PERSONAL SHOPPERS -- On a trip home for the holidays, the author discovers it's not the marketplace that's fragmented, it's the psyche of consumers By DEBRA GOLDMA

The holiday season that just passed was a pretty

I grew up in St. Louis, where citizens take civic pride in the shopping experience. On my recent trip, when I asked friends and relatives why they liked living in the St. Louis area, every one said, ‘Oh, it’s so easy to shop. Everything is so convenient.’ And they’re right, which is why I always go shopping whenever I return.