My husband accompanied my brother this morning to stand on line for a Nintendo Wii. They headed out at oh-dark-thirty this morning but were, sadly, thwarted. There were 30 people in line for 6 units. They are trying to be philosophical about it–”That’s the most I was willing to do, so I’m OK with it… imagine the people who waited for hours!” my brother said.
So this is a “Black Friday” Five (aka Buy Nothing Day) in honor of the busiest shopping day of the year:
1. Would you ever/have you ever stood in line for something–tickets, good deals on electronics, Tickle Me Elmo?
I haven’t stood in line for a thing, but I have for the occasional concert tickets (before ticketmaster on the internet).
2. Do you enjoy shopping as a recreational activity?
With the right friends, yes, especially my CGs.
Otherwise I am a buyer, not a shopper. My subscription to Amazon Prime has more than paid for itself.
3. Your favorite place to browse without necessarily buying anything.
Honestly? The drug store. That place has the most interesting mix of stuff–travel sized shampoo, holiday themed socks, fleet enemas.
Bookstore is a close second, although it also depresses me to think about all the good books out there I’ll never have time to read.
4. Gift cards: handy gifts for the loved one who has everything, or cold impersonal symbol of all that is wrong in our culture?
I have given and received gift cards, but it’s not my preference. My concern is that it can grow out of a view of gift giving as obligation. Rather than, “I saw this item and thought of you,” it can imply “I’m required to give you something but I couldn’t come up with anything, so here, go shopping, but only at the store of my choosing.” Does a nice card/note and a batch of cookies, or a modest gift to a charity the person holds dear, communicate love and affection less than a gift card to the big box retailer?
5. Discuss the spiritual and theological issues inherent in people coming to blows over a Playstation 3.
Even though I came up with this question, I do think such incidents are rare and blown up by the press. And both the incidents themselves and the resulting press serve only to increase the buzz and the interest in the product itself, so it’s hard not to see the whole thing as a great boon to the manufacturers.
Still, I do think there is an undercurrent of entitlement and of barely contained fury out there which seems indicative of a sickness in the culture at large.
15 Responses to “black friday five”
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Asides
» I have been remiss in posting SBJ’s latest stats: 23 pounds and 27 inches at six months. Yes, I’ve got the big mama biceps.
» Aaaaaand little she-who-is lost another tooth this week!
» SBJ is four months old, 19 pounds 5 ounces, and 26 inches tall. GIGANTOR!
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I’m with you on Amazon Prime. Such a good investment!
1 - Have I ever stood in line for something? In the mid 70’s when my daughter was young, the only method of enrolling for park district summer programs (swimming, craft lessons, day camp, sports in general) was to stand in line. It was almost always a very time consuming process. Also during that time period, popular movies (think the first Star Wars) involved long lines to get tickets, and the purchase was usually for the show which would start later in the day. To purchase an item - not that I recall.
2 - Do I enjoy shopping as recreation? Not particularly.
3 - Browse without buying? Probably a bookstore, and DEFINITELY an upscale grocery like Whole Foods. The samples alone make a trip worthwhile.
4 - I like the idea of gift cards and rely on them extensively. A young cousin whom I see once a year and who voraciously consumes rented movies - there is no way I could keep up with what he’s seen/not seen. Blockbuster to the rescue. Four grandchildren live half a continent away. 100% of my gift expenditure can go to the gift. A gift card can be mailed for the price of a stamp. Receiving a gift card means I can look for a specific color of sweater, replenish socks and underwear at someone else’s expense. I could go on and on.
5 - Coming to blows over a material item. If I added to your comments I would only parrot them.
A blessed Advent to you and all your readers.
Woodstock
Thanks Woodstock! You definitely highlight the advantages of giftcards!
Staples.
I can spend all afternoon browsing.
I can also spend three hundred bucks, get home, put everything away, see no change to my life, and have no idea what I bought.
Hooray for Amazon Prime. I love it! Do you buy groceries at Amazon? I get some of my mother’s more personal items and right now it is 10 dollars off for over 50 dollar order - with free shipping and no tax it is well worth the investment!
Drug stores rock! They have everything.
I love drug stores, too. And I have given gift cards mostly for weddings when I want to be sure the money goes to a “thing” rather than a honeymoon, and when I’m too far away/grouchy to do the registry. My mom sometimes sends me gift cards as “just because” presents, and I do really like that. A $20 giftcard is always spent on a treat—as she intended it, where a $20 bill would probably go to groceries–also nice, but not quite a treat.
But I’ve never given or received a gift card for Christmas.
I posted my response to this.
Is everyone feeling better at your house?
Good point on the gift cards answer. Hmmmm….
More on gift cards - Mr Woodstock reminded me of this delightful story. A grandson the middle child in his family, and we gave him $15 credit at Target for his sixth birthday. When he went to spend it, he insisted on getting gifts for his two siblings as well as for himself. He could not be dissuaded. He and his mother were alone on the shopping expedition. I realized that year that there is a very tender, thoughtful person hiding inside the sportsman, the active little boy, the kid with the loudest voice. I would not have seen that side of him if it had not been for the gift card.
I use the drive through at our drugstore just to avoid all those other things.
I have to say that now I resort to Amazon gift certificates most days. Other than that, I’m prone to finding stuff that I think you all will like or suit a need [overheard R telling his dad that the girls just need one gift each, and that the divine miss m needs clothes] so when I was out tonight, just saw some things that fit the bill. I may not buy them X-mas gifts now and that will be ok.
fleet enemas?
amen to #5!
interesting. I’m no shopper
and hate crowds too!!!
Amazon gift certificates rock
Just thought of another thing that contradicts my squirminess about gift cards–spa gift certificates. Great stuff.
Still, I found an article that sums up the issue for me, which I will post next.