Introduction
The aim of this paper is to establish whether shopping is delightful or a torturous undertaking. Shopping has become a culture and commodities have turned many people into consumers. Fiske (1989, p. 13) claims that shopping places have become like worshiping places and the goods have become objects of worship.
Through advertising, promotions and many other techniques used by many shopping centers, people become consumers with great appetite for shopping. Shopping has become a rapturous experience to many people but to others it’s a torture. Although shopping can be torturous in many ways, people have a responsibility of avoiding torturous situations and making the experience rapturous.
Household Shopping
Household shopping consists in sourcing for a variety of items used in the house or by family. Clothe shopping is one example and has become a common practice to many people. It can get torturous in many ways. One reason is that for clothes one must fit to make sure the clothes look good on him/her.
Sometimes a shopper doesn’t find the exact type of clothe he/she wants and when he/she finds one that she wants, in many occasions, the clothe will not fit. It makes this type of shopping torturous because the shopper gets tired running up and down looking for what he/she exactly wants.
Another type of household shopping is grocery shopping. This is a very exciting and rapturous practice. It is rapturous mostly when one goes with his/her family and one gets to choose what he/she wants.
Factors that Affect Shopping Experience
One of the factors that make shopping delightful or a nightmare is availability of parking space. There are many occasions especially during holidays, when everyone is shopping; this makes it hard for one to find appropriate parking. The culture of shopping, especially during holidays, has continued to greatly dominate individual lives and the contemporary society at large (Edwards, 2000, p. 34).
The time one has for shopping affects how he/she does the shopping. If one has limited time, he/she will tend to rush. On the other hand if one sets enough time to do the shopping, he/she will do it leisurely and enjoy the shopping experience. It becomes torturous when one has no time to shop and has to rush through. Many people have no time for shopping and this is what makes them consider shopping torturous.
Additionally, the kind of service one receives from shopping stores makes shopping experience torturous or rapturous. It becomes an exciting experience when one visits a store that offers friendly and pleasant shopping experiences.
This promotes a good atmosphere which makes shopping fun and enjoyable. It’s good to visit a store that offers good customer services in order to avoid the stress of shopping. These customer services include customer attendants who assist customers find an item they have problem locating (Krafft & Mantrala, 2008, p. 21). On the other hand if the customer care is poor then no one can enjoy shopping.
Conclusion
In conclusion, shopping experience is generally supposed to be a rapturous experience. In order to avoid being tortured by it, we have to make sure we have enough time and money for shopping. Moreover, shopping from stores that offer good quality products and enhanced customer services are critical to enjoying shopping. If one has to shop from a far place, then he/she should make sure there is a means of transport available. Consumers have control over their shopping experiences and they shouldn’t let it be a torturous experience.
References
Edwards, T., 2000, Contradictions of Consumption: Concepts, Practices, and Politics in Consumer Society, Open University Press, Berkshire
Fiske, J., 1989, Reading the Popular, Routledge, New York
Krafft, M., & Mantrala, M., K., 2008, Retailing in the 21st Century: Current and Future Trends, Springer, New York