The Hierarchy of Shopping

American commerce has come a long way since the days of pilgrims and indians trading pelts for maize. Thanks to Alexander Hamilton, who did something good in the 1700s which I don't actually remember, we have a standard US currency for effectively trading goods and services.

In modern America we spend this currency in a variety of ways. Different laws and social mores apply to each different trade scenario. Each has its own lingo and social status. Economists call it commerce. I call it shopping.

1. Houses and Cars - The purchase of freakishly expensive things like houses and cars blows my mind. It's not even like spending money. It's more like selling your soul. All I know is that I wake up every morning under this roof and every month I pay the bank a hefty sum. I have a faint hope that someday I will wake up under this roof and find that I own it outright. We call the hunt for these items "House Shopping" and "Car Shopping" so I felt compelled to include them at the top of the shopping hierarchy.
2. Home Parties/Direct Sales - I put this above Full Price Retail because, while similar, the Home Party shopping scenario involves it's own language and a degree of pressure not found in the standard retail environment. In the Home Party scenario, there is a "Hostess" who invites all her friends to a "Party" at her home. When they arrive they are wined and dined and exposed to a line of merchandise, some of which is displayed while the rest is promoted in a glossy catalog (sometimes called the "Catty".) The hostess may say repeatedly that there is no pressure to buy anything, but all the guests know that the hostess will "Earn" free merchandise based on their purchases and therefore can't help feeling obligated to make the party a robust shopping enterprise. Guests shop, pay full retail plus "Shipping & Handling", and try to eat and drink enough to make it feel like a genuine party. This system is sustained by the belief that someday each guest will take a turn as the hostess and reap the material rewards of the event.
3. Full Price Retail - This is basic shopping. You go to the store, select an item, pay the sticker price plus sales tax, and go on your way.
4. Retail Sales - While in the retail store you may find and purchase something with a reduced price. Savvy shoppers will seek out these items, sometimes buying in bulk to maximize saving while spending. This is referred to as "Spaving".
5. Antique Shops - These offer used merchandise in limited quantities. Most of this merchandise is also old, sometimes very old. In the US, very old merchandise is sometimes highly desirable. Slick antique marketers use the term "Vintage" to imply both old and cool. Other value-adding words are "Authentic" and "Original".
6. Flea Markets - Flea markets are the ugly sisters of antique shops. While they might offer some vintage, authentic, and original pieces, they also sell a lot of stuff that is just old and used. Or maybe new. They're really all over the place. I like flea markets. And usually they have food vendors selling funnel cakes and hot dogs. This is a nice added service.
7. Thrift Stores - Goodwill is the most obvious example of the thrift store model, but every town has a fair number of smaller thrift stores, their titles indicating the charities they benefit. My town is home to The Shelter Shop, Community Kindness, The Mission Store, Salvation Army, St. Francis's, Tapestry of Community Offerings, and others. Thrift stores rely on donated merchandise and donated time. They have regular business hours and overhead expenses like electricity and rent. They attempt to display their wares like retail stores but often have only decapitated mannequins and wobbly racks. They all have a certain smell - not a good one - that must come from the donated items which have previously been stored in damp basements. I have found that a thorough washing will remove this smell.
8. Garage Sales - Also called yardsales, rummage sales, stoop sales, and tag sales, depending on your part of the country. As you know, because you are a loyal reader of the YSA blog, these sales are isolated events held on private property. They are advertised in local newspapers and by cardboard signs posted on prominent street corners. They vary in quality. A "Good" sale will have a large selection of merchandise, low prices, an enthusiastic proprietess, and a cute kid selling brownies. A "Bad" sale will have only a few items, a grumpy seller, and a mean dog. This is, of course, our favorite form of shopping because it includes research, planning, map reading, precision driving, rummaging, negotiating, hauling, and sometimes wrestling.
9. Garbage Picking - Sometimes called "Dumpster Diving", this is currency-free shopping. The rules for garbage picking are loose, but it is generally accepted that anything dirty-looking placed within 3 feet of the curb is free for the taking. Some people feel more confident asking permission from the home owner before loading the desired garbage into their car but this is not required.
10. Look in Your Basement for Something you Forgot you Already Owned - This is self-explanatory. This form of shopping if both free and easy. It requires very little effort and no gasoline. You likely have a whole bunch of stuff in your basement that you forgot you had. Go rummage through your own storage area and see if you can rekindle any long lost feelings of desire for the stuff you once felt compelled to purchase. If it doesn't stir your inner shopper, throw it in your car and haul it to Goodwill. I'll check it out later.

That's commerce in a nutshell, Readers. Shop on!

Nancy