Rating: 
Summary: A good read
Review: A very interesting book and a very easy book to read. The content flowed well. It brings up lots of interesting items that many consumers don't think of. It has certainly given me many things to think about as I visit retail establishments. Every now and then it seems as though it seems like a plug for the authors company.
The chapter on Internet selling feels very dated, and it is, even though it is only 4 or 5 years old. Many of the criticism that the author had have been changed and many of his conceptual ideas are common practice. Then again, maybe on-line retailers took the author's suggestions and implemented them.
Overall it is a thoroughly enjoyable book that I would recommend to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Everything it says it is
Review: All about shopping behavior. There are tons of insights to be gained for anyone in retail, esp store planning and merchandising. Certainly not written as a how to book for retailing, but worth it all the more for valuable perspective.FRANKly, the review about it being contradictory--BOGUS because retailers very often show both printers bundled with PCs and printers by themselves in separate locations--it's called cross-merchandising. Also, the claim that Underhill omits any mention of obstructed signage--simply not true. But, I totally agree that more should be said about the impact of employees on shopper behavior. And yes, there is repetition, even some word for word repetition. That's because lot of the book is compiled from journal articles and other publications. In my opinion this adds credibility. At the outset it claims to be a brief anthropological survey of shopping behavior, and that's exactly what it is. All in all a compelling read for seller and shopper alike!
Rating:
Summary: Helpfull...
Review: Great if your anywhere in retail sales. Just what the cover says. Easy read. Won't be dissapointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Sometimes the obvious isn't so apparent
Review: I finally picked this one up after about a year of "meaning to buy it." I'm glad I did. It's a lighthearted and fun book that will make you analyze every store you set foot into and make you want to avoid many others. There are no earth-shattering ideas in here, but it does point out many of the obvious things you'd probably miss, ie: product placement, who the decision-makers are and traffic flow of the stores. It's written clear and concise, but recycles many of the examples. I read it over the course of 2 planetrips (with layovers) and will probably pass it along to a store-owner I know - meaning I won't be referencing it for the rest of my life, but I'll probably keep an eye to see what stores have read it and who should
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes the obvious isn't so apparent
Review: I finally picked this one up after about a year of "meaning to buy it." I'm glad I did. It's a lighthearted and fun book that will make you analyze every store you set foot into and make you want to avoid many others. There are no earth-shattering ideas in here, but it does point out many of the obvious things you'd probably miss, ie: product placement, who the decision-makers are and traffic flow of the stores. It's written clear and concise, but recycles many of the examples. I read it over the course of 2 planetrips (with layovers) and will probably pass it along to a store-owner I know - meaning I won't be referencing it for the rest of my life, but I'll probably keep an eye to see what stores have read it and who should
Rating:
Summary: The Lady Doth Protest Too Much
Review: It is interesting to note people's reactions to this book. I'm reminded of the adage about the stages of acceptance of an idea. At the first stage people say it's wrong, at the second stage they assert that that it's right, but also trivial (common sense perhaps?), and at the 3rd stage (final acceptance) they claim the idea as their own. Many of the negative reviews fit into stages 1 or 2. I would concur with several reviewers that the author's ego interferes with the presentation, but this does nothing to diminish the observational detail that he manages to share, if you are in a place where you can think about it. It takes a little effort to step back from the detail and consider some of the ideas about our behavior that are cloaked in the author's descriptions. Yet many of the notions about what we notice and why and how we move about in a space could be applied (with some reflective thought) to the whole process of "arriving at" and "navigating" a web site (to purchase something or to get information). If you are looking for a book that correlates characteristics of people (socieconomic status, sex, etc) with purchases you will be sorely disappointed. I assume that many of Underhill's clients have contemplated charateristic type marketing data with an eye toward some causal connection between characteristics of people and purchasing behavior. But what Underhill notices is that the act of going to a store and buying something is a sequence of behavior that can be derailed in a variety of ways. And this, ultimately, is why characteristics (socieconomic status, gender, etc) that predict purchasing are also not causal (I don't know of any 100% correlations between characteristics and purchasing behavior that would suggest a causal relationshp). There is instead a process that starts with purposefully going to a store, or arriving their fortuitously, and a subsequent sequence of steps that may or may not result in a purchase. In detailing this process he also takes note of differences related to gender and other characteristics. If you want to understand something about how people must get to a place, enter, move about, notice things and think in order to buy things you will intrigued by the Underhill's anthropological musings. If you want some definitive "cause" for why people buy you might look elsewhere, though I suspect you would be hard-pressed to argue that the processes Underhill takes note of have nothing to do with a successful retail environment.
