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SHOPPING
To The Best of Our Knowledge
from Wisconsin Public Radio
Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and...a trip to the
mall? Like it or note, a trip to the mall is an American rite of
passage. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, a
look at the great American pastime - shopping. Form the Mall of
America to the latest new strip mall, Americans spend more than
a trillion dollars each year and the mall, and we're doing it right
now during the holiday season. Or is that the shopping season?
SEGMENT 1:
Thomas Hine is the author of I Want THAT:
How We All Became Shoppers. He tells Anne Strainchamps how
our culture grooms men and women to behave differently as shoppers
and exploits the traits of both sexes. Also, we visited one of
the local malls the day after Thanksgiving and collected comments
from busy shoppers. And, Paco Underhill tells Jim Fleming
what malls do to get you to buy things. Underhill in a consultant
who trains them. His two books are Why We Buy: The Science
of Shopping" and "The Call of the Mall.
SEGMENT 2:
Reverend Jim Ball created an advertising
campaign around the slogan "What would Jesus drive?"
We hear their TV commercial and Rev. Ball tells Steve Paulson
why the SUV craze is a theological issue for him. Also, Karyn
Bosnak is the author of Save Karyn: One Shopaholic's Journey
to Debt and Back." Bosnak tells Anne Strainchamps how
she got herself into thousands of dollars of credit card debt,
and how she got out. She gave up her cards and took up a collection
on-line.
SEGMENT 3:
If the mall-as-temple turns you off, you may be
ready for Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping. Bill
Talen is an actor, and the author of a book called What
Should I Do If Reverend Billy Is in My Store? In character
as Reverend Billy, Talon preaches the Church of Stop Shopping
to Steve Paulson.
Cassette copies are available
at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 03-12-14-A.
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Books:
- Karyn Bosnak, Save Karyn: One Shopaholic's
Journey to Debt and Back (Perennial)
- Thomas Hine, I Want That: How We All
Became Shoppers (Perennial Books)
- Bill Talen, What should I do if Reverend
Billy is in my store? (New Press)
- Paco Underhill, Why We Buy: the science
of shopping (Simon and Schuster)
- Paco Underhill, The Call of the Mall
(Simon and Schuster) (February 2004)
Music:
- Patty Larkin. "At the Mall"
from the CD "In the Square" on Rounder Records.
- Pizzicato Five. "Magic Carpet Ride" and
"I" and "Catchy" and "Baby Love Child"
from the CD "Made in USA" on Matador Records.
- Soltice Assembly. "One More Shopping Day"
from the CD "Some Assembly Required" on Skylark Records.
- "Stop Shopping" by the Stop Shopping
Gospel Choir used by permission of Bill Talen and the Church of
Stop Shopping.
Distribution dates:
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Questions and comments can
be addressed to: flemingj@wpr.org
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