Shop 'til You Drop - by Arthur Asa Berger (Paperback)

About the Book

Are Americans obsessed with shopping? Shop 'til You Drop is a lively look at our consumer culture and its role in our everyday lives and society. Arthur Asa Berger considers the sacred roots of consumer culture, the demographics of consumption, theories about competing culture...

Book Synopsis

Are Americans obsessed with shopping? Shop 'til You Drop is a lively look at our consumer culture and its role in our everyday lives and society. Arthur Asa Berger considers the sacred roots of consumer culture, the demographics of consumption, theories about competing cultures, and the semiotics of shopping. Accessibly written and entertaining, this book is ideal for courses in cultural studies, advertising, and American studies, as well as for anyone curious about our nation's drive to consume.

Review Quotes

In Shop 'til You Drop, Arthur Asa Berger has done it again. With a sense of humor and sagacious aplomb that is always just below the surface, he is nevertheless able to say profound and insightful things that make us reflect on things as they are. I know of no other work in the field of cultural studies that provides such a penetrating analysis of the roots of consumerism, unraveling its mythic-religious roots, its meaning structures, and its many ritualistic aspects. Berger's book has finally explained to me why shopping, in and of itself, holds such enormous appeal. It is one of those 'good reads' that entertains at the same time that it enlightens.

In Shop 'Til You Drop, Berger covers everything on the subject of consumer culture from Calvinist perspectives on asceticism, to the mythical importance of houses, the feminization of men, and the death of shopping malls. The book appears to serve as a kind of 'catch-all' on consumer culture, defining, describing, and explaining consumer culture and behavior in sociological, psychological, philosophical, and anthropological terms.

This lively, well-formatted book moves quickly, explaining theories succinctly and profiling consumers' personalities, behaviors, and preferred shopping environments. In examining the cultural aspects of shopping, Berger's unique work looks at the changing demographics and psychographics of today's consumers, comparing the role of modern department stores to that of medieval cathedrals. Highly recommended.

About the Author

Arthur Asa Berger is professor emeritus of broadcast and electronic communication arts at San Francisco State University.