Rating:
Summary: My Only Complaint . . .
Review: My only complaint is that this book could have used a better editor. The same examples are rehashed throughout the book, so much so that you'd think the author assumed that readers would skip around the book and only read certain chapters (i.e. ones geared toward them). A good example of this is in one of the later chapters the author is explaining adjacencies in bookstores. He then goes on to explain that books should be grouped according to how they might appeal to certain categories of shoppers (men and women in this case). He says books on computers, sports, and business should be grouped together as should books on nutrition, self-help, etc. The author then teases us to guess which groupings are targeted at which gender. The glaring problem here is that the author used this exact same example earlier in the book, and at that point he explicitly told us which was which. I felt like shouting, "Hey, you already told us that."
Another shortcoming is the chapter on internet retailing. The book having been written in 1999, this chapter is really dated. It talks as though one can't e-shop without having an power outlet and a phone jack (as one of internet shopping's shortcomings, he states that you can't surf the web on a commuter train - so much for that point).
All in all, however, this is a fun and informative book that will cause you to view your shopping experiences of the future in a different light.
Rating:
Summary: Paco's Life Work
Review: Paco Underhill's Envirosell has carved out a healthy and valuable niche in retail consulting - loosely, it's the 'science of shopping,' and Paco and team do impressive legwork to round up secret shopper-based observation and hidden video analysis.
But, don't expect to read 'Science of Shopping' and come out with a gameplan for your small- or medium-sized chain (although there's certainly a fair share of pointers). 'Why We Buy' is more a walk through Paco's life work, the evolution of the science. And kudos to Paco for that: he literally invented the field. My hats off to him. Coming out with the book was a brilliant piece of marketing. Want proof of that? When I pulled up 'Why We Buy' here on amazon to write this review, I was met with a sponsored link to Envirosell. Sweet.
Rating: 
Summary: Misleading title...
Review: The title suggests that the book discusses the psychology and science of shopping and consumerism. It doesn't. At best, it provides some practical advice to retailers on how to catch the customer's eye, where to position product displays, etc.
If you're looking for a book that actually digs into the psychology and science of consumerism, you might try "How Customers Think: Essential Insights Into the Mind of the Market" by Gerald Zaltman.
Rating:
Summary: The Lady Doth Protest Too Much
Review: There are very few books that I read over and over, but 'Why We Buy' has earned a spot in my top ten all time favorites. Through this book, the author takes us on an informative and entertaining journey into the world of retail marketing. However, the beauty of the book lies is that while it is a must-read for any retailer, it will appeal and intrigue the average consumer. When you shop, you aren't just shopping -- you are performing a science. From the way you move your eyes, to what path you take through the store, even items you touch on the shelves, is all part of how each individual consumer makes a purchasing choice. Through this book, you learn how retailers have studied shoppers -- like yourself -- and why certain items are on the top shelfs, why two items are never on sale at the same time, and a wealth of other retail secrets. Have you ever stopped to think about what happens the moment you walk into the store? Probably not, but you'll learn about what happens from the parking lot to the checkout stand in this book. You'll find out, for example, why shopping carts are usually always on the righthand side, and why the days of plastering windows with advertisements are all but over for many stores. Overall, this book is just fascinating in the depth of knowledge it presents, and in such a manner to make it entertaining and informative. Even the most casual reader can find something of interest. One thing is for sure, once you read this book, you'll never view a grocery store or mall the same way again.
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