Buy Nothing Day: Today

[shootingstar]

Hey, I didn't know this until today by accident:

http://www.adbusters.org/campaigns/bnd Actually the international event began...in Vancouver, here over 10 years ago. Adbusters is a magazine, etc.

http://www.buynothingday.co.uk/

Of course, cynics can say, many of us have the freedom to buy the next day.

Would you say that if you are a cyclist that uses a bike often for shopping, that you buy less volume/ stuff in general?

Since we don't have a car, occasionally we do have to plan things abit more. But that's only 2-3 times annually. Buying more stuff for our place...to keep forever...means more mess in our crowded place. Doesn't mean I've taken great pains to correct the problem. But I'm hoping not get anymore knickknacks as gifts from others, for home.

[OakLeaf]

actually it was yesterday... a response to the consumerist "Black Friday" in which buyers literally trample workers

Although I've never in my life actually "gone shopping" on Black Friday, I'm not always successful in buying nothing - most often I'll wind up needing groceries, occasionally gasoline, or just going out to eat after the exhaustion of Thanksgiving cooking. (And really - if you use any public utilities, you're making a purchase even though you don't pay for it that day.)

But take a day off buying, whether it's yesterday, today, tomorrow or Cyber Monday, anyhow

[shootingstar]

actually it was yesterday... a response to the consumerist "Black Friday" in which buyers literally trample workers

Although I've never in my life actually "gone shopping" on Black Friday, I'm not always successful in buying nothing - most often I'll wind up needing groceries, occasionally gasoline, or just going out to eat after the exhaustion of Thanksgiving cooking. (And really - if you use any public utilities, you're making a purchase even though you don't pay for it that day.)

But take a day off buying, whether it's yesterday, today, tomorrow or Cyber Monday, anyhow

Well, it appears it's today for outside of U.S. (I'm still on Pacific Time right now. )

True, using public utilities is still buying/using. But you know Buy Nothing Day was for a few years in my childhood...to be Sundays....when most stores truly were not open as they are more often now. And as a large family, we couldn't afford to eat out at restaurants on any day often, except for 3-4 times a year. But my father did work on Sundays every year of his working life..he was a restaurant cook. That kinda of ticked me off at times as a kid.

And when I hear stories of restaurant customers staying long past closing hrs., I just get irritated. There are times that customers don't have a right to be insensitive to workers. I do have childhood and teenagehood memories of all of us waiting (his 6 children and wife) for him to come home from work to celebrate Christmas Eve with the tree all lit up and presents loaded around the tree. We never were quite sure when he would get home...and dinner had to be timed for him, us waiting eagerly for him..and to open gifts.