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15: Shopping

Depending on the relationship between economies and currencies, foreigners may find the price of goods in America to be cheap or expensive.

Visitors form some countries may be astonished with the variety and quality of goods that are routinely available to Americans, in enormous grocery stores and shopping centers, merchandise seems to be available in great excess.

It's noted that Americans are generally eager shoppers, though shopping activity decreases during economic turbulence or times of national crises. Many shopping centers are open seven days a week, and giant "superstores" may be open around the clock. For some, the activity of "shopping" is a recreational and social activity, even when they have no particular need to make a purchase.

There is no stigma attached to spending money in a wasteful money, and in general, individual spending is considered to contribute to the general welfare and the economic health of the community and nation.

While the buying and selling of merchandise is common in virtually every nation, the author means to discuss some aspects of shopping in American that international visitors may find unique or unusual, and may need to be cautioned about.

ADVERTISING

Because of the proliferation of merchandise and retail stores, advertising is a significant business in America. Companies of all sizes and kinds spend billions of media advertising to attract prospective customers, and psychological research is done to analyze consumer behavior to identify more successful methods to pitch a product. Advertisers can be quite inventive in their tactics and advertising is visible nearly everywhere.

Americans are generally inured to advertising, and consider it to be useful or annoying depending on its intrusiveness and the appeal of the product advertised. While advertising, even more so than entertainment, depicts an idealized conception of the American lifestyle - it is in that way indicative of the values and ideals of Americans, such as:

As with entertainment, some criticize advertising for negatively depicting American society or attempting to subvert American values, whereas others argue that it is an accurate depiction of what both already are and to suggest otherwise is pretense.

PRICING

With few exceptions, American consumers and merchants are accustomed to there being a set price on merchandise - the price marked on the product or nearby display signage indicates what the customer is expected to pay, and haggling is not expected.

Some people will attempt to bargain over the price of anything - but such individuals are considered to be socially inept. (EN: this is probably difficult to express - as Americans have some respect for an individual who is thrifty, good at finding deals, or drives a "hard bargain," and will ridicule the practice of paying too much - but at the same time will express contempt or disgust for someone who appears to be overly "cheap" or "wheedling.")

The exception to the general rule against haggling is for high-cost items such as homes, vehicles, and jewelry, and sometimes major appliances. Haggling is accepted in a restricted number of venues, and bidding occurs only at declared auctions.

International visitors are also cautioned about sales taxes - it is customary in America to add taxes at the register, such that the customer will pay more than the agreed-upon price for his purchases. Only five states have no sales tax at all (Alaska, Montana, Delaware, New Hampshire, and Oregon). The amount of tax is a fixed percentage added to the price of the item, though in some locations some items (such as food and necessity goods) are not taxed and other items (such as tobacco and alcohol) are subject to additional taxation.

CUSTOMER-CLERK RELATIONSHIPS

Some observations about customer-clerk relations have already been made - such as the expectation that clerks and salespeople are to be treated with courtesy and not considered of lower status than customers, and may be casual and chatty in their interaction.

It's also noted that clerks and even mangers of stores are often employees who have limited authority. Becoming a regular customer, and developing a cordial relationship with store personnel may result in more prompt or attentive service, but generally will not result in getting a price break.

Also, few clerks are paid on commission and are generally not directed to "push" merchandise. They may assist customers, and make suggestions, but are ultimately unconcerned with sales and more concerned with being helpful in finding items in the store. The typical pattern of shopping is for customers to view the merchandise for themselves, decide whether they are willing to pay the price marked on it, and find a clerk to take their payment.

In most instances, the attitude of clerks toward customers is to be cheerful and friendly, which seems entirely mechanical, dehumanized, and impersonal to some customers and clerks. But in general, both sides consider this formulaic behavior to be appropriate and customary.

The exceptions to this are again in "big ticket" items, where a salesman is paid on commission and is authorized to negotiate with customers and given incentive to sell as much merchandise at as high a price as they can get from a customer. Personal relationships are more aggressively pursued - the salesman will attempt to know his customer for the purpose of better understanding his needs, and to be more effective at delivering a presentation that is more appealing to the particular customer, and a customer who develops a closer relationship with a salesman can often get a better deal.

Other exceptions are when a business is a proprietorship (the person managing the store is the owner, will complete authority), for certain specialty or lifestyle goods (where there are fewer customers and forming a relationship is critical to getting repeat business), or in stores in smaller towns (again, fewer customers overall).

