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

I had such high hopes for this book

When I saw this book on the "New Arrivals" table at my local B&N, I read the jacket and thought it would be an interesting and relevant read. The first few chapters were interesting enough, but then the author got into technical terms used by marketing researchers with studies, etc. and I found the book to be less interesting. So, I put it down after I got halfway through because it just didn't hold my attention. I will most likely finish this book after I read a few more interesting novels because I don't like to leave any book unfinished, no matter how uninteresting I find it. But with a title like Shoptimism and the tease that the book will reveal "why Americans will always buy" stuff, I thought it would be the authors personal experiences as a shopper and interviews with other shoppers that would fill the pages of this book. Instead, I find it's almost a technical manual for anyone in marketing and sales because the author discusses the working minds of the men who created advertising.

I don't think this book is horrible; it's just not what I expected. It's well written, albeit very technical and dry.

Waste of Time!

Expected an interesting read on why people shop. What I got was a piece meal work from various authors to make Mr. Eisenberg's points. Also not interested in his political viewpoints just wanted insights. My political viewpoint does not affect the way I shop, if it did why didn't the author have it as a chapter. Overall, I have read better books. Would not recommend you wasting your dollars on this one.

Shopping is an obsession and entertainment for Americans

A great explanation of why we don't have our priorities in order. Shopping has taken over our lives-this is why our young people know very little about certain holidays; All they know is to shop, buy, go into debt. We should shop for needs, not wants to keep up with others.

Portrait of the American Consumer, Retailer, Promoter and Enabler and What Makes Them All Tick

In the era of hyper-focused, niche marketed business texts, it's refreshing to read a book like Shoptimism which provides insight that benefits a number of different readerships, particularly those on the Sell Side (the sellers of goods and their cadres of marketers, consultants and other consumer-enablers) and those on the Buy Side (consumers in their various iterations). Aspiring retailers, salesfolk looking to better understand their constituencies, consumer psychologists and wannabe Mad Men (or Mad Women) will all benefit from the book's "Consumerism 101" stroll through the mind of the American consumer and the entities that may be pressing the buttons that spin the wheels inside that mind. Individuals who want a better understanding of why they buy and what forces may be motivating that decision-making process (or perhaps to self-diagnose an alarming lack of such process) will also be well served by this book.

The author's use of personal anecdotes, whether it be a recounting of his brief tenure as a Target floorwalker, a trip to the dressing room with his wife or his observations regarding his teenage son's quest for an elusive pair of Japanese sneakers, brings some real-world perspective to a subject that many consumers take for granted or spend little time analyzing. His "come along with me" perspective when delving into the nerve center of retail anthropologist/consultant Paco Underhill or exploring the seamy underbelly of the knockoff trade is effective and informative without dipping into the realm of sensationalistic "investigative journalism." Eisenberg's conversational writing style avoids the didactic but never veers into glibness. This particular writing style - peer to peer if you will - has long been his hallmark dating back to his days as a writer for and later editor in chief of Esquire magazine. This voice works very well in addressing a subject like American consumerism where I submit we could all use a bit more education. The recently-departed Sy Syms was right -- an educated consumer IS the best customer. This book will certainly move consumers closer to that status.

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