English 100 Peer Review (150 words)
Chris Pool
English100PeerReviewwith2studentArgumentativeEssay.docxEnglish 100 Peer Review
Leslie Escalante
English 100
Professor Anna Morrison
October 8, 2017
Consumer Surveillance
We have all heard the saying, “Money can’t buy happiness”. While this may be true when considering love, honesty, or knowledge, it doesn’t apply to objects such as a home, clothes, or a car. Although money cannot buy us safety, we can buy a security system to make us feel safer. In Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Science of Shopping” (Maasik, p. 93), Gladwell holds a discussion about how the retail industry has monitored consumer purchases and manipulated their entire shopping experience. I refute Gladwell’s claim, stating that the surveillance of consumers by retail anthropologists is manipulative and unethical. The surveillance of consumers has allowed the industry to target consumer needs, boost economic growth, and create conformity within all stores.
To begin, going into a mall we may have one thing on mind. Sometimes we may walk out with just that one item, other times we come out with more than expected. Gladwell explains how shopping malls have strategically placed similar stores far from each other to get consumers to run around and pass by stores they weren’t interested in. Although the retail industry has a negative connotation stuck to it because they are seen as money hungry individuals, it is the only industry where we can buy everything we could ever want. The reason shopping malls create this “manipulated floorplan” is because after countless experiments of marketing, it has worked time after time. Research Psychologist, Kit Yarrrow, wrote a journal entitled, “Why “Retail Therapy” Works, in which she states that half of America has admitted to contributing to buying objects to feel good about themselves. Yarrow explains how Retail Therapy allows people to feel creative, successful, and relaxed. When we feel out of the loop, we look for somewhere to input ourselves to feel complete. While some may engage in drugs, others shop, therefore the manipulated design of the mall of a single store allows them to explore their options.
In continuation, the retail industry is also seen as a negative industry that is only focused on making money. This industry holds over forty-two million jobs in the United States, according to the National Retail Federation. Monitored consumer surveillance has allowed marketers to see what consumers actually need. The National Retail Federation states that it accounts, “$1.6 trillion in labor income and contributes $2.6 trillion annually to U.S. GDP”. If this industry was any other way, our economy could not function the way it does. A drastic missing income such as this would upset a community. This “evil, manipulated, selfish” community has allowed many individuals to have jobs and support our families.
Lastly, change is inevitable. Change occurs anywhere and everywhere. Gladwell argues that all stores have the same setup and are organized to make consumers look at more merchandise. Although I agree with Gladwell on stores having the same setup, I don’t believe it manipulates consumers into buying more objects. Consumer needs change therefore they won’t want to buy random items that have nothing to do with their trip to the store. Stores have fallen into conformity, allowing consumers to speak about what they want and need, instead of the industry imposing themselves on consumers.
In conclusion, although retail does take in input from their marketing management, the surveillance of consumers by retail anthropologists is not manipulative nor unethical. Retail uses their tools to give consumers what they want when shopping, by allowing them to explore their options using surveillance. Also, the industry, as a whole, contributes to a large portion of our economy and without it we would deteriorate. Conformity is also a big factor in the industry that determines what products are presented to consumers. We, as a society, have the power and voice to tell retail what we want. We are not being manipulated to buy anything we don’t want, we are just being presented the future.
Works Cited
Yarrow, Kit. “Why ‘Retail Therapy’ Works.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers,
2 May 2013, www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-why-behind-the-buy/201305/why-retail-therapy-works.
“Retail Means Jobs.” National Retail Federation,
5 Mar. 2014, nrf.com/who-we-are/retail-means-jobs.
Gladwell, Malcolm. “The Science of Shopping.” The New Yorker-Archive,
4 Nov. 1996, gladwell.com/the-science-of-shopping/.
1. I like this because (be specific):
Base 1: Unity
Is there a clearly stated thesis in the introductory paragraph?
Do all the supporting paragraphs back up the thesis?
Your comments:
Base 2: Support
Is there specific evidence?
Is there plenty of it?
Your comments:
Base 3: Coherence
Is there a clear method of organization? (List of items or a time order?)
Are transitions used to connect sentences and ideas?
Your comments:
Base 4: Sentence Skills
Are there any rough spots where the sentences do not flow smoothly and clearly?
Are there any mistakes in grammar, punctuation, or usage?
Your comments:
Nicole Conde
Professor Anna Morrison
English 100
08 October 2017
The Refute of Surveillance of consumers being manipulative and unethical.
I refute the claim that the surveillance of consumers by retail Anthropologists is manipulative and unethical. There are many benefits for monitoring for the customer’s interest. Consumers have been aware for years that they are being watched by surveillance cameras, and have continued to shop, especially where they feel it is of convenience. The surveillance and monitoring of customers in retail can be beneficial to the customer’s specific needs, can give a more efficient layout of the store, and can improve company profit as well.