International visitors may be struck by the degree to which the retail profession in America is service-oriented: clerks and salespeople are very knowledgeable about their products and are trained to be helpful to the customer. There are exceptions, namely discount stores, in which employees are not well trained or well compensated, and are generally not motivated to be helpful or even particularly friendly to customers.

SALES TACTICS

The sales profession in America is generally considered a very low-esteem profession, and salesmen are seen as dishonest and untrustworthy. This is said to be a prejudice, but is often well-supported by manipulative and deceitful behavior used to get customers to purchase items they might not be interested in without social pressure, or to extract more money from the customer to increase the salesman's personal income. Some of the less appreciated tactics include:

Such tricks and tactics are used in other cultures as well, but a lack of understanding of American culture makes a foreign visitor more vulnerable, and salesmen are not above taking advantage of any vulnerability.

Special attention is given to telephone solicitation and door-to-door sales (EN: both of which are increasingly uncommon due to cost), which are often used to capitalize upon the protocol of being hospitable to a visitor or caller to a person's home. International visitors are informed that the typical rules of propriety are not applicable to unwanted intruders, especially those with social motives. It is not at all inappropriate simply to hang up the phone or close the door.

In terms of telemarketers specifically, the author remarks that the frequency of unsolicited sales calls - sometimes several calls in a single evening to homes in some areas - led American voters to prevail on Congress to intervene, and a "do not call" list has been created, which a person can sign up for via the Internet to eliminate most unsolicited calls. (EN: Charities and non-sales calls were exempted from the no-call list, and though the number of charities and the inventive ways in which marketers can place a call that is technically not covered may require to a second round of legislation.)

PROCEDURES FOR RETURNING AND EXCHANGING

The purchase of a product is not necessarily final. In most instances, a customer can return an item for a refund or exchange it for merchandise of equal value if the item is unused or in good enough condition to be sold to another customer, though the customer is generally required to produce a receipt as proof of purchase.

Some stores will not require a receipt for returns, and others will grant a refund even if the product has been used or consumed if the customer expresses dissatisfaction. Most stores, however, will prefer to give store credit rather than a cash refund (EN: and when a payment card is used, to withdraw the charges rather than pay out cash) of offer a free item or discount to appease a dissatisfied customer instead of a refund or exchange.

Many products come with written guarantees and warranties, though it is noted that these are often by the manufacturer rather than the retailer, and getting them honored can be inconvenient. Also, the guarantee or warranty is often provided not to ensure satisfaction, but to limit the liability of the manufacturer - the terms spell out reasons for which the item may be returned or repaired, and by exclusion anything that is not mentioned is not accepted as a reason to demand service.

(EN: I'm not sure how this bears out in practice, but most of the material I have read on the topic of customer service advocates and extremely liberal approach to returns and exchanges. It is suggested that the amount that a retailer will lose to dishonest customers who seek to take advantage, which is their primary reason for being reluctant, is significantly less than the lost profits on a dissatisfied customer and the others he will complain to about the poor service or quality of merchandise. Ultimately, I expect that the competition in the area will determine the degree to which a retailer will be willing to risk a small loss in exchange for continued business and word-of-mouth from customers.)

PRIVATE SALES

Americans who want to sell an item they no longer want to keep will advertise in the newspaper or online to sell it themselves rather than working through a dealer.

Many foreign visitors are struck by the phenomenon of garage sales (also called "yard sales" or "tag sales" - or "estate sales" when the property of a person who has deceased is being sold) in America. At these events, Americans sell a wide array of household items they no longer use or want to keep. Such events are advertised in local papers, or by makeshift signage, and generally offer very low prices on merchandise that's often in nearly-new condition.

The author seems to encourage international visitors to seek out such events - they can purchase many of the items they will need at such sales, often at very low prices.

Haggling over prices is acceptable in private sales, and it's noted that most private sellers are extremely accommodating in offering further discount. This is not to be taken as a sign that Americans are unsophisticated or inept at bargaining (though many lack much experience), but that they are largely indifferent to profit - if merchandise doesn't sell, they will either have to continue to store it, or simply throw it away, so they are not aggressive in negotiating price. Offering a price that is obviously too low is offensive, but in general, any reasonable offer may be accepted.

PRECAUTIONS FOR SHOPPERS FROM ABROAD

The American attitude toward commercial exchange follows the Latin axiom "caveat emptor" (let the buyer beware) - a person who pays too high a price or accepts shoddy merchandise is generally expected to accept the blame or take a lesson from the experience, and will generally garner little sympathy for being foolish in their purchasing behavior.

In general, foreigners should be attentive to a number of practices that Americans consider to be self-evident as common sense:

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