Helpful Score: 4
Ellen Ruppel Shell covers a lot of ground in Cheap. She begins with a brief history of discounting and retail sales, and goes on to examine nasty side effects such as sweatshops, declining wages, and even obesity. Though these topics and some others such as the history of Walmart have been covered extensively in other books and the media, she does provide a comprehensive and consolidated intro to these issues.
The most interesting chapters in the book are those that go behind the scenes of companies that discount, such as Ikea. Through interviews with company executives and some investigation, she shows how cheap is made appealing even while the companies do not always live up to their claims. Her ideas for rectifying the negative by-products of our discount culture mostly boil down to individual consume choices, but she also profiles Wegmans (I love Wegmans!) and Costco as companies that are profitable while still treating their employees and customers fairly.
Though the writing style is a bit dry, the content of Cheap is interesting enough to appeal to the enlightened consumer.
The most interesting chapters in the book are those that go behind the scenes of companies that discount, such as Ikea. Through interviews with company executives and some investigation, she shows how cheap is made appealing even while the companies do not always live up to their claims. Her ideas for rectifying the negative by-products of our discount culture mostly boil down to individual consume choices, but she also profiles Wegmans (I love Wegmans!) and Costco as companies that are profitable while still treating their employees and customers fairly.
Though the writing style is a bit dry, the content of Cheap is interesting enough to appeal to the enlightened consumer.
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