Chapter 7 consumers

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Figure 7.8 Amazon’s operations in Europe, early 2016

Source: redrawn from Hesse (2018), figure 33.1. Reproduced with permission of Taylor and Francis.

practices. These are different to formal retailing in several important ways. First, while some are relatively permanent features of the built environment (e.g. charity shops), many are transient and temporary in nature (e.g. mobile street vendors and street markets). Second, while some will be entirely legal operations, others may operate at the very limits of the law, or even illegally (e.g. illicit trade and dealers). Third, prices are often agreed through negotiation and bargaining, rather than being fixed. In this sense, there may be more consumer involvement than in the standard shopping experience structured by retailers. Fourth, and relatedly, shop­ping in informal retail spaces can be a less predictable experience, as participants do not know what goods will be available. Instead, the shopping experience unfolds as an exciting and highly tactile (i.e. hands-on) search for bargains.

Informal retail activities are present in all countries but much more so in devel­oping countries. This is demonstrated in developed markets, for example, by the prevalence and popularity of car boot/yard sales, and the number of charity and second-hand shops in central urban areas. Occasional markets also continue to be a persistent feature of the retail landscape, as seen in the weekly fresh produce