The Anthropology of Shopping

Underhill studies and tracks the habits of shoppers in order to learn the best way to lead them to make purchases. His retail consulting firm, Envirosell, has helped big-name companies such as McDonald's, Levi Strauss and Blockbuster to study their customers' browsing and buying habits. He's the author of the book Why We Buy, and the new book Call of the Mall.

Fabric artist and writer Andrea Siegel is the author of the new book, “Open and Clothed: For the Passionate Clothes Lover” (Agapanthus Books). In the book she aims to provide an alternative to what the media conveys about clothes, by talking to people in and out of the fashion industry about their motivations for dressing the way they do, and the roots of how they dress. Siegel’s great grandfather founded the New York department store, “Kleins.”

Author and humorist Paul Rudnick sees shopping as a reward, a way of exploring different cultures, and an enjoyable activity in its own right. His new novel, inspired by his many shopping trips with his mother, is called I'll Take It.