Rating: 
Summary: I enjoyed this book.
Review: I enjoyed this book immensly, because it examined a practice which we all seem to enjoy, yet we never stop to think about the different theories and practices within the industry. For example, we never think to ourselves how the merchandise is placed so that it is perfectly in our view, and how the store is laid out so that we take in all of the atmosphere and stimulents which are directed towards us. As with all books, the reader will find some parts of this book to be somewhat "boring", but you will find plenty of instances where you find yourself saying "so that is why they do that" and "gee, i never realized that".
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Summary: My two pence worth of comments
Review: This had been a great book. I have worked in the book retail business for more than 3 years and I found the book to be full of practical advice. It has made me look again at the business and see how it can be improved further.The author has mentioned about some changes he would like to see in bookstores in Chapter 18. While there are some interesting comments there like blow-up displays of book jackets and availabilty of bestseller lists, there are 2 things which I believe are not feasible. Firstly, book stores need to have shelves that are arranged in rows. While I agree that wide aisles and creative arranging of the shelves can make a better shopping experience, the standard arrangement of rows must remain. I have seen a public library where the shelves where arranged in a circular fashion. Besides experiencing it myself, I have seen irritated readers walking in circles to find the book they want. It created a very dizzying experience. The second thing is that books must be arranged alphabetically despite what the author said about lower shelves being Siberias of retailing. This is because book buyers are already accustomed to searching for books alphabetically. They were trained by bookstores and libraries all over the world practising this same standard. As the author said in the last chapter, the environment must adapt to the customer. When Tower Records first started operating a book store in Singapore, they arranged books according to the first names, like the CDs that they sell. Stephen King books were placed in "S" and not "K" like in other book stores. This created confusion for many book buyers and eventually, they realised that the convention for books is to place it alphabetically by the last name. The environment must cater to the consumer. I have seen a very creative retailer that seems to have solved this Siberia problem. HMV in Singapore have shelves that have a stock area at the bottom and actual selling space about 1 metre off the floor. This allows customers to see all the displayed CDs easily and to reach them without difficulty. A customer can also check for titles that may have been sold out in the stock area. He does not have to check with retail staff if there is stock in the back room. For the business, this means easier replenishment of stock and smaller stock area. The Siberia area is thus converted to useful space. I believe this can be done by book retailers too. Overall, this has been a very useful book. I recommend it to existing retail managers who wants practical advise on improving the retail business.
Rating:
Summary: A Superb Study of Retail Environment Interaction
Review: Mr. Underhill and his company are pioneers in studying the retail environment in a methodical and 'scientific' way. The whole methodology depends on observation, thorough observation; which is later subjected to analysis and from that analysis they come up with valuable conclusions and suggestions for their clients. The book does, however, contain parts in which Mr. Underhill wanders off his area of expertise and starts projecting into the future without solid basis; therby losing some credibilty. It also seems that Mr. Underhill is not well versed on Marketing and I quote from Page 206, "But since the early '80s, PoP has really become a player, & now commands a seat at the selling table right next to marketing's", Any apprentice of marketing knows that PoP (point of purchase) is one of the many sales promotional tools that are only one part of Marketing Communications which is but one of 6 main categories of tools at the marketer's disposal. In actuality, PoP does in fact have a chair on the Marketing Table along with many other tools, such as the internet. I think Mr. Underhill shares a common misconception held by many non-marketers that marketing = advertising; while in fact advertising is still only a tool and only part of Marketing communications just like Sales Promotion is. The book is full of useful and insightful retail information. The essence of the book is how to keep the customer in the store longer, at a greater level of comfort and easy navigation. Mr. Underhill is backed with years of observation and study of how a shopper interacts with the retail environment; an essential read for anyone in retailing and FMCG brand management. A great reference book.
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Summary: Retailers, manufacturers and consumers should read this book
Review: This is a book both McDonalds and Ralph Nader would love. In this book, Underhill suggests different methods to maximize retail sales. Some include, for example, common sense solutions such as raising or lowering products so as to fall within the person's view range. Others are based on his research, such as putting a product you're pushing to the right of the best-seller. Many people will gravitate to the desired product (think of it as the magician's trick of "forcing" a card). The book further discusses the different age groups, family configurations, and genders, and how they shop, maximizing the efficacy of signage and packaging, etc. It has many hints to increase sales over short and long periods of time. It also advocates making stores more family-friendly. As a parent that has failed to successfully negotiate the Gap Kids' fixtures with a stroller and thus decided not to shop there again, I heartily agree with Underhill's suggestions. Consumers should also read this book to understand the insiduous (and fascinating) means retailers are using to manipulate them into further purchases. We all know how playing Christmas music is supposed to get you in the mood to buy more. This book details different subtle ways in which retailers are modifying their stores to entice you to buy. My favorite: placing a hopscotch game on the cereal aisle, forcing parents to slow down and become more vulnerable to kids' requests for the latest Sugar Bombs. If you feel that retailers are the enemy, this book will provide further proof.
