There' s never a day that I've stayed away from the shops. Except when I'm ill and bed-ridden, which is hardly.
There's always something to buy.
That doesn't mean that I'm a shopaholic, incapable of being thrifty.
I used to not think about this very normal thing we do. And recently, when the economic crunch hit us all, I started thinking about my neighbourhood shops.
Already, they're competing with the big boys. With this downturn, they're barely surviving. So, i do whatever I can.
And I am a supporter of local small traders.
So how can I not go to Ah Leong's shop or buy Kak Limah's nasi lemak tomorrow? What if everyone decides not to buy anything tomorrow?
Won't that hurt the small businesses? Even for that one day?
I believe that we all should be thrifty, to not overspend or be extravagant in these hard times. But, I also believe that we should help keep our economy alive, in whatever way we can, no matter how small.
So you see, it is difficult for me to join in and celebrate not buying anything.
And, oh...tell me....how do you assess the success of "Buy Nothing Day"?
6 comments:
Buy Nothing Day is pure gimmickry.
Most people are not shopaholics. They buy what they need but could not produce themselves.
What's the point of not buying anything on one particular day but stocking up extra things in anticipation one or more days before that? It's hypocricy.
A better alternative, but just as hypocratical, is to close all the shops on a particular day a year. At least we save electricity, workers' transport, etc., not to mention providing one extra off-day for shop assistants.
If buy nothing week or month could damage the economy, what makes buy nothing day any different except for scale of the damage.
Self discipline should, of right, come from within.
And people often ignore the role of shopping centres in humid tropical countries like ours and what it does to our psyche.
It is interesting to know what the shopping patterns of Malaysians look like i.e the average number of days people don't go shopping as opposed to those going to shops but don't make purchases, shopping online, treating shopping complexes as family holiday destinations, holding company meetings, etc.
I daresay the findings of such a study would make the idea of Buy Nothing Day not a too brilliant one after all.
Nuraina,
I agree. The small shops are really affected not only because of the global economic slowdown but also becasue of the sudden emergence of "the big boys" hypermarkets. This is really capitalist at work. The strong and rich will survive and get even richer. The small and weak will be doomed. I have seen many small, usually family-run provision shops around my areas close shop one after the other. They just cant compete with the big boys. It is sad, but we let this happen to this country. I heard one of the big boys were planning to launch another 200 express-outlets through out the country in 2 years time.... India will be going this way if they are not careful. I read many of the Indians are really worried that the small businesses will be forced to close shop now that world giant Wal-mart makes it debut opening.
Buy nothing?? Just pay nothing and get nothing. Sounds easy, just like the barter days.
Here's another shopping theory from Mr.Bean.
Own a shop. Buy all the goods you want. Pay the cashier. Put the goods back on the shelves. You can do this all day long and not lose a single penny.
A GOOD MAN DOES NOTHING.
There are mnay adults as well as children who when asked what is their hobby, nowadays answer
'Shopping!'
I think that point needs to be underscored so that we don't shop for want of something better to do and clutter up our homes with all sorts of impulse purchases of no real worth. Or frivolously spend $10K per head for dinner on some very rare and dying breed of marine life!
It's all about maintaining a balance in life and eschewing overt materialism.
And how do we measure the success of 'Buy Nothing Day'? Watch your bank balance grow. Mom and Pop shops and other small businesses can survive this 1 day in a year event!
How not to spend/buy la? Belum2, my two kids asking for their pocket money already this morning!
'Buy Nothing Day' is only useful for us to take a minute to think of our spending habits and consumer style.
I've shifted down my lifestyle to include only the basics, with a just a treat once in a while, which makes the treats all the more appreciated.
(We were together in a one-week media course in Singapore in the early 1990s moderated by one Virgilio Labrador.)
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