In America,
it’s “Black Friday.” Stay away from malls and shopping areas, if you don’t want to get bumper-bashed, cart-crunched, pushed, shoved, cussed at, and trod upon in the yearly rush to purchase Xmas items.
Unfortunately for me, I must make a trip to the hardware store to pick up some essentials ...
Comments:
I grew up in Princeton, NJ ... home of the first successful ‘shopping center.’ And, of course, NJ gave the world the “Mall” experience.
Luckily, I left high school right as the “mall rat” society began to form. “Black Friday” seems, in my memory, concurrent with that change ... when what you bought became more important than who you were.
Congrats on ‘coming out’ into the virtual metacosm ... Santa Fe needs more webloggers.
We’re about the same age, so I know exactly what you mean.
I spent most of the ‘80’s working for Toys ‘R’ Us, including a stint at corporate in Paramus, so I avoid shopping “Black Friday” with everything I have, especially since I’ve finally freed myself from retail hell.
I mistakenly went to WalMart this morning thinking I’d get a waffle maker for $4.88 for a holiday present but the vultures had already picked them clean—at 9:18!!! I grew up in Jersey too, a habitue of Livingston and Short Hills malls, though I kind of like them for window shopping.
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Thankfully, I’m able to celebrate Buy Nothing Day! http://adbusters.org/campaigns/bnd/
Too many years of working retail in cities more addicted to shopping than Santa Fe took a permanent toll on my ability to withstand crowds of people buying things nobody needs!
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