Look around you. Take a good long look, how much stuff do you have? How much room for more stuff do you have? Now I would like you to sit and think for a minute. How much stuff do you really need? As I have gained years, I have noticed that I have way to much stuff. I am entering a stage of de-shitification. I am trying to thin out the amount of stuff that I have. So when this time of year rolls around, then I begin to wonder if maybe I don't need more stuff. I mean all I am told by various media outlets is exactly what I need to buy this time of year. According to the few commercials I actually get to see when I watch the news, I need a new truck, but I am screwed if I didn't get a new Buick for Christmas. And apparently I also need new Internet service, and cooking implements that are strangely only available, or have any real use this time of year.
So last week, I heard that there was a lady camped outside of Best Buy. By today, she'll have spent 9 days waiting for her shot at buying more stuff. Today I was watching the news and someone got happy with the pepper spray in a Walmart, and there was a shooting outside of another one. Now don't get me wrong, I like to shop. I like to buy things. I like to buy things all year. But it seems as though we are being conditioned, like a Pavlovian pooch, that we must all venture out today to shop, to get things that we can buy any other time of the year.
As an interesting fact, were you aware that "Black Friday" only really came on the scene in the1980's? Normally the term "Black-Anything" is meant to portray a dark time in history. Like when the freakin' stock market crashed. I don't buy the whole "It's when all of the businesses make money for the first time during the year" pile. Why? Because it is a piss poor business plan to operate at a loss for all but 1 month out of the year. Small business can attest to this. If they operate at a loss and have no money coming in, then they close down the business. I can also tell you that there in no way that all of the huge chains run like that.
I have also decided that there in no way in Hell that I am dragging my butt out of my warm bed and turkey coma in order to freeze said butt off just for a few bucks off of some stuff that I normally wouldn't buy. Now for the last few years, I have been giving out small hand-made gifts to my friends and family. I do this in part because I love making things with my hands that I can give to someone else and they can love it just as much, if not more. It seems to me that those are more treasured by people than the sweater they had to beat someone up for. Now maybe I am just jaded, but I value my sanity way more than cheap stuff.
I have nothing against people who want to shop today. I will venture out here in a few hours and go to one store to get some art supplies for my fiberglass cat that I am painting. Then I am coming home and cleaning. But I want you all to think of all of the retail employees who had to work late last night or early today. Cut them some slack, they are there because they have to be if they want to keep their job.
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