Are retail stores promoting conformity?

Does shopping at certain retail stores promote conformity? Many people including Damien Cave, the author of "On Sale at Old Navy: Cool Clothes for Identical Zombies!" believe that stores like Old Navy and Ikea are trying to conform consumers and diminish individuality. The author believes that these stores use their merchandise to sell the concept of "cool". This causes people to overspend on merchandise that they do not really need and subconsciously forces them to conform with everyone else. This article offers some very valid points, but in the end while retailers can offer suggestions on what they think is "cool", the ultimate decision lies in the hands of the consumer.

In the article "On Sale at Old Navy: Cool clothes for identical zombies!" the author Damien Cave tries to convince readers that "Mass-market retail stores" are just trying to promote conformity. The author, Damien Cave states that stores like Old Navy and Ikea are selling us the idea that if you where their clothing or buy their furniture you will be "cool". And that these types of stores are offering cheaper prices but at the cost of good quality. Cave states that this will eventually lead to the end of individualism. Cave also states that stores such as Old Navy have different tactics to make consumers purchase and overspend. He provides different peoples opinions throughout the article that agree with his opinion that these "mass-market retail stores" promote conformity. Naomi Klein, author of “No Logo” offers her opinion in the article saying that “consumers are being scammed by stores such as Old Navy And Ikea” and “you don't notice you are conforming because everything is so colorful”(26). The article also goes on to say that these stores take away from creativity by making the consumer not have to put any thought into what they are buying. Furniture and clothing are pre selected for you in hopes of convincing you to buy into a certain lifestyle, which the stores are promoting.

The author provides an opinion from Packard Jennings, an anti-consumerism activist that states that these types of mass-market stores remove all creativity from purchasing items. Jennings states that "Ikea pre-arranges sets of furniture in it's stores, thereby lessen individual thought"(27). This proves true when a person walks in a store like Ikea where the bedrooms are all set up with matching color drapes and comforters, it does take all the thought out of making purchases. The same goes with manikins in department where the outfits have already been pre selected for the consumer. The article makes a good point when talking about the tactics that retailers use to sway consumers into overspending. Cave suggests these tactics include providing consumer's with oversized bags as they enter the store. Another tactic for over-consumption the retailers use is in the design of the store. People are forced to walk through the entire store before they finally reach the check-out. Although the author offers some very good points on how retail stores take away from individualism and promote mass conformity, the article is very one-sided. He bases most of the article on opinions and hardly supports those opinions with any facts. In one situation Damien Cave implies that these stores do not offer high quality merchandise. Just because these stores offer merchandise at more affordable prices does not mean their quality is sacrificed. One controversial part is when the author also quotes John Seabrook who says "Shopping is a way of putting together you identity"(27). This statement is true because clothes you wear give a slight insight to a persons personality. However John Seabrook as goes on to say that Americans are either choosing to look and live alike or they are just oblivious to what is going on. This is extremely false, where a person chooses to shop has to affect on who they are as a person. Identity is made up of many different parts including personality, beliefs and morals. It is not based solely on how a person dresses or the way their home is decorated. Just because they offer a life a certain type of lifestyle in their products people will always have different likes and dislikes.

Does shopping at certain retail stores promote conformity? The answer to that question is no. Even though marketers can use certain tools that are meant to sway our judgement while making purchases, the decision of what to buy is up to the consumers. In the end retail stores are only offering suggestions to display a persons personality, not trying to end individuality and market conformity.

Cave, Damien. "On sale at Old Navy: Cool Clothes for Identical Zombies" Goshgarian,Gary. What Matters in America. New York: Pearson Longman. 2007. 25-29.

Klein, Naomi. "On sale at Old Navy: Cool Clothes for Identical Zombies":26

Jennings, Packard. "On sale at Old Navy: Cool Clothes for Identical Zombies":27

Seabrook, John."On sale at Old Navy: Cool Clothes for Identical Zombies":27