Rating: 
Summary: Very good spacial consumer behavior analysis
Review: This book is focused on the development of a body of knowledge in how consumers shop from a physical standpoint. The main research methodology is that of general urban anthropology, meaning that the author bases his findings on thousands of observations of consumers in stores and then tries to synthesize his findings. I found the book very useful in drawing attention to the importance of observation in determining store layout, and some of the main conclusions are very enlightning, such as suggestions on how the different shopping behaviors of men, women, children and the elderly affect the optimal layout of a store. Issues such as shelf height and location, corridor width, and customer profiling are dealt with in many different examples, giving the reader a good understanding of the methodology and the main lessons learned. Overall, I recommend this book to someone who is somehow responsible for a retail environment. The lessons are good, the book is written in an engaging manner, and the method of thinking (observational) is presented in a convincing manner. The tone of the author is sometimes a little arrogant, and for that reason I took off a star, but otherwise it is a very useful book.
Rating: 
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: A Retail Sales Bible
Review: This is a must have for anyone who not only works in retail, but has an interest in sociology. Envirosell took hours of their research and put it in a straight-forward, very informative book while avoiding the overly technical language and statistics that other books in this genre use. The information in this book is absolutely fascinating and entertaining. I work in retail, and I have found this book to be incredibly helpful and relevant even years after it was first published(in 1999). I constantly reference this book not only at work, but in day to day life. It will change the way you shop and the way you view fellow shoppers. I can't walk into a store or a mall without analyzing the displays and layout of product. It will make you aware of how stores are designed to part consumers from their hard-earned dollars, and how easy it is to be manipulated into spending more than you planned. I would give it 5 stars, but I wish it were longer.
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