Analyzation of E. Levasseur's "On Parisian Department Stores"

E. Levasseur's "On Parisian Department stores" is a discussion of an economic phenomenon that has become commonplace in today's society- the department store. Levasseur writes about its roots in Paris, the people who built such stores, the economic planning behind it, and the powerful driving force of the consumer. It was most likely written in the early twentieth century in France for historians as an attempt to understand how the industrial revolutions changed European economies. The main idea behind this essay was that the department stores were a successful business anomaly that also crossed over into the social and culture aspects of history. It cleverly explains how and why this consolidated outpost of buyer and seller does this. Upon closer examination, it is a reflection of the mindset of awed historians at the boom of industry and economy during the late 19th century.
It also addresses the gigantic explosion of mass consumerism. It claims the root of this cataclysm is the department store's mission "to combine all commodities as to attract and satisfy customers who will find conveniently together an assortment of a mass of articles corresponding to all their various needs", and was caused by the constant and rapid outturning of products from industries. It is very easy to connect the need for a place to display and sell this enormous amount of manufactured goods. Their audience was of course, the middle classes, first and foremost because they could afford such luxuries, followed by the wealthy upper classes, and somewhat below was the working classes, all of who's desire to be socially accepted and uppant created the new philosophy of the "haves-and-have-nots". The consumer, mainly of middle class living, followed the trends of in vogue and in season, along with the sales and advertisements. From little tiny shops that specialized in certain things to expansive department stores that contained a variety of products (often with competitive brands), the consumer now had a place to say "I got this at Saks Fifth Avenue" and conjure up the idea that item was expensive and the person could easily afford many of it. It introduced brand-conciousness.