Exam 19: Shopping As Symbolic Interaction: Race, Class, and Gender in the Toy Store

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The Toy Warehouse's ideal customer was a middle-class White mother. They sought to create a fun atmosphere and all advertising was directed at middle-class families. The "child" imagined by the Toy Warehouse's corporate office was thus middle-class and college-bound, from a traditional family where the mother did not work for pay but did all the shopping. Children were expected to have their own ideas about what they want. The ideal customer at Diamond toys was a member of the bourgeoisie in need of professional consultation on his or her purchases. Children were much less central to the marketing agenda. Although they were the intended consumers of most of the merchandise, they were treated more as pampered and coddled pets than as willing and engaged buyers.

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White women displayed a sense of entitlement because in most instances they got what they wanted. Some threw fits when they were not accommodated. They had a reputation for being overly demanding and abusive. Members of other groups who wanted to return used merchandise, or who needed special consideration, rarely were accommodated.