Everything about Shopping totally explained
Shopping is the examining of
goods or
services from
retailers with intent to
purchase. Shopping is the activity of
selection and/or
purchase. In some contexts it's considered a
leisure activity as well as an
economic one.
Shopping in ancient societies
Shopping can be traced back to many civilisations in history. In
ancient Rome, there was
Trajan's Market with
tabernas that served as retailing units.
Shopping list are known to be used by Romans as one was discovered by
Hadrian's wall dated back
75-
125 AD written for a soldier.
Participants
The shopper
To many it's considered a recreational activity in which one visits a variety of stores in search of a suitable
product to purchase.
Window shopping is an activity that shoppers engage in by browsing though glass windows of a shop for entertainment. Might try on the item(s) or imagine purchasing these items without actually purchasing, possibly just to pass the time between other activities, or planning a purchase.
To some, shopping is a task of inconvenience and vexation. Shoppers sometimes go though great lengths to wait in long lines to buy popular products as typically observed with
early adopters shoppers and holiday shoppers. Sometimes buyers feel
ripped-off because they didn't get what they paid for often asking for a
refund. Sometimes shoppers get caught up in a
scam.
More recently compulsive shopping has been recognised as an
addiction. Commonly referred as compulsive shopping, shopping addiction, shopaholic or formally
oniomania, these shoppers have an impulsive uncontrollable need to go shopping to get a rush or high. Some people, in order to cover up their addiction, call shopping "
retail therapy."
The merchant
Sellers of products come by various names. They may be called
vendors,
merchants,
salesman.
Shopping venues
Shopping hubs
A larger commercial
zone can be found in city
downtown or
Arab city
souk. Shopping hubs, or
shopping centers, are collection of stores that's a grouping of several
businesses. Typical examples include
shopping malls,
town squares,
flea markets, and
bazaars.
Stores
Shops are divided into multiple categories of stores which sell a selected set of goods or services. Usually they're tiered by target demographic based on the amount
disposable income of the shopper. They can be tiered from cheap to pricey.
Some shops sell second-hand goods. Often the public can also sell goods to such shops. In other cases, especially in the case of a
nonprofit shop, the public donates goods to the shop to be sold though
thrift stores in the USA,
charity shops in the UK. In
give-away shops goods can be taken for free. In antique shops, the public can find goods that are older and harder to find. Sometimes people are
broke and borrow money from a
pawn shop using an item of value as
collateral. College students are known to resell books back though college textbook
bookstores. Old used items are often distributed though
surplus stores.
Many shops are part of a
shopping chain that carry the same
trademark (company name) and
logo using the same
branding, same presentation, and sell the same products but in different locations. The shops may be owned by one company, or there may be a
franchising company that has franchising agreements with the shop owners often found in relation to
restaurant chains.
Various types of retail stores that specialise in the selling of goods related to a theme include
bookstores,
candy shops,
liquor stores,
gift shops,
hardware stores,
hobby stores,
pet stores,
pharmacys,
sex shops,
supermarkets.
Other stores such as
big-box stores,
hypermarkets,
convenience stores,
department stores,
general stores,
dollar stores sell a wider variety of products not
horizontally related to each other.
Travel agency is example of a store that sells services.
Home shopping
With modern technology such as television and telephone and the Internet, users could be described as
home shopping though online retail stores.
Electronic commerce and
business-to-consumer electronic commerce systems in combination of home
mail delivery systems make this possible. Typically a consumer could make purchases though
online shopping,
shopping channels,
mail order, etc. Sometimes
peddlers and
ice cream trucks pass though the neighborhoods offering services and goods. Also, neighborhood shopping takes place though various
garage sales found in
United States.
Shopping time
Shopping time is anytime. When the stores are closed, go online. Watch TV, use your mobile phone or look at catalogues. Make sure to always look at the shipping time and price, because that's when shopping outside of the stores starts to get expensive. Make sure to always spend money wisely. (See Pricing and Negotiation below.) Some countries and stores don't open on a certain day for religious, political, or economical reasons. See reasons.
Regulation
Some business have
shopping hours but some are open 24 hours 7 days a week. Some nations regulate the operation of businesses for religious reasons and don't allow shopping on particular days or dates.
Shopping seasons
Shopping seasons are periods where a burst of spending occurs - typically near holidays in the
United States, where
Christmas shopping is the biggest shopping spending season. Some famous target dates are
Black Friday and
Cyber Monday.
Some religions regard such spending seasons against their religion and dismiss the practice. Many question the over-commercialization and the response by stores who downplay the shopping season often cited in the Christmas controversy or
War on Christmas.
The
National Retail Federation (NRF) also highlights the importance of back-to-school shopping for retailers which comes second behind holiday shopping where buyers often buy clothing and school supplies for their children. In 2006, Americans spend over $17 billion on their kids according to NRF survey.
Pricing and negotiation
The
pricing technique used by most retailers is
cost-plus pricing. This involves adding a
markup amount (or percentage) to the retailers cost. Another common technique is
manufacturers suggested list pricing. This simply involves charging the amount suggested by the manufacturer and usually printed on the
product by the manufacturer.
In Western countries, retail
prices are often so-called
psychological prices or
odd prices: a little less than a round number, for example $ 6.95. In Chinese societies, prices are generally either a round number or sometimes some lucky number. This creates
price points.
Often prices are fixed and displayed on signs or labels. Alternatively, there can be
price discrimination for a variety of reasons. The retailer charges higher prices to some customers and lower prices to others. For example, a customer may have to pay more if the seller determines that he or she's willing to. The retailer may conclude this due to the customer's wealth, carelessness, lack of knowledge, or eagerness to buy.
Price discrimination can lead to a
bargaining situation often called
haggling, a
negotiation about the price. Economists see this as determining how the transaction's total surplus will be divided into
consumer and producer surplus. Neither party has a clear advantage, because the threat of no sale exists, whence the surplus vanishes for both.
In popular culture
There was television shopping game shows called
Shop 'Til You Drop and
Supermarket Sweep.
The
Pet Shop Boys wrote a song called "Shopping" for their 1987 album
Actually. It takes the totally
consumerist approach many shoppers have, and turns it into a satire on the
privatisation culture of Britain in the
1980s.
In the
Gilmore Girls fourth season episode "Scene in a Mall," a significant part of the episode is devoted to window shopping, which is Lorelai and Rory's main plan for the day.
In the famous shopping quote by
Bo Derek, "whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping."
Internet shopping bargain aggregation sites such as have become a favorite shopping channel for busy people. Hundreds of merchant sites are reviewed for favorable pricing. Coupons for reduced pricing or free shipping are presented with the item which help deliver additional value to the shoppers.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Shopping'.
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