While I'm one of those people who doesn't enjoy shopping and being hassled by salespeople, I know that my attitude is far from universal. I've watched in awe as three generations of the women in my family conspired to mug a clothing store, and roll over hapless clerks like Sherman marching through Atlanta. Some people are just natural shoppers.

It's that bazaar thing. Americans have gotten out of practice playing the game with shopkeepers and merchants, because for decades most selling's been done at arm's length through advertising. But we still enjoy it when we go overseas and haggle with souvenir sellers and other real merchants. I think that a lot of people who've become couch potato consumers, passively absorbing electronic sales pitches, might wake up and start to groove on playing the game with other living breathing people.

And they'll give the salespukes something to do and keep 'em out of the hair of the rest of us. That's my idea of utopia. But your mileage my differ.