Twenty-one years of going shopping

Abstract

The study of the history of retailing and marketing is an expanding one. Corporate and consumption studies of many eras and in many countries have been developed and much new work is underway. Curiously though, the “voice” of the consumer, especially around the act of shopping is often absent or muted. Instead the focus tends to be on the business and corporate narrative on the one hand and the consumption and socio-cultural product on the other. This is not a new observation and there have been calls for, and some papers using various consumer artefacts and records arounds shopping. This paper considers the use of a serendipitous donation of a long-run (1977-1999) series of shopping diaries recording one individual's every shopping trip and retail purchase over this period. Considering this extensive record suggests that the consumer voice is needed in historical studies of retailing and consumption. The paper outlines the need for, and the possibilities and benefits of, using such personal shopping artefacts in retail historical research.