The Signs of Shopping by Anna Norton - Essay Example

It is to be noted that although the approach taken by these authors is very different yet there are some common observations provided by them as well. This paper will compare and contrast the perspectives of the two authors with regard to the subject of shopping. The first common point highlighted by these authors is that how customers are captivated and convinced to shop. Gladwell with his research found that how people like Paco Underhill are employed to affect consumer behavior by observing and analyzing the activity of a potential customer before they buy a product.

Anne Norton has illustrated in her article about the practical consequences of this work. She has described how sources of shopping like malls and catalogues have been tailored to serve the masses with a personalized touch to it. Malcolm Gladwell has further explained that conducting these kinds of observations has led to a new field of study called retail anthropology. On the other hand, Norton has underlined the reason why this new field of study is introduced which is known as retail anthropology.

The cause given by the author is that the American society has become decentralized and there is a lack of cultural centers. Due to these reasons shopping has become a vital mean of assembling ones distinctiveness. Another common aspect of these two articles is about the way shopping malls have become a source for common class people to socialize. Norton has observed that because of shopping malls becoming a centerpiece of the American culture, most people socialize there and a class differentiation is clearly visible.

The reason given by Gladwell is that, there is a systematic approach taken on the placement of the items and how they are positioned among other things. The first contrast that is noticeable of these articles is that Anne Norton has taken into account the various popular mediums of shopping while Malcolm Gladwell has only focused his work on shopping malls. Another contrast in the work of these two authors is the way they have perceived about shopping done by women. Norton explains that women like to shop behind their husband`s back because it gives them a feeling of becoming a rebel.

Women do so because it is a practice in the society to keep women as a property rather than giving them the power to decide for themselves. Hence, shopping has become more of a freedom and a way for women to have their own individuality. On the other side, Malcolm Gladwell has explained a rather exciting shopping principal called butt-brush theory. He explains that an individual woman shopper who does not have someone to support her while shopping would get out of the mall quickly without buying anything.

Gladwell has come to the conclusion that large corporations use ways to manipulate the consumers to actually buy their products. But the opposite effect occurs and it is actually the sellers who have to give in and sell products that suit the wishes of the consumers. The cooperation in reality has failed miserably to do so because the sellers are now obeying more to the wishes of the consumers. Norton has a completely different view explaining that a person could be judged from where and what he or she is shopping from.

An example given by her is that when a person uses William-Sonoma catalogue to buy products it not