 |
| Marketers unleashing Steroid Santa on already stuffed consumers. |
Retailers warn us that although it is only the beginning of November, "the December holiday rush is just around the corner".
It's even late - one of their surveys showed that "by September around 50% of consumers have already started looking for items on their friends’ and family’s wish lists".
The message is clear, "Hurry up and start buying shit already!!!"
The holiday season is important for merchants, some of which experience 30% of the year's sales during this annual frenzy. Each year they look forward to the start of the spending spree, and each year we oblige, usually by spending more per capita than the year previous.
Retailers love that. So do banks, credit card companies, and advertising agencies. Especially advertisers, because retailers will spend billions on aggressive holiday arm twisting of consumers.
Here is one view of the feeding frenzy from the feeder's perspective:
"The critical mass experienced in the economy during the holiday season puts a ton of pressure on advertisers.
As they attempt to reach distracted consumers with what they have to offer, they must complete with the nonstop seduction of storefronts and smartphones and every screen and speaker in-between.
There’s no question that its a clamorous time of year, and consumers’ reactions run the gamut from eager to engage, to completely over it."
A "ton of pressure on advertisers"! If there is pressure on them, imagine the pressure they put on consumers. That is their job, after all.
"Buy, buy, buy." Tis the season of over-the-top consumption in order to elevate one's status and appearance of success. Get with the program, folks, or we will cram it down your throats.
Where are you on the "gamut from eager to engage, to completely over it"?
For my family, it will be yet another joyous, restive, peaceful (and inexpensive) #BuyNothingChristmas, because we are so over it. We couldn't be more over it.
This year, like last, we will ho, ho, hold on to our money, and enjoy the season while remaining debt-free.
That is the best gift of all.
May peace be with you as you rise above it all during this potentially clamorous season.
The ramp up of advertising for the upcoming madness seems to start earlier every year. I too will be ho ho holding onto my money, sanity and good humor by not buying anything this holiday season. No gifts, no decorations, no fancy foodstuffs. Just a quiet reflection of the time of darkness and going inward.
ReplyDeleteThe word "absurd" came to mind as I begun reading this. I looked it up. Absurd means "having no rational or orderly relationship to human life." Yea, that's it. The Christmas frenzy is absurd.
ReplyDeleteWe could add that the Halloween frenzy is absurd also. I was listening to a segment on public radio about how much money consumers spend on Halloween. In the USA, the total spent on costumes, candy, decorations, scary events, parties, etc is TWICE the amount of the budget to run the national parks in the U.S. It's ironic that the researcher compared what was spent on holiday crap (that trashes the environment) to how much is spent (or allotted for) the organization that attempts to save some of our natural spaces. Things are pretty messed up.
I've missed everyone. I've been working and there hasn't been much down time to hang out here. That's the thing, have to work to provide basics, but it takes a huge amount of your time, your mental and intellectual capacity so things that you value are given less and less time. It's a dilemma.