Shoptimism: Why the American Consumer Will Keep On Buying No Matter What
by Lee Eisenberg
Rating: 2.5/5.0
Free Press
Whether we are buying toothpaste at the grocery store, throwing down an entire paycheck on a designer handbag or ordering eco-friendly hemp clothing online, shopping is an integral component of life in America–recession or not. Moreover, companies are constantly marketing to us in one way or another, often without our even realizing it. Because we cannot avoid consumerism, it can only benefit us to be informed about it.
Lee Eisenberg (author of the 2006 bestseller The Number) sets out to do just that–inform us about the consumer culture that envelops us– in Shoptimism: Why the American Consumer Will Keep On Buying No Matter What. Eisenberg has personal experience with advertising: he served as Editor-in-Chief of Esquire throughout the ’80s working closely with “the shiny-shoed, cunningly charming men and women whose job it was to sell ‘space.’” This doesn’t stop him from doing his homework, however. In addition to interviewing scores of professors, scientists, writers, business owners and strangers, he goes as far as to work at Target for a month to research American consumerism from the front lines.
The purpose of all this is to provide the reader with a breakdown of how both the “Sell Side” (advertisers and businesses) and the “Buy Side” (consumers) function. Eisenberg delves deep into the marketing tactics of both large and small companies and dissects the behavior and motives of the American consumer (himself included), in search of a “Unified Buy Theory” for our culture. Though his analysis has the capacity to be competent and fascinating, it is too scattered and packed with information to hold the reader’s interest for a significant period of time. One moment Eisenberg is writing about how brand loyalty represents membership in a tribe and the next he is exploring the ways in which shopping has been integrated into 20th century novels–although interesting topics, the book becomes difficult to follow a few chapters in.
As noted, Eisenberg establishes that he is in search of a “Unified Buy Theory,” or as the title of the book implies, an answer to “Why the American Consumer Will Keep On Buying No Matter What,” but he eventually gives up, claiming that “There are no airtight Unified Buy Theories.” It is clear that he has taken on too much, and if had narrowed down the focus of his study, he would have something more concrete and useful to offer his readers in the end. Also, he briefly addresses in the foreword that the economy crashed while he was in the process of writing the book, but in spite of all his research he does not provide an adequate analysis of how this has changed American consumerism.
Shoptimism seems as though it should be a great read. Eisenberg writes in an easy, colloquial style bringing to mind the “cool” college professor, who makes sure that you have all the facts but still tries to keep it relevant and interesting (by using examples like his teenaged daughter’s long thought out decision to purchase a pair of Ugg boots despite their overwhelming and obnoxious popularity). He also has some great points: although he offers insight on how to avoid making unnecessary purchases that we will ultimately regret, he believes that “we also make good Buys that deserve to be celebrated.” Unfortunately, the structure and cohesiveness needed to make this book a success is missing.
by Jessica Bari
