June 14th, 2008
But Doesn’t Everybody Cry in Supermarkets?
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‘Why We Buy: The Science Of Shopping‘ by Paco Underhill is one of my all time favorite books on marketing, but it is a misnomer — most of the book is about ‘how’ we buy instead of ‘why’. Here’s a rare excerpt from page 96 of ‘Why We Buy‘ that does talk about why —
Shopping means different things to different people at different times. We use shopping as therapy, reward, bribery, pastime, as an excuse to get out of the house, as a way to troll for potential loved ones, as entertainment, as a form of education or even worship, as a way to kill time. There are compulsive shoppers doing serious damage to their bank accounts and credit rating who use shopping as a cry for help. (Then they shop around for twelve step programs.) And how many disreputable public figures end up arrested for shoplifting small, inexpensive items?
