Yesterday on our day off, we went to Costco. Now this in itself was not a different experience, but I had never gone after having been in American studies, where we think critically about everything. Looking through new eyes, I saw a giant warehouse piled high with more food, electronics, and clothing than I have ever seen. The ceiling was about three or four stories high, and in some places, shelves of stuff on palates could be seen almost touching the roof. Although it was early in the day, people were already there, and filled the massive storage facility with their purposeful gathering. Everywhere there was so much of everything that I wondered if it would ever all get sold.Everything has a very low price compared to other stores. For example, a soft shell coat costs about $100. At Costco, any size for kids cost $20. This makes it extremely appealing to many different groups of people. However, I had to wonder how this could be. Why can Costco sell for so little? From consumer class, I knew that if Costco sells more items for a lower price, they can make more money than if they sold for a higher price. The catch is that the consumers have to buy lots of stuff.
Americans have a track record of extreme consumerism and I can't help but wonder what circumstances led to our desire for more items for ourselves. Has our constitution that obviously promotes capitalism led to a society where we value products over prudence? Or is there an innate quality about humans that makes us want more?
David- I think part of the reason that Americans are extreme consumers is because everywhere we look there are advertisements. Again, again, and again, we see advertisements of items that we then realize we "have to have". A lot of times, people dont think they need something until they see it. I bet not many people said "I think I need a flat, ipod-like, computertype gadget" before the iPad ever came out. But once it came out and was advertised everyone "had to have it".
ReplyDeleteJust one suggestion: for people who don't know everything about the constitution like myself, it might have been nice if you explained how it promotes capitalism.