Consumerism
Like many of you, I've already got Christmas on the brain. None of my decorations are out yet, but I am completely, 100% done with all of my Christmas shopping and hope to have all of my gifts beautifully wrapped by the end of this month. Why, you ask? Well for several reasons--the top one being that I want to truly enjoy the entire month of December and all of the holiday activities we will do with our girls without the hustle and bustle of choosing gifts / shopping / wrapping, and two because I don't want to be tempted by all of the crazy holiday sales and gimmicks to buy more than I should. I made a budget and did a good job sticking to it, and now I'm going to see to it that I not step into a mall or buy another thing for myself or anyone else until after the first of the year {which by the way means I might be wearing my festive green shirt that I wore last Christmas again this year because I'm refusing to buy myself something new!}.
Anyway, I digress...
Discussing my holiday preparations are not the real reason for this post. What is really on my mind these days is the fact that not only is consummerism out of control in our country, but every single store is feeding into the "gotta have it all" and "gotta have it NOW" mentality that many, if not all, Americans can relate to and have dealt with. Not only have I done my Christmas shopping, but I've also been pondering what to put on my own Christmas list for when my hubby and other family members ask what I'd like to receive this year. I don't dare put on the list that beautiful sweater I saw at the mall--afterall, there's a 90% chance it will sell out quickly and be replaced with something else. Do you all know what I'm talking about? The stores these days are changing lines of coordinating pieces and changing seasons quicker than I can say "Merry Christmas." Things that are in stores now will be joined or replaced with new items in a few weeks, and followed by more additions & replacements by mid-January which means that if you see something you like, you either have to purchase it immediately or hope that whomever you ask to buy you that particular item has a sense of urgency to get crackin' on your request right away. Some of you right now are wondering why it's such a big deal--I mean a shirt is a shirt right and if it's not the exact one you wanted, it's still a shirt. Your feelings are perfectly legitimate, but I'm just feeling that the underlying issue here is that stores want to make you feel like if you want to own the item(s) you like, then you have to buy them right away or you will be forced to deal with whatever replaces them on the rack. And if you're like me, I see items I really like and then get disappointed knowing that those exact items may not be available in a few weeks when they can be purchased.
The other thing that stores are doing is filling mailboxes with coupons, coupons, COUPONS. I would venture to guess that over the next 6 weeks I will receive at least 5 coupons each from my favorite stores--The Limited & Ann Taylor Loft. Of course I'm like anyone else and I love using coupons when I'm purchasing something because it makes me feel like I'm getting a deal. But the real deal is being struck by the stores who are using those coupons to get you into the door and then sucking you in even further by enticing you to buy more than you'd planned on with their "buy 3, get 1 free" specials and so forth. I recently had a gift certificate to The Limited which I used to buy a pair of earrings and a ring. On my way out a saleswoman handed me the most ridiculous coupon I've seen yet...it was a "secret" coupon that could be worth anywhere from $15 to $100 off a purchase of $150. The catch was that you had to go to The Limited during certain dates to find out what your coupon was actually worth--so they reeled you in with the prospect that you could get 66% off and then I'm sure 999,999 out of 1,000,000 customers only received $15 off. But the coupon was getting you in the door and that was the goal--because once you're in the door there is an insanely small chance that you'll leave empty handed. And plus, if you're a real sucker, once you saw that secret coupon you might've been window shopping already picking out what you were going to buy with it.
I could actually spend all night going on and on and on about this--from stores offering super deals if you have a store credit card to the pushy sayings on every store poster, coupon, and advertisement including things like "irresistable" and "every woman needs {blank}" in beautiful script letters. There are other things too, but I simply don't have the time to go into detail for every aspect of this. But I would like to say this much, pat yourselves on the back advertising and marketing personnel, because what you're doing is working. Creating this crazy sense of urgency and filling the stores with new items all the time is driving sales, as are the loads of coupons filling mailboxes nationwide. And we are in a recession, mind you! No wonder we are in the position that we're in!
This holiday season, take a step back. Look at what the stores are really trying to do with their enticing advertisements, deals and coupons. Try to see through all of that and buy what you need and nothing more. Don't let the sales clerk talk you into 'just one more bottle of lotion which will earn you "x," "y" or "z" ' or into the $5-$10 add-on item that you weren't there for in the first place. Be strong and stick to your budget / what you can afford. Remember that things are not important, people are. And the memories you'll make this Christmas have more to do with whom you'll spend your time and not with how you'll spend your money! Think of the money you'll save not falling victim to marketing schemes, and if you can, you could even give the money you save to an organization you're passionate about or a needy family so that they may too have a nice Christmas. This is my challenge to each of you who has taken the time to read my rant tonight. Now be sure to report back how you do on my proposition!
