The Utopian Promises and Novelty Cheese of a Discount Grocery Store
Small shops compete via curation, while online megastores use navigation tools to make finding and choosing among so many options easy.
Richard H. Thaler • Nudge: The Final Edition
The presence of many nice-enough choices without any meaningful way to distinguish among them is a fundamental dysphoria of modern consumerism. Anybody can track in intimate detail how the wealthy and stylish spend their money via social media, and just when you’ve learned exactly what you can’t have, the internet swoops in to offer a look-for-less... See more
Amanda Mull • It’s All So … Premiocre
the goal of shopping is the acquisition of goods and the enjoyment of services that try to address what’s wrong with us—our pear-shaped figure; our pimply face; our drab, outdated wardrobe; our rusting old car; and so on.
James K. A. Smith • You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit
in these modern times everything from asparagus to venison comes to the table by plane and is available all through the year. Heaven knows where it all originates—hothouses, food factories, or different hemispheres, I imagine—but there it is, whatever you want, at a price. Or rather, several prices. It costs more, obviously. It won’t be as fresh as
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