Saturday, May 28, 2005
An Obsession with Shopping
Last week in Korea, one thing that struck me was how obsessed with shopping the women there were. This group included not only the locals but also a bunch of Japanese tourists .
To give you an instance, there are a few (almost) 24 hr markets - a collection of shops selling clothes, bags, and other trinkets - that were crowded at 4 am. Why is it that this part of the world is so obsessed with shopping? I don't have any convincing argument yet but here are some thoughts. Perhaps some of you more familiar with the region can add to it?
1. Culturally, there is a greater pressure to conform and be similar. This might lead to a similar tastes and a herd mentality in buying products?
2. On an average, they watch more television and are exposed to more advertisements.
3. Women in these parts typically live with their parents and work as well, a combination that gives them significant dispensable income.
To give you an instance, there are a few (almost) 24 hr markets - a collection of shops selling clothes, bags, and other trinkets - that were crowded at 4 am. Why is it that this part of the world is so obsessed with shopping? I don't have any convincing argument yet but here are some thoughts. Perhaps some of you more familiar with the region can add to it?
1. Culturally, there is a greater pressure to conform and be similar. This might lead to a similar tastes and a herd mentality in buying products?
2. On an average, they watch more television and are exposed to more advertisements.
3. Women in these parts typically live with their parents and work as well, a combination that gives them significant dispensable income.