Anyway, I digress...
Discussing my holiday preparations are not the real reason for this post. What is really on my mind these days is the fact that not only is consummerism out of control in our country, but every single store is feeding into the "gotta have it all" and "gotta have it NOW" mentality that many, if not all, Americans can relate to and have dealt with. Not only have I done my Christmas shopping, but I've also been pondering what to put on my own Christmas list for when my hubby and other family members ask what I'd like to receive this year. I don't dare put on the list that beautiful sweater I saw at the mall--afterall, there's a 90% chance it will sell out quickly and be replaced with something else. Do you all know what I'm talking about? The stores these days are changing lines of coordinating pieces and changing seasons quicker than I can say "Merry Christmas." Things that are in stores now will be joined or replaced with new items in a few weeks, and followed by more additions & replacements by mid-January which means that if you see something you like, you either have to purchase it immediately or hope that whomever you ask to buy you that particular item has a sense of urgency to get crackin' on your request right away. Some of you right now are wondering why it's such a big deal--I mean a shirt is a shirt right and if it's not the exact one you wanted, it's still a shirt. Your feelings are perfectly legitimate, but I'm just feeling that the underlying issue here is that stores want to make you feel like if you want to own the item(s) you like, then you have to buy them right away or you will be forced to deal with whatever replaces them on the rack. And if you're like me, I see items I really like and then get disappointed knowing that those exact items may not be available in a few weeks when they can be purchased.
The other thing that stores are doing is filling mailboxes with coupons, coupons, COUPONS. I would venture to guess that over the next 6 weeks I will receive at least 5 coupons each from my favorite stores--The Limited & Ann Taylor Loft. Of course I'm like anyone else and I love using coupons when I'm purchasing something because it makes me feel like I'm getting a deal. But the real deal is being struck by the stores who are using those coupons to get you into the door and then sucking you in even further by enticing you to buy more than you'd planned on with their "buy 3, get 1 free" specials and so forth. I recently had a gift certificate to The Limited which I used to buy a pair of earrings and a ring. On my way out a saleswoman handed me the most ridiculous coupon I've seen yet...it was a "secret" coupon that could be worth anywhere from $15 to $100 off a purchase of $150. The catch was that you had to go to The Limited during certain dates to find out what your coupon was actually worth--so they reeled you in with the prospect that you could get 66% off and then I'm sure 999,999 out of 1,000,000 customers only received $15 off. But the coupon was getting you in the door and that was the goal--because once you're in the door there is an insanely small chance that you'll leave empty handed. And plus, if you're a real sucker, once you saw that secret coupon you might've been window shopping already picking out what you were going to buy with it.
I could actually spend all night going on and on and on about this--from stores offering super deals if you have a store credit card to the pushy sayings on every store poster, coupon, and advertisement including things like "irresistable" and "every woman needs {blank}" in beautiful script letters. There are other things too, but I simply don't have the time to go into detail for every aspect of this. But I would like to say this much, pat yourselves on the back advertising and marketing personnel, because what you're doing is working. Creating this crazy sense of urgency and filling the stores with new items all the time is driving sales, as are the loads of coupons filling mailboxes nationwide. And we are in a recession, mind you! No wonder we are in the position that we're in!
This holiday season, take a step back. Look at what the stores are really trying to do with their enticing advertisements, deals and coupons. Try to see through all of that and buy what you need and nothing more. Don't let the sales clerk talk you into 'just one more bottle of lotion which will earn you "x," "y" or "z" ' or into the $5-$10 add-on item that you weren't there for in the first place. Be strong and stick to your budget / what you can afford. Remember that things are not important, people are. And the memories you'll make this Christmas have more to do with whom you'll spend your time and not with how you'll spend your money! Think of the money you'll save not falling victim to marketing schemes, and if you can, you could even give the money you save to an organization you're passionate about or a needy family so that they may too have a nice Christmas. This is my challenge to each of you who has taken the time to read my rant tonight. Now be sure to report back how you do on my proposition!
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