Shops and Shopping

Generally speaking, the act of shopping is trying to make the "best" decision amongst the competition.  Price and quality seem to drive most of our purchase behavior.  Some people, such as my wife, turn it into a game.  Nothing will stop Karen from bargain hunting, even if she has a use a tank of gas in the process.  But what about selection?  The U.S. has a lot of stuff.  Just go to any grocery store and take a look at the varieties of yogurt, toothpaste, soft drinks, bread, etc.  Can we actually live with less?

The answer is yes, at least in Vietnam.  Their selection is surprisingly simple - a few of this and a few of that.  Don't get me wrong, I like choice.  After all, variety is the spice of life.  It's the amount of choices that we have compared to the Vietnamese.  Companies in the U.S. will argue that our demand is higher, so that's why we need more selection.  The other reason deals with capitalism.  America invented the market economy, whereas Vietnam has only entered recently.  That's why their GDP has skyrocketed the last few years.  Do they want to be like us?  Careful what you wish for.
   
So what's the point?  Hanoi has over 6.5 million people, but they only have two stores that are similar to Wal-mart.  Columbia, Missouri has 100,000 people and three Wal-marts.  Go figure.  Most of the shopping in Vietnam is done at independently owned & operated businesses.  Life without chain stores - now that's refreshing!  Imagine shopping at the Farmers Market.  That's the best way I can describe life in Vietnam.  It's a true picture of America before corporations started to dominate our landscape.  Now, most U.S. cities look the same way.  Americans like to talk about diversity, but our actions do not always reflect it.

Obviously, there are some good things about chain stores.  Customers like more variety and lower prices.  Also, most of the employees have a regular work week, with benefits (some exceptions).  But selection has a hidden cost.  It has a tendency to make us picky, whiny, and overly status conscious.  Everything has to be "perfect" or we won't touch it - like buying the dented can.  We complain because the customer is always right.  Most Americans do not want to buy anything owned by somebody else.  It's a by-product of individualism.  Are we any better off? 

So, what's the answer?  I don't have one.  If you were you expecting something profound, I'm sorry to disappoint you.  The purpose of my blog is to compare Eastern & Western culture, not to resolve issues.  It's a fascinating study.  You must be interested too, otherwise you would not be reading this post.