Classification Essay - Three Types of Annoying Shoppers

Andrew Leonard's "Black Friday: Consumerism Minus Civilization" argues that the Black Friday shopping spree has begun to get out of hand in the previous years. Leonard explains that consumerism is a great thing for America, but showing Americans that it is okay to go crazy when shopping for deals is not the way to approach the buying markets. He mentions a Target advertisement and states that, "The Crazy Target Lady is not a joke. Watch her cannibalize her gingerbread man, or strategize her reverse psychology shopping techniques... she is America. She might be a lunatic, but it's a culturally approved lunacy" (Leonard 166). The author emphasizes how Americans embrace the acts of the target lady as funny and amusing, but during Black Friday shopping, some shoppers will take the night to the extreme like the advertisement does. He does remind us that there is light at the end of the tunnel, by reporting how shoppers are seeing the problems with the night of crazy shopping. I agree with Leonard that there are problems with Black Friday ads, and that consumers are realizing Black Friday shopping is taking away from Thanksgiving.

1. Discuss whether the structure of the executive compensation program is consistent with the corporate strategy for each company. At a minimum, consider the mix of compensation (i.e., fixed vs. contingent, short-term vs. long-term, accounting or stock price-based vs. non-financial-based). In your opinion, does the compensation program motivate executives to achieve strategic success?

“The Signs of Shopping” by Anne Norton mainly talks about the hidden semiotic meanings behind the concept of shopping. She mentioned how women shopped to obtain a sense of self-identities by spending money to possess property(88). The reading also implies that

To be successful in a capitalistic government, you must be willing to step on the heads of those who are below you, and claim their successes as your own. Advertisements within our capitalistic culture act as a way to force the customer into buying what the corporate overlords want you to buy. Anne Norton, author of “The Signs of Shopping” is a heavily published author, and has earned many awards in her field. In her essay, she explains how businesses use advertisement techniques to increase the profits in a retail store. Malcolm Gladwell, the author of “The Science of Shopping” is a staff writer for the New Yorker. In his essay, he explains how Paco Underhill, a retail expert, taught many Forbes 500 companies how to create more opportunities to up-sale to their customers. Norton shows how malls and other shopping outlets only want one demographic to shop in their stores, and Gladwell shows how stores utilize their internal structure to make more money. Both utilize a negative tone toward the business practices shown in the articles, and demonstrate the manipulation of the consumer with the usage of imagery within advertisements to show that capitalism is unethical.

Black Friday shopping is a controversial issue in the United States; while many believe the day after Thanksgiving is a part of holiday festivities, others view it as destructive. Throughout “Black Friday: Consumerism Minus Civilization,” Andrew Leonard argues that the chaos of Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in which crowds of Americans shop all night for extremely low prices, lessens the sophistication of Americans and the true meaning of the holidays. People become so consumed in the idea of endless sale prices that they forget to embrace what they already have, such as family, food, and shelter. He believes that Black Friday shopping has become out of control and describes the negative effects of excessive consumerism. he explains how most consumers act completely insane while Black Friday shopping and how society encourages this behavior by creating commercials and advertisements. Furthermore, Leonard states that it hurts the economy and damages one’s mental health. While Leonard is probably wrong when he claims that Black Friday shopping is completely troublesome to America’s well-being, he is right that consumerism overpowers the true significance of Thanksgiving.

Whenever I go to Stop & Shop, I tend to take interest in the thousands of products that surround me as I walk down an aisle. The wafting aroma of freshly baked pastries and the sight of cold soft drinks are just some of the things that trigger my appetite for food. Most often, I find myself buying more than what I originally planned on. That’s exactly what the layout of a supermarket tries to make consumers do. Marion Nestle argues in her article, “The Supermarket: Prime Real Estate”, how supermarkets employ clever tactics such as product layout in order to make consumers spend as much money as possible. She covers fundamental rules that stores employ in order to keep customers in aisles for the longest time, a series of cognitive studies that stores perform on customers, and examples of how supermarkets encourage customers to buy more product. Overall, Nestle’s insight into how supermarkets manipulate people into spending extra money has made me a more savvy consumer and I feel if more people were to read her article, then they can avoid some of the supermarket’s marketing tactics as well.

When entering a mall of people, I witness different shoppers. I see people that are low class, middle class and high class. I stereotype these people as window shoppers, buyers on a budget and the over buyers by their appearance and the different shopping centers in Kansas City.

Norton, Anne. “The Signs of Shopping.” Signs of Life in the U.S.A.: Readings on Popular

Once we have succeeded in our mission to promote shopping locally even more, “for rent/sale” signs and vacant buildings will be a scarcity. In their places will be store fronts with friendly faces there to greet you at the door and help you find just what you were looking for, whether it be for yourself or someone you love. Main Street will be buzzing with activity. Shoppers will be carrying around their purchases in colorful bags, enjoying a conversation with their close friends and family, and experiencing just what Pratt was missing; the feeling of community. And with all of the fun and exciting events, they will remember the joys of shopping rather than the hassle it can cause.

Enthusiastic and overzealous, Paul patrols the Mall’s premises always willing to help keeping things in order while riding his motorised electric vehicle. Unexpectedly, the opening of a new kiosk will bring Paul close to Amy, a beautiful, young seller who will eventually steal the guards heart.

In reading Anna Quindlen’s¬¬ 2008 op-ed, “Stuff Is Not Salvation”, she briefs the reader on the horrors of American consumerism. Her piece starts with a morbid detail of a Wal-Mart employee that was trampled to death during a Black Friday Sale. She goes on to summarize how the shoppers continued to grab items even after the management announced that the store was closed. Quindlen also sprinkles her work with several statistics. Though there are many valid points that these statistics bring, she doesn’t provide a reference nor citation to these points. Quindlen also has a small scope on those whom live frugal and fruitfully. Quindlen focuses only a handful of personal experiences, mentioning friends who falter, and small rural farmers in Pennsylvania.

This story takes place in a small town grocery store named A&P. It is located just north of Boston where Sammy, the protagonist, works as a cashier. The A&P sits at the center of town and from the front door, Sammy can see the bank, two real estate offices, and the Congregational Church. Sammy is a very sarcastic and opinionated young man, who is on the verge of adulthood. He is nineteen years old and has a very keen observational sense in the opposite sex. His fellow cashier, Stokesie, is twenty-two, married and has two young children. The A&P is managed by a much older man named Lengel, who is a friend of Sammy's parents. Not only is Lengel the manager and a friend of the family, he is also a Sunday school teacher and the reason why Sammy

“A&P” is the story of a cashier’s life changing experience that he gleans from people-watching. It is his coming of age—the cashier, Sammy, discovers that he yearns to have more in life than what has been given to him, and to be rebellious. Though this leaves him without a job or a plan for his future, it can be seen as the moment of his true adulthood beginning. With important historical context and expert uses of the language in the form of symbolism and imagery, Sammy’s coming of age story is important and interesting.

In the story, A&P by John Updike, Sammy quit his job at the end of the story. Do you know why did he quit? Who made him change his mind? Why did he choose to do that? When Sammy was working he saw the same customers every day with children screaming and old people who screamed at him too.

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