If we as consumers are being monitored for the products we purchase most, therefore, the customer will know it is most likely going to be in that particular store they shop at. There are certain products, customers including myself that like to be purchased on a regular basis. According to Ray Burke, in the story, “Ted x Talks,” Our actions show what we desire and how we shop and why we buy. These tools inspire store efficacy and shop ability for the costumer. Data cameras measure shoppers studying them in their natural environment and look at their behavior. This can improve the customer experience and satisfaction.” Some stores may carry brands that other stores do not carry which makes it inconvenient for the shopper. Having to go to several stores to get the items you need can be time consuming, which can cause for the customer to shop elsewhere. There are certain rewards programs that go with the monitoring of the consumer shopping which has benefited customers with coupons for the items they buy the most. This is beneficial for customers who might want or need items at a discount. Without the surveillance tracking, this would otherwise not be a given convenience.
Having record of customer satisfaction through surveillance can help organize the products in a store. This can help the company know the best set up that fits the needs of their customer. When a customer wants to find a product, it is important for the organization and flow, to go through the store. “Ever wonder why the season’s hottest new styles at stores like the Gap are usually displayed on the right at least fifteen paces in from the front entrance? It’s because that is where shoppers are most likely to see them as they enter the store, gear down from the walking pace of a mall corridor, and adjust to the shop’s spatial environment. Ever wonder how shop managers know this sort of thing? It’s because, as Malcom Gladwell reports here, they hire consultants like Paco Underhill, a retail anthropologist and urban geographer whose studies (often aided with cameras) of shopping behavior have become valuable guides to store managers looking for the best ways to move the goods.” Para 1 (pg93) With the busy schedules individuals have, their time is limited and they want to go in, get what they need, and get out. This organizational style is attracted by consumers, whether it is in shopping stores of the mall for clothes or toy stores or it can be very beneficial in the grocery stores as well. The organization can also guide the consumer to the sale items which are beneficial for people needing to save money. Clearance and sale sections are best if noticeable when the customer first walks in so they know that some of the items they were wanting might have a better deal than their completion. When a store monitors how the customer shops in each isle and their reactions, of time spent, purchases made, and satisfaction, it brings the customer back to the store. Given at a local “TEDx event,” produced independently of the TED Conferences. “Why are companies so intent on using technology to track our behavior? Our actions reveal what we desire, how we shop, and why we buy. Retailers can now learn so much more about shopper behavior than ever before, and while these “big data” applications create concerns about privacy, the detailed data can be used to design stores, product offerings and promotions that connect with our interests, speed up the shopping process, and help us find items we will buy. These new tools are critical to improving store efficiency and shop ability; and offer a vision of the future of retailing.” This video relates to all of the customers who want that convenience of availability, and efficacy of being able to find the products needed and to find them efficiently. The lack of products can deter the consumer’s away forcing them to shop at other stores.
Company profit can be a result of surveillance of their customer’s choices in items. Depending on the inventory bought, this tells the company that this is what is in demand. The consumer is satisfied as well as the company, for they both reap of the benefits of the merchandise in the store and the sales of those in high demand products. If this technique helps a company profit by selling what we are most interested in buying, then consequently, that is a win, win situation. Stores take pride in the satisfaction of their customers and want the best experience possible that they can give them.
If the consumers shopping experience can be enhanced, or made more convenient, then the surveillance by retail Anthropologists can be beneficial. If this makes shopping for the
consumer a more pleasant experience therefore, this would not be manipulative or unethical, but rather be a positive reflection of what the companies’ research of customers has shown over the past decades. According to the story of “Envirosell, the Science of Shopping,” Paco Underhill started the Envirosell shopper research. He had filmed everything while also speaking with shoppers about their shopping experience. This method did not exist until this research was born twenty-five years ago.” http://envirosell.com . I believe customer satisfaction relies heavily on the current, most popular product availability and the ability to shop in a pleasant, safe, and an organized environment.
1. I like this because (be specific):
Base 1: Unity
Is there a clearly stated thesis in the introductory paragraph?
Do all the supporting paragraphs back up the thesis?
Your comments:
Base 2: Support
Is there specific evidence?
Is there plenty of it?
Your comments:
Base 3: Coherence
Is there a clear method of organization? (List of items or a time order?)
Are transitions used to connect sentences and ideas?
Your comments:
Base 4: Sentence Skills
Are there any rough spots where the sentences do not flow smoothly and clearly?
Are there any mistakes in grammar, punctuation, or usage?
Your comments:
Feel free to quote a small portion (1-3 sentences) of the student’s post and comment on that. It is also a good idea to ask your fellow students questions to lead to further communication on the discussion boards. Peer reviews of at least two other students' rough drafts should be approximately 150 words each.
