Buy Nothing Day this Friday

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I called the local Wal-Mart to find out their hours on Thanksgiving for a student. Open 24 hours. I told the woman on the phone I hoped she could take it off. Nope, she hasn't had Thanksgiving off in 19 years. But she gets a 15% discount for anything she buys from her employer that day.

We are citizens, not consumers. This is so sad on so many levels.
1. 15% is one piddly discount. What's that, like $30 off a TV?
2. What's more sad-- people in low wage jobs work Thanksgiving for big business because they need the money and don't get holiday pay, or that the shoppers think consuming is a good use of a family holiday? Is this really how we want to spend our free time?
3. The very day after we celebrate gratitude, we go and buy more junk?

Go walk in the woods. Read a book. Take a break from consumption for a day. Show the big corps we are not their slaves.

I've been boycotting Black Friday since 2004. I don't even buy gas that day. Not because I'm a dainty saint. Because corporate slavery pisses me the hell off. Join me, friends.

a reply to: Look2theSacredHeart

Dude I shop online from Friday till Monday. Screw all the lines and crazy traffic. Also I get super drunk with my dad watching football on thanksgiving. Which means I will be hungover on Friday. So that means driving is a no go obviously.
So I will join you in the boycott but for different reasons.

a reply to: Allaroundyou
Hahaha! Fair enough! Have a blast with your dad.

Friday is Black Friday and not Thanksgiving. It's fair game. Ordinarily, I don't really bother with going anywhere on that day or buying anything.

This year, I do have some work to do, so I will be going in to the office. And since it looks like the weather will be absolute crap on Sunday when we normally do our groceries. So we will be grocery shopping for the week on Friday instead. We have family obligations on Saturday when we will celebrate our big Thanksgiving.

a reply to: ketsuko

Have a wonderful Saturday. Be sure to stick it to the Man, if you can.

originally posted by: Look2theSacredHeart
a reply to: Allaroundyou
Hahaha! Fair enough! Have a blast with your dad.

Oh ya we are gonna have a blast! Dude has more money than he knows what to do with. His second kitchen is dedicated to everything alcohol. Multiple TVs around the adjacent room with a pool table,darts, and a few arcade machines. But before we get started it is tradition that we all bring our unwanted items to his home and figure out what the donation center is best to bring it all too. Then we bring some meals to the homeless. Then it’s drinking and eating time!

a reply to: Allaroundyou

I'm totally copying you. That sounds so rad. You win the Thanksgiving Pilgrim of Awesomeness award.

a reply to: Look2theSacredHeart

Right. And I have been boycotting Black Friday before it had it's name. That goes back to the early 70s.
Over the years there have been several boycott Black Friday campaigns brought about by independent liberals. however they all have been unsuccessful at stemming the tied. All it did was to have the corporations go into over drive with their branding and playing it up as another holiday in the middle of holiday season.

And when you say we are citizens, not consumers, well, maybe you and me and others but for the large part the programming orchestrated by the capitalist system has been successful. Coupon any one? How about we have a new awards program for the most captivating commercials.

a reply to: Look2theSacredHeart

Gettin' lickered up and putting up lights and the tree.

Ain't spendin' a dime.

She's been working for Walmart for 19 years? Kinda a lack of drive and motivation there methinks...

I have to work Thanksgiving, but I'm compensated better than 15% off. And since I work nights, I still get to eat with the family.

I already bought some "Black Friday" stuff this morning. Maybe I'll buy some more stuff online on the actual date.

a reply to: TerryMcGuire


I think the past few years have seen an increase of the family values side of boycotting Black Friday. You're right, though--- the marketing overcomes any real change.

a reply to: DBCowboy

Good! Sounds like a perfect Black Friday.

Serious questions.

Why is it called Black Friday?

Why hasn't it been called out for being a racist term?

It is hard to understand the US sometimes.

P

a reply to: pheonix358

It puts retailers in the "black".

originally posted by: Look2theSacredHeart
a reply to: ketsuko

Have a wonderful Saturday. Be sure to stick it to the Man, if you can.

Eh, I made my schedule. No one forced me to work on Friday. I did it to pick up a little extra for the Christmas season. I figured that since I have tomorrow at home and we don't need to be anywhere until Saturday, there was no reason I couldn't pick up 4 on Friday.

Blessed to be working during all the holidays. With the greatest cast and crew on TV. Someone has to point those cameras, perabs and run the board at the football games. ESPN gig...

Union strong....

a reply to: olaru12