The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture by Wilson Charles Reagan Jackson III Harvey H

Author:Wilson, Charles Reagan, Jackson III, Harvey H.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Published: 2011-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

Jim Fixx, The Complete Book of Running (1977).

Shopping

In the South, shopping is not just about the acquisition of needed items like groceries and gasoline; it is a recreational sport in which some of the participants can be very competitive. Word of caution: do not attempt to take the last cashmere sweater off the rack at a half-off sale; if you do, you might find yourself minus a limb. Within southern culture, shopping is a form of recreation that crosses class and gender lines, allowing everyone an opportunity to participate. No matter the economic status or gender of the participants, there is always a recreational shopping opportunity available and, in the South, these opportunities are abundant.

Those in an economic position allowing them to spend with impunity can find much satisfaction with the shopping opportunities available in the South. Of course, there are the shops that cross all geographic boundaries such as high-end department and chain stores, but throughout the South the wealthy are more attracted to small boutiques specializing in a wide range of high-priced items, ranging from baby needs and lingerie to books and housewares. Within the artistically painted walls of these specialty shops lie hundreds of items that many would classify as “overpriced” or “pretentious,” but for many recreational shoppers who frequent these establishments, such qualities are precisely what attracts them. Recreational shoppers of the wealthy sort often find satisfaction in purchasing items that are not necessities at prices they know to be inflated. This satisfaction can be attributed to the simple knowledge the purchaser has that they do indeed possess the extra cash (or credit card) to purchase items that others cannot afford. For them, the purchase can represent something greater than merely handing over a debit card and receiving a monogrammed christening gown in exchange; it can tell them something about themselves, something they need to know. While helping to reassure consumers—and others—of their status in society, specialty boutiques offer those with unlimited funds the opportunity to dispose of it, a niche that boutiques, and their owners, are delighted to fill.

For the recreational shopper with a more modest income, there are myriad choices available in the South. Purchasing a single item from a high-end boutique can be quite satisfying, but many recreational shoppers of more modest means prefer quantity over quality. Enter outlet malls. Although not strictly limited to the South, these megacenters of bargains call to the southern recreational shopper with their promises of half-price china and two-for-one socks more so than other regions—a result of the increasingly overwhelming consumer culture that predominates the South. Southerners like “stuff.” They like to have their “stuff” on display in their homes, their driveways, and on their person. Outlet malls allow southerners to obtain “stuff” in great quantities on a single outing in a single location, explaining its unavoidable draw. The discussion of the quantity aspect of outlet malls is not to say that there are not high-end items available at outlet malls. Quite the contrary. Many high-end designers

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