I hate to say it but there seems to be no cure for this pocket-draining ailment that gets critical during the Holidays. Buy, Buy, Buy, said in many ways, disguised in many fashions that tickles the consumers mind.
Over consumption rhymes with hypertension. Obesity is now a community threat. Forest covers are sacrificed to feed the buying frenzy. Gluttony is a human right. The spirit of giving is an able excuse for buying--- MORE.You don't feel good if you can't catch that sale in the mall. Right? You think its crazy? No. You're only crazy if you act like Mr. Scrooge.
My Sunday school teachers said : Jesus was God's greatest gift to humanity. I think they were wrong. The credit and debit cards are the greatest gifts. No piety needed to attain happiness. God is with us. The Holy Book is right. HE is with us in the wallet all the time. In plastic.Wal-Mart and Old Navy are the Holy Grounds. Sell to the world the Lord is come Ad gurus sing. The ONE who was born in a manger is the ultimate sales icon. Name brands bow to him and make him their fashion model. Don't believe me. I am just kidding. Don't worry I'm Baptist. We don't ex communicate.
Ah, It's Christmas, almost so I'll stop ranting. But still am plain curious about the habits of Canadians when it comes to their Christmas shopping. I am also interested on how effective were the advertising and retail gimmicks used to lure consumers to splurge their hard earned Canadian $$$.
Yiling Zhang of the Distributive Trades Division of Statistics Canada has this to say in a report, Consumer Holiday Patterns :
The traditional last-minute Christmas shopping spree may not be so last-minute as you think. True, many consumers make an 11th hour rush to the local mall to fill up those Christmas stockings. But analysis of retail sales shows there is a tad more method to shoppers’ madness.
Data show, in effect, that consumers start buying big-ticket items, such as furniture, electronic equipment and appliances, in November. But they wait until December to buy less expensive Christmas gifts.
There is a method in consumer madness after all. That is wonderful to hear. Indirectly shows we still know how to use our brains. Thank God.
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