You're currently reading an archived version of Jim Hightower's work.
The latest (and greatest?) observations from Jim Hightower are only now available at our Substack website. Join us there!
Bars can get in legal trouble when they over-serve patrons who then get a DUI citation. But what about retail outfits that contribute to SUI – Shopping Under the Influence?
Luxury stores, art galleries, and such have long used booze to stimulate sales. They pour free wine and other libations for their high-end customers, hoping that a lubricated shopper will be less guarded and more willing to reach for that platinum card.
Enjoying Hightower's work? Join us over at our new home on Substack:
But the New York Times reports that the tactic of getting shoppers buzzed has now gone mass market, especially among on-line retailers. As one of them gleefully put it: “Post-bar, inhibitions can be impacted, and that can cause shopping and, hopefully, healthy impulse buying!” Great – our society has advanced from alcohol-induced sex to alcohol-induced consumerism.
In either case, the morning after can be a downer. Take the guy who quaffed a tub of beer one night. He stumbled home in a stupor and, stupidly, went online. When he awoke, he learned that he’d bought a $10,000 motorcycle tour of New Zealand.
Internet retailers say there’s been a boom in night traffic. Asked if boozy buying splurges might be sparking the increase, an eBay executive exclaimed, “Absolutely!” Noting that eBay’s busiest sales period in every time zone is 6:30 pm to 10:30, he happily summed up the reason for this: “When [people] get home from work in the evening, it’s decompression time. The consumer’s in a good mood.”
Barack Obama should jump on this. We’re told that to get America’s economy moving again, consumers need to buy more stuff. Forget trying to pass a stimulus package or a jobs program. To stimulate, inebriate! Just send everyone a credit card, a book of drink coupons, and a list of late-night on-line marketers. Then stand back and wait for the buzz to create a boom.
“That online shopping buss might’ve come from a bottle,” Austin American Statesman, December 28, 2011.