How Online Shopping Makes Suckers Of Us All: Book Analysis

Elements of Nonfiction can be used to enhance a persuasive piece in ways that they cannot enhance fictional works. Since they mean to give the author’s opinion on a real-world subject, these work very well here. In the article “How Online Shopping Makes Suckers of us All”, author Jerry Useem uses a few different Nonfiction elements to persuade his readers. Useem explores the many different angles that motivate online retailers, which include trying to influence consumers actions. He also covers the strategies used by retailers to manipulate consumers. He provides many educational thoughts around the world of online retailers. Ussem describes hidden motivations by retailers and how to make more informed and productive purchases for consumers.
According to the Brigham Young University website, “Repetition is a major rhetorical strategy for producing emphasis, clarity, amplification, or emotional effect,”(“Figures of repetition”). The question he raises through repetition is: “Could the internet, whose transparency was supposed to empower consumers, be doing the opposite?” (Useem). He reiterates some strong evidence that the internet does more harm than good to online shoppers. However, he also repeats the idea that some consumers do not care, willing to believe that they pay less when, actually, they pay more (Useem). These ignorant people are a prime example of how consumers get manipulated by online retailers. Useem uses repetition of his point to appeal to the emotions of his readers. His intention is to steer his readers away from making mistakes when they shop online. His reiterating of his issue also reflects his tone throughout the
He proceeds to advise people on how they can improve their online shopping experience. He uses things like word choice and language to express his attitude and feelings towards the issue (“Writing for Success” 235). His tone suggests that he believes many economists and large companies have become fixated getting as much profit from their customers as possible (Useem). He talks about how our ability to know any price anywhere at anytime has given the consumers so much power. However, at the same time this causes retailers to “stare back through the screen,” and “comparison shop,” us (Useem). The information that companies receive when you place products in your online shopping cart or swipe a credit card at a store register can be used by economists or data scientists to formulate new price strategies (Useem). He seems to believe this industry has become heavily profit based, but sometimes it reaches the point of greed. He also discusses how, as early as the 1860s, buyers were being forced to accept a single price that was imposed by the price tag. This led to retailers power of exploiting customer’s willingness to greatly increasing, since some people still made these bargains despite their extra money not being able to captured as profit (Useem). He talks about how Boomerang’s game theory does not get much practical use in the realm of