Today is Buy Nothing Day, which this year snuck up on me. I usually observe
Buy Nothing Day, but of course you have to do a little hoarding the week
before so you already have everything you need for the day. I DO think I can
get through the day without buying anything, still, so I will!
http://adbusters.org/metas/
eco/bnd/I am buying NOTHING today. I'm not leaving the house. I'm joining you
Gimpy. Now, I AM going to eat leftovers. That is the only consumption I'm
doing today. We are watching that scene on MSNBC where the 600 people
are cramming themselves into the electronics store somewhere in the US.
Oh man, that would make me crazy to have to deal with the crowds today.
I'm on call at the hospital so can't really stray anyway.
[QUOTE=Gimpy-a-gogo] I DO think I can
get through the day without buying anything, still, so I will!
[/QUOTE]
Won't be hard for me to do: I sometimes go weeks without buying a single thing.
So, yes, I am on board to participate by not participating.
Eschew the commercialization of holidays; of everyday! Happ
Lorster, some stores in Vancouver are closed today, because the owners
reinterpret Buy Nothing Day into Sell Nothing Day, haha!
I forgot last year too, and had to make do without in order to buy nothing,
and it was fine. I lived to tell the tale.Happ, you rock!
Lorster, I remember those days when I would be on call at the hospital. Couldn't stray to far from home.
I'm not joining those mobs of people at the stores. Can't walk very fast and don't want to get mowed down. Plus I don't have the money to go shopping!!!
Will stay close to home and enjoy watching movies. My joints will thank me.
Marisa
Well.... we didn't have "real" money, we were tired, I'm in pain.... but we went anyways. There were people e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e! There was even a line to get into that crafts store, Michaels. And yeah, we were there in line with all the other freezing crazy people 15mins before Target opened. *hangs head in shame*
But, OMG! It was so much fun!!!! I got the camera I wanted at a rock bottom price and my hubby (who is currently snoozing on the sofa) got the movies he wanted super cheap.
Mostly we did a lot of looking with our last stop being Tramlaw. Who'da thunk they would sell out of 10 packs of Hotwheels for by noon??
Anyhow, this is the first Black Friday which I've participated in quite a while. Next year I think I'll make some hot chocolate and sell donuts at the biggest store's front entrance.
Why is it important to boycott Black Friday? Am I missing something?I never shop on this day; I'm not going to stand in freezing weather for hours on end to save , , 0. Same for day-after-Christmas. When I see the news reports of long lines, fighting and bad behavior as people fight over limited quantities of marked-down items, it just makes me sad. It just doesn't seem very joyous or brotherly.
Well, we went for it! Plunged into the mania full tilt as a family and we had a BLAST! Didn't really buy that much, a couple of gift items and a few bargains for our kitchen I couldn't pass up (LOL).
We did it as a family adventure, getting up at 3 AM, and driving off into the night! Lots of fun conversation, the joy of being together and doing something we hadn't done for ages - shopping. We hit a lot of stores, and then went to a breakfast buffet. Then we went to the mall and covered it pretty well, too. I didn't see any nastiness or fighting at all - quite the opposite. Everyone was in a very festive, upbeat mood, and we chatted up several people in the lines.
I hurt a lot by the end of our adventure, and had to keep stopping and holding everyone up - but they didn't seem to mind, and honestly, either did I!
I hear your complaints about the commercialization and negative aspects of Black Friday. But, as with anything, you can make it what you want it to be, and fill your life with joy and adventure everyday, if you choose to. We came home and I took a 3 hr. nap, and then got up and had a delicious turkey and stuffing sandwich. I'm fat and happy!
Karen
Well, this thread has certainly been derailed. Oh, the irony!Aw, sorry Gimpy, I didn't mean to jackknife things for you.
Sometimes a girl just has to give in to her temptations. It's the dark side, I know, but you are welcome there! And if I just serve as a symbol of evil, I'm okay with that. I'm good at it, you know that!
[QUOTE=Hillhoney]
Aw, sorry Gimpy, I didn't mean to jackknife things for you.
Sometimes a girl just has to give in to her temptations. It's the dark side, I know, but you are welcome there! And if I just serve as a symbol of evil, I'm okay with that. I'm good at it, you know that!
[/QUOTE]
Hey, there's a certain amount of pride in this for me - I enjoy being a good example of a bad example!
Enjoy the melodrama - I figure if I'm on the Titanic, I'm going down dancing - and maybe shopping. And drinking. Don't forget drinking.........Or pehaps getting the Jackhammer and poking a few holes of your own!
[QUOTE=arriscolwell]And drinking. Don't forget drinking.........[/QUOTE]
I resemble that remark.
Just keep playing boys, something with a good dance beat!
Is that a song?
Yep, it is Katie! It was very popular during the sixties!Hillhoney, you described the day exactly the way it should be used. EnjoyingI went shopping across the border on Tuesday and was way too tired today to do any shopping at home, even if I had wanted to. Although I did have to drive into town and pick up some prescriptions. Then I ran into the WalMart to buy some photo paper about 5:00 p.m. and the place was really empty. Maybe every one hit the place early?
My shopping Tuesday was just about as relaxed as you could get. The market was empty there too--don't know if it was the day of the week, or the price of gas is really hurting everyone. I bought some nice pottery, a heavy striped blanket, an embroidered apron for my mom, some bottles of Kahlua and tequila, and enjoyed a nice bowl of caldo for lunch, and didn't come anywhere near to spending a hundred dollars. I would have liked to have bought a few more (heavy) items, but we had to walk back across the bridge and those bags get heavy!
I went with 2 friends who were both having dental work so they probably didn't enjoy the trip as much as I did.
I love going out on Black Friday. I go out with the sole purpose of seeing what type of junk the stores are throwing out there for the frenzied masses to buy. I don't ever go looking for sales, I just enjoy the chaos. Last year I came back with a pot holder for all my shopping. This year I did come back with a face scrub and (oh the shame) a great pair of shoes that don't hurt my feet. I never do christmas shopping on Black Friday though.I've never been shopping on Black Friday. Not in protest of anything (sorry Gimpy) I just don't really love shopping enough to have to wait outside in the freezing cold. Later today I'm taking my sis and our girls to IKEA. That'll be crazy. It's crowded on a regular Saturday, today will be a madhouse.Ah, GoGo!
I live for Black Friday. And the After Christmas sales! While I believe we, as a society, over consume, while out on Black Friday I noticed people walking about with handmade sandwich boards saying "Do you really need to buy that?". And I'm like "Hell, Yes" - it's not the shopping, it's the HUNT!"
Hugs,
Pip