A History of Shopping

It is safe to assume that shopping is a gender related activity, much like watching sports programs or fishing. Even though there are exceptions, most men look forward to spending hours in front of the television watching their favourite sports program as most women would when they spend hours shopping. With the emergence of shopping malls, department stores and shopping plazas, which started to flood the post industrial suburban development in most western cities from the 1920s, shopping has gained a strong foothold in the 20th century economy and culture – and if current trend dictates, it will be even more fundamentally significant in the coming 21st century.

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Shopping is more than just purchasing items; it is the process of choosing, considering and comparing different items or goods that are on display. It involves high elements of decision making based on personal preference as well as the character of the shopper. In other words, shopping is a personalized experience that empowers the shopper to acquire items of their choices. This experience is further heightened after WW2 with the successive phases of industrialism, free market capitalism and globalization, which resulted in not only greater variety items but greater variety of the same item.

The shopping experience, in its most archaic form, originated in centuries-old bazaars and markets which have played such integral roles in the everyday lives of households in towns and villages for centuries. Gradually, thanks to greater wealth accumulation and increase in demand, pockets of independently owned stores started to emerge in the early 19th century in major cities like Paris, London and New York. From 1820s onwards, the early departmental stores were established, offering a variety of products under one roof.

Shopping culture was further intensified with the expansion of mass production in the 1870s, thanks to the development of new technologies and the rise of factories. The market was flooded with massive supplies of products and innovations, which caused the advertising wheel to start churning. The late 19th century saw a proliferation of billboards, catalogues and print advertisements with their persuasive messages. With the advent of the radio in the 1920s and the television in the late 1940s, advertising bloomed into a multimillion dollar industry – and as did the retail industry.

In the 1920s shopping malls were conceptualized; a single venue where a great variety of merchandises and brands from different manufactures and producers can be found. Indoor shopping malls started in the United States in the mid 1950s equipped with the latest innovations to provide optimum comfort and convenience for their shoppers. The invention of automobiles also helped spur the popularity of shopping malls, enabling residents who live miles away to frequent their favourite malls during the weekends. Soon after that, shopping malls started incorporating recreation facilities, restaurants, cultural events and ample parking spaces to attract shoppers. The evolution of the shopping mall, whether by functional structure or by cultural space has significantly shaped the history of shopping.

Customers now take for granted the comfortable ambience and constant availability of choices when they shop. If the sizes of shopping malls today are of any indication, shopping is certainly a major income earner for many industries. For example, at least 23 shopping malls in the United States cover more than 2 million square feet in retail space.

At the end of the 20th century however, another fundamental change started to emerge - the advent of the internet. Technology, more specifically online shopping has now launched the whole shopping experience onto cyber space. Online shopping, which started in the early 1990s has become a major phenomenon due to the increase in internet users and the growth of web business profits in the past two decades. Today, online sales are gradually outpacing sales in physical stores with an estimated 10 percent compound annual growth rate according to the study conducted in 2009.

Perhaps, online shopping is good news for men; as they lounge in front of their television sports programs, their wives may shop on their laptops while preparing their favourite meals at the same time.