This article begins with two central ideas – that feelings of rage appear to be on the increase in present modernity and that one of the main sources of rage is directly linked to consumer culture and the retail experience it fosters. Although retail trade allows twenty-first century individuals to spend their money on material goods and experiences which provide structure and a sense of meaning and belonging, what it also causes is ambivalence, insecurity and anxiety. These are formidable feelings that cause irritation, frustration and anger to gradually fester until it accumulates into something violent that distorts the way an individual thinks, acts and treats other people. With these points in mind, what this article provides is a thorough sociological interpretation of twenty-first century retail rage. Veering away from existing interpretations of rage by drawing on Herbert Marcuse’s analysis and image of a one-dimensional society, what this article explores is the idea that retail experiences turn people into individuals who are bound and controlled by a consumer duty. As I contend, based on my unique position as a researcher turned retail worker, it is this administered, one-dimensional kind of lifestyle that cultivates rage. To support my argument and understand more comprehensively how and why retail breeds frustration and anger, I use a selection of narrative episodes to unpack three key sources of consumer rage in the twenty-first century. These sources have been labelled instantaneity, performativity and unfulfillment.

本文从两个中心思想开始——愤怒情绪似乎在现代现代性中有所增加，愤怒的主要来源之一与消费文化及其培养的零售体验直接相关。尽管零售贸易允许 21 世纪的个人将钱花在提供结构和意义感和归属感的物质商品和体验上，但它也会引起矛盾、不安全感和焦虑。这些是令人生畏的感觉，会导致恼怒、沮丧和愤怒逐渐恶化，直到累积成暴力，扭曲个人的思维、行为和对待他人的方式。考虑到这些要点，本文提供的是对 21 世纪零售狂潮的彻底社会学解释. 通过借鉴赫伯特·马尔库塞 (Herbert Marcuse) 对一维社会的分析和形象，摆脱现有对愤怒的解释，本文探讨的是零售体验将人们转变为受消费者义务约束和控制的个体的想法。正如我所主张的，基于我作为研究人员转为零售工作者的独特地位，正是这种管理的、一维的生活方式培养了愤怒。为了支持我的论点并更全面地理解零售业如何以及为什么会滋生沮丧和愤怒，我使用一系列叙事情节来解开 21 世纪消费者愤怒的三个主要来源。这些来源被标记为即时性、表演性和不满足感。