Rating: 
Summary: Very interesting, a little bit long
Review: It is the very first time that I read a book devoted to shopping, and I must admit it was a good experience. I think I'll never walk again in a mall without checking if someone isn't writing things about me, standing in my back. Underhill is a very good anthropologist, he knows how to study shoppers ' behaviour, and he knows how to give us the chance to study it too. Many remarks should be taken seriously by a large number of retailers, but sometimes it seemed very obvious. Many of the changes he suggests are already applied in our supermakets. I also have to admit that many chapters were too long: why does he keep on repeating things? Moreover, I pretty much disliked the chapter about internet. I have the feeling Mr Underhill doesn't know a lot about internet sites, and the building of a site: he only criticises. According to him,people who buy on line today are simply having fun, or wasting their time, because the sites are so badly designed. People like me, who shop on the internet, are used to computers and to the rules of the internet, and I think we are not completely lost when a picture does not appear on the screen. Very nice book to read anyway.
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Summary: There are Really Two Books Here - One Great, One Rotten
Review: When the author sticks to reporting on the things he's observed over many thousands of hours of watching actual shoppers shop, this is an informative useful book. My partner sells pottery out of a studio/gallery and we found much of the data Underhill presents relevant to our experience selling. However, once he runs out of facts a couple of chapters into the book, Underhill pads the rest of the book out with opinions, and this is where the problems begin. While he may be an excellent observer, Underhill is a poor business analyst. He doesn't understand the dynamics of many of the businesses he comments on. Many of his suggestions are embarassingly ignorant of the realities behind the businesses he discuss, or, worse, suggest--as if he invented the concepts-- that companies should do things that they have already been doing for years. His chapter on the Internet is a perfect example of both of these criticisms. As someone who has designed and run a successful internet sales site for 5 years I wasn't sure which was greater--his ignorance or his condescension to those of us who have actually done the pioneering work he snipes at. So read this book with the understanding that Underhill is a pretty good anthropologically-trained note taker,whose observations have turned up several things of interest to the retailer, at the same time that he is a pathetically bad business consultant and would-be futurist, with a pathological need to self-promote and a very annoying prose style.
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Summary: Nice to read, however, the word science would not apply
Review: I enjoyed reading the book. I also think that after reading it, one can build frameworks of observation and improve the way to evaluate the company's retail environment. One of the major achievements of the book is to teach marketing people that much of the customer research needs to be done in the store and that the small details may lead to amazing tactics to improve customer satisfaction and also to upsell him. However, I was disappointed as I was searching for some new guidelines of theory of action and I didn't found any. The book is not structured in order to teach a new science it is rather anecdotical. Compared to the book why people buy (Oxford press, John O'Shaughnessy) the book stays far, far behind to bring on a new proposal. I think that, after reading the book, there is thirst. I'm sure that the author managed to promote his consultancy and certainly, he will grow his database.
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Summary: Very informative--would have been a great article
Review: The book has a lot of interesting information in it about consumer behavior and why retail environments are laid out as they are. By all means read the book to find out a little about how you are being marketed to. My only complaint is that this is another article that got hammered out wordily into a book, because books get more respect than articles. In other words, it's a bit thin and too chatty.
Rating: 
Summary: Book or Sales Brochure?!?
Review: Although the subject matter is undeniably interesting, the book's aggregate content is unquestionably remedial. Underhill accomplishes a 200-page sales brochure...want to learn more, read on?!?....no....hire our consultants!!! tacky, tacky, tacky.
Rating: 
Summary: Every employee of a retailer should read this book!
Review: Anyone connected with selling to the public should check this out. It gets into how our heads work. Have you ever looked for something that was supposed to be in a certain place and somebody had moved it 2 ft. You couldn't find it! Then began searching everywhere! Finally you found it only 2 ft. away. That is how it works in stores for stuff we don't know we are looking for it. If product is nor organized properly we do not see it and it does not sell. Association is all wrong in most of retailing. We sell shower curtains with shower curtain rods, drapes with drapery rods, candle sticks with candles, but we do not sell towel racks, with towels. We sell belts with pants, but no pant racks with pants, we sell earings, scarfs, coats, exercise clothes, socks, shoes together, but not clothes trees or clothes hooks. Retailers are missing HOME RUNS by association. They could run them as props in the same ads and get full margin.
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