Product Description
"Shopping has a lot in common with sex," Thomas Hine observes near the beginning of this wide-ranging exploration of the history and psychology of one of the most commonplace and important activities of modern Life. "Just about everybody does it. Some people brag about how well they do it. Some keep it a secret. Most people worry, at Least a little, about whether they do it right. And both provide ample opportunities to make foolish choices." Choosing and using objects is a primal human activity, and I Want That! is nothing less than a portrait of humanity as the species that shops. We shop to nourish our bodies and to feed our fantasies. We shop to belong to groups. We shop to define ourselves as individuals. We shop to be powerful. We shop to be responsible. We shop to celebrate. We shop because we don't want to miss out on the excitement of life. I Want That! shows how these fundamental desires play out in today's malls, Web sites, boutiques, and superstores. The book also offers a lively, fast-paced history of finding, choosing, and spending. It makes stops in the crossroads markets in which prehistoric merchants traded gold, amber, and obsidian; in the agora in Athens, where sharp setters wet their wool to make it weigh more, and everyone came to buy, talk, eat, and get their hair done. It visits the great fairs of medieval times -- brief, gaudy moments in monotonous, laborious lives -- and it considers the cities of Renaissance Europe, where shopping districts and the idea of individual expression arose side by side. It demonstrates how one simple idea -- manufacturing garments that were ready to wear -- brought the explosive growth of department stores and turned cities into vast shopping centers. It continues the story to the age of the Internet, when the buying never seems to stop, and, in times of crisis, political Leaders tout shopping, not sacrifice, as the act of patriots. I Want That! tells the fascinating story of how shopping came to be the way it is -- and how you became the shopper you are.
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 Barely skims the surface ( sdfadsfasdfasdfadf )
I was excited to run across this book and eagerly dived into its pages. I was hoping it would explain American consumerism and explore the psychological and biological origins of our acquisitiveness. Sadly, this book only barely skims the surface. It is much more descriptive than explanatory. Where there are explanations, they are superficial and unsurprising. For example, Hine asserts that one reason why people shop and acquire things is to demonstrate status in society. No, really?!
For those looking for an analysis of why we Americans are materialistic -- often to our detriment -- I'd recommend instead: American Mania: When More Is Not Enough, by Peter C. Whybrow.
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 "I Want That: How We All Became Shoppers" ( fhunteruiuc )
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,
>
> My name is Frederick Hunter and I am a senior at the
> University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I have become
> really interested in the area, sociology of consumption:
> shopping. I am writing this email, not to boast about myself
> but to praise your book. Much of the history on shopping
> that you presented I learned in a sociology course before,
> however, your book gives more of an in depth account and in
> the same instance gives comparisons to today. This book was
> an adventure in its own, sometimes giving way to fun to
> comedic jokes. I just cant explain how much I loved your
> book. The funniest quote I intend to post on my dry erase
> board is the one on page 149, "Its only shallow people who
> do not judge by appearances." This sentence rings true on
> every level. On the other hand, you did make a mistake. I am
> not trying to be cruel by saying this, I just want to shine
> some light onto this. Towards the end of the book, you made
> a reference to the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Michigan
> Avenue, however you called it "Michigan Boulevard." I am a
> resident of Chicago, that is the only reason that I felt the
> need to bring it up. Overall, I loved the book and will
> recommend it as a reader for friends and loved one. It would
> be great if I could receive a message from you from this
> email, mainly because this is the first email I have ever
> sent to a Author. Thanks for your time and hope to hear from
> you soon.
>
> Frederick Hunter
> University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
> Sociology (class of 2006)
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Well-written essay on an important topic ( ellerdavid )
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.
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 Want in one hand, and... ( bestkept_books )
"Columbus killed more Indians than Hitler did Jews, but on his birthday you get sales on shoes" --The Goats What at first might seem mundane subject matter is made illuminating and interesting by Thomas Hine's engaging narrative, personal and historical examples, and downright deep digging. Excavating our culture of consumption from the perspectives of power, responsibility, discovery, self-expression, insecurity, attention, belonging, celebration, and convenience, Hine unearths the desires and rituals that have made us all shoppers in one sense or another. In the spirit of the quote above, I Want That! points out the fact that we "mix up reverence with consumption." Our every holiday is tied to purchases and a subsequent sale of some sort. Are women born to shop? Do today's shoppers truly have choices? Why do we buy what we buy? All of these questions and more are answered and explained in a free-for-all spree of analysis of what Hine calls the 'buyosphere.' "The buyosphere," he writes, "is both a set of shopping opportunities and a state of mind. It encompasses the shopping streets of the city, the mall, the supermarket, the home shopping channels, advertisements, and the Internet." Comparing the shopping experience of a Persian bazaar to the non-experience of shopping at Wal-Mart, as well as how humans have moved from hunting/gathering to sharing their surpluses through marketplaces, Hine shows just how far the story of consumption has come throughout history. He even highlights the postmodern aspect of our current ubiquitous marketplace, writing, "There are no fixed identities in the buyosphere." Shopping is something we all do with little thought as to why or how. As Hine writes, "Whether you are a buyer or a seller, when you are in the market, you're a part of the performance. You're looking. You're learning. You're alive." I Want That! will make you rethink your purchasing habits and why you want to buy what you buy.
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A lot in one small package... ( bpomeroy54 )
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.
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