.