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The author, Damien Cave, begins his piece by introducing the reader to social critic Thomas Frank and his reaction to the environment of brand name stores like Old Navy. Cave, who clearly takes issue with the negative impact of brand name stores, supports his view point with input from additional professors, writers, and critics. He asserts that offering low prices and a stimulating shopping environment is what makes places like Old Navy and Ikea so popular (pp.26). Brand name companies with a reputation for selling “good stuff cheap” (pp.26) contribute to conformity among the masses. He refers to information regarding the floor plans of Ikea stores and how they effect a shoppers visit, confirming it through an Ikea ‘insider’ (pp.27). Product quality is also addressed by the author. Cave states that the desire to fit in leads consumers to ignore quality for the sake of a name, even if the brand is considered low-priced. One of the reasons consumers buy into it, he explains, is because when shoppers walk through the stores, seeming more like amusement parks, they are practically forced into spending money. Cave ends his article on an optimistic note, suggesting that our society is capable of removing itself from the cycle of “work and spend” (pp.29). He demonstrates this optimism by referencing a scene in “Fight Club” when Edward Norton watches his Swedish furniture burn, liberating himself from conformity.

Cave draws on several key ideas, many of which are gleaned from the insight of professors and critics to make his point about conformity and materialism. His repeated reference to the brand names Old Navy and Ikea are very effective. They are names with which readers are likely to be familiar. Immediately the reader can relate to the author’s point that every buyer is part of the consumer cycle. Cave also adds a bit of history regarding brand name marketing in our culture that puts consumerism and materialism in perspective for the reader. Christine Rosen, a business professor from U-C Berkeley, compares a consumers response to the atmosphere of places like Old Navy and Ikea to that of Pavlov’s dogs, salivating at the ring of a bell (pp.27). Cave’s decision to include this analogy in his article may offend some readers who don’t want to face the facts of their own materialistic nature. Cave, however, takes a little heat off individual consumers by including a theory of an anti-consumerist, Packard Jennings, that these stores are designed in such a way that customers are compelled to buy, buy, buy (pp.27)! The author continues to connect with the reader through use of words such as “you”, “we”, and “masses”. This reminds readers that everyone succumbs to conformity in one way or another. Cave’s tone throughout the article is one of acceptance for “what is”, tempered with the hope that the shackles of consumerism can be cast off from our society.

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.