Whats not to like about our shopaholic culture?
One of the curiosities of mass affluence is the amount of unsnobbish good taste that there is about. Like Primark, Paperchase or Waterstone’s, Ikea provides uncondescending excellence. Of course, they may rely on self-service. Pity then, poor Simon Hoggart, of The Guardian, who wrote last week, as though it were a revelation, that the cheapness of a stopwatch at Argos is achieved at the price of inconvenience for its customers. Yes, and that is why ordinarily affluent people often choose to shop at H Samuel. It depends on the price you set on cheapness and convenience. Indeed, only a few crazed fashionistas need the January sales, with their promise of bargains from this season’s lines. For the less demanding, there are entire malls and villages (in Bicester, for instance) specialising in factory outlet deals. Here, without rush or sharp elbows, there are truck-loads of bargains the year round. Wherever you look, the consumer has reason to rejoice. Thirty years ago, grocery shopping wa
