A movement called Buy Nothing Day has been around for awhile, taking place on the same day as Black Friday. On this day AdBusters as well as other organizations are urging consumer to Buy Nothing the day after Thanksgiving also know as Black Friday. While most consumers know that Black Friday has some of the best deals of the season, others are protesting the fact that it also urges you to buy things you don’t need.
Confusing Wants With Needs on Black Friday
One of the main goals of ad agencies is to confuse your wants with your needs in oder to buy more than you actually need. Sure you didn’t need any more clothes, that DVD for $3.99, but the product ad made it hard to resist. The whole goal behind Black Friday is to get you to spend, mainly for things you don’t need, in attempt to bring their books back in the black meaning, so that they aren’t negative at the end of the year.
This year I am asking myself for this Black Friday what I actually need and will use vs what is cheap and will probably end up in the back of the closet in a few weeks. No matter how cheap it is, any ‘deal’ is not really beneficial if you never actually use the product, or hardly for that long.
The Actual Costs of Buying Gifts on Black Friday
Sometimes we don’t think about the human labor that went into making your shoe, the world that is easily shielded before your eyes. It is nice to get things cheap, but at what cost does it come to someone else? In the land of consumerism, cheaper is seen as better, even at the human cost of labor for slave wages. People working in factory for less than $1 per hour doing a job you probably wouldn’t do for even $10 per hour. Yes we all need to eat food at the end of the day, and these people do need money, but imagine if the money was spread out even a little bit more evenly. Could you imagine cutting back a little, so someone could have a little bit more to eat?
What Do You Really Need This Christmas?
Sure this post probably sounds like I’m preaching, trying to get you to join in on Buy Nothing Day, but honestly I’ll probably pickup one or two things on Black Friday as well. The main goal I’m trying to get across is, rather than thinking about what you don’t have, Christmas is a great time to be thankful for what you do have. Even if you can’t donate money, you can always donate time, skills, or even old items of yours this Christmas. This is always someone less fortunate out there than you out there, who is isn’t thinking about getting that new pc, rather they are thinking about how they are going to pay the bills this month or afford that Thanksgiving meal, among other things.
Conclusion
Be thankful for what you have, and use the season of giving to give, rather than figure out what more you can receive. Sometimes the best present of all is the look on the face of someone you’ve made happier during the holidays.
