The Death of a Salesman
An American classic
Arthur Miller’s paramount 1949 theatrical production is a tragic tale of a traveling salesman losing his grip on life, reality, and the American Dream, due in part to a cocaine addiction, but primarily his inability to adapt to a changing world. Willy Loman is getting older, and is reluctant to change his ways. His contradictory ideas towards the modern world leave him crippled, along with his dreams. As Willy clings to nostalgia, his helplessness shines through, and it is revealed that his quest for the American Dream relied on superficial entities instead of a good, old-fashioned work ethic.
That’s not what this article is about, though. Or is it?
No cues in cyberspace
With the holiday season kicking off last week, celebrators of all ethnic and religious backgrounds are clambering and panicking for gifts to give their loved ones when the holidays come. In the midst of this entire hubbub, consumers have a tendency to complain that the malls are too crowded, stores are overrun, and parking lots are too hectic. Keep an eye out, though; this trend is dying, and dying quickly. This holiday season, expect the malls to be less crowded.
Happy Holidays from the FedEx Man
More people are shopping online every year, perhaps eventually bringing an end to traditional commerce as we know it. The trend isn’t slowing down, either. Hell, there is now even a day coined ‘Cyber Monday,' which signifies the first Monday after Thanksgiving in which consumers return to work and begin shopping. For the second year in a row, ‘Cyber Monday’ produced greater revenue than ‘Black Friday.’
To what can we attribute this change in the culture of the American shopping season? Population increases in America? An upswing in American Internet subscriptions? Negative on both ends. While both are prevalent, studies show that the rate of growth in the E-Commerce market greatly exceeds that of the previously mentioned. The answer, believe it or not, is convenience. Not only can you shop in your pajamas, your favorite online retailer will gift wrap and ship your gift to your loved one’s address. Nothing says ‘I love you’ like Amazon.com wrapping paper.
So, this year, if you’re feeling nostalgic, head to the mall and get some shopping done. While your there, say ‘hello’ and give a friendly wave to the Willy Loman lookalikes. They’ll be the emotionally crippled business owners hallucinating while pining over their past mistakes and trying to figure out where they went wrong. Happy Holidays, Willy; just lay off the hard stuff.
It's true that the advent of online shopping can't pay much service to traditional die-hards like Willy. However, it's also relevant to note that, care of wide-spread corporate leeches like Wal-Mart, the independent "little guy" has been liquidating stocks and boarding up shops long before the internet came to town. With that in mind, the rise of e-commerce could actually be a positive development for the independent salesmen of the future (see: Willy's grand-children).
Consider, if you will, the undeniable allure of one-stop shopping. Aside of discount prices, convenience is the driving force behind the continual success of super store giants. But online shopping offers unequivocal convenience. Furthermore, when it comes to the holiday season, buyers are prone to be more selective about their purchases and focus on quality and individuality over price.
In this respect, the internet could potentially serve as a medium through which any business with a website, a virtual shopping cart and a little modern day marketing finesse could get their slice of the holiday pie. But, of course, the development of this convenience loop-hole is contingent on little guys who can give tradition a rain check in the name of progress.
All indies aside, it's doubtful that shopping centers, malls, and other such vertebrae that comprise the backbone of our consumer driven culture will disappear anytime soon. As long as there's the perfect fit, the tester bottle and other such tangible superficialities, in-store shoppers will keep coming back for more.
And there's even a bright side for Willy. More stay-at-home shoppers mean less holiday crowds, better parking spaces and a lot more breathing room for the computer illiterate. What tradition worn addict wouldn't drink to that?