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Buy Nothing Day

Bristly Pioneer said:
that's exactly the point of Buy Nothing Day though isn't it?

The fact that shopping for luxuries, for a large part of the population, has gone from being a special event, to a lifestyle choice.
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Hmm, not quite my original point. My attitude to money and buying things is - be frugal, tomorrow may be rainy. BUT if you're going to buy a large, long-term item, it's worth putting a bit more into it and getting something good. As a result, my 'big buys' are pretty rare, but they're the better for it. I certainly don't 'shop' as a leisure activity :eek:
 
I haven't seen the other thread yet, but yeah, as human beings they had the power to stop themselves from acting like a crazed mob just because they have the chance to buy a cheap DVD player or whatever. Now of course, the retailers are inderictly responsible for whipping up such frenzies in the first place, but ultimately, we as a people don't have to buy into the madness. We can just walk away and say 'Nope, I'm not interested'. I suppose this is getting back to the point of this thread and the whole idea of having a 'Buy Nothing Day' in the first place.
 
Judging by the hordes of Christmas shoppers I've had to fight my way through today, I imagine this has had no effect whatsoever, as usual.
 
Augie March said:
I take it this day is in response to Black Friday, which is the start of the Christmas shoppping season in the States, where everything gets discounted and shoppers trample each other to death in some kind of mad bargain buying frenzy.

BlackFridayScene.jpg


061122_black_friday_hmed_11a.hmedium.jpg


24shop_slide1.jpg


Go commercialism! :cool:
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Don't understand how people enjoy shopping, especially like that. I shop out of need, not enjoyment.
 
Talkie Toaster said:
Don't understand how people enjoy shopping, especially like that. I shop out of need, not enjoyment.
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Agreed.

And does anyone, apart from me, notice that being taken shopping by some women, yes some but not all, inevitably turns into a trek across town while weighed down with enough bags to make a Foreign Legionnaire die of exhaustion that inevitably takes all day and then, just when you think the nightmare is over, she'll come out, as sweetly as you like, with the dreaded phrase 'Darling, you know that dress in the first shop we saw (which was seven hours ago, is on the other side of town and there's ten minutes until closing)...'

So far I have indeed bought nowt today, aided by my not needing anything, not having any actual cash to buy anything with and my not having got out of bed until noon.

So, I win all round as, not only have I not bought anything, I haven't even had to leave the house.
 
Bristly Pioneer said:
So,

I'm sure this has been covered a million times before. However it's that time of year again, so.

Buy Nothing Day

Pointless American middle class art school wanker idea

or

Poignant break in the spectacle of modern consumer society?



Personally I'll be off to the Hijacker TopShop SwapShop
http://www.spacehijackers.org/html/welcome.html

Fair enough, like most people here I don't go shopping every weekend, but simply buy the things I need as and when (bank account funds providing). However I think in a world I'd want to live in there would be a space in amongst the commerce for free exchange of goods and ideas. I think buy nothing day is a good chance to reflect once a year on the route our society has taken.

Plus, if all else fails, at least it ties up the security allowing people to take part in Steal Something Day.
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It's like No Gas Tuesday, but only once a year.
 
Bakunin said:
Agreed.

And does anyone, apart from me, notice that being taken shopping by some women, yes some but not all, inevitably turns into a trek across town while weighed down with enough bags to make a Foreign Legionnaire die of exhaustion that inevitably takes all day and then, just when you think the nightmare is over, she'll come out, as sweetly as you like, with the dreaded phrase 'Darling, you know that dress in the first shop we saw (which was seven hours ago, is on the other side of town and there's ten minutes until closing)...'

So far I have indeed bought nowt today, aided by my not needing anything, not having any actual cash to buy anything with and my not having got out of bed until noon.

So, I win all round as, not only have I not bought anything, I haven't even had to leave the house.
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I've noticed that women tend to browse. Men are in and out as quickly as possible.
 
Talkie Toaster said:
I've noticed that women tend to browse. Men are in and out as quickly as possible.
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In all fairness to women, I think it's more of a 'people' thing than a 'men vs women' thing.

Although I have noticed that, while some men are content to browse endlessly, many of us are more sensible and get the shopping over with quickly in the interest of reaching the all-important 'pie and pint' part of a day off.
 
well all in all the action went well. Lots of swapping, 20 police and 30 security causing a scene in topshop. The doors shut for 15mins.

Two arrests but both let off within an hour. Plenty of flyers and anti-corporate literature given out. And I got a lovely new outfit for nowt!

Pics on the hijacker site soon
 
DotCommunist said:
so Buy Nothing day should be accurately renamed as Steal Something day?
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Been done

There was a Free Shop at Next to Nowhere yesterday, all food and drinks from the cafe were also free for the day (most people who took food left donations anyway). Between this and the large numbers of anti-fascists in town that day, we got a shit load of people into the centre that had never even heard of it before. I've no time for Buy Nothing Day, but as a marketing gimmick, it's pretty effective ;)
 
I was in News From Nowhere on Weds. If I'd known you had a social centre downstairs, I'd have come said hi.
 
It wouldn't have been open during the day on a Wednesday anyway. It's mostly used as a meeting space at the moment.

If you're ever in Liverpool of a Saturday you should pop down though. Lovely food :)
 
I'm in Liverpool every now and then to see my partner's family. I'll pop in next time I'm there on a Sat. We normally eat in the Egg Cafe, it'll be nice to go somewhere different. :)
 
Don't see the point. I might actually need to spend money on a given day (to top up the electricity meter, for example). If I can get something for free rather than paying for it, I can do that any day, or rather, those kind of opportunities don't limit themselves to one day of the year.
 
I'm still waiting for "get rid of half your useless shit, you wasteful cunt" day. That's what most people need, probably including myself. I don't buy anything any more because the amount of stuff I have is already excessive.
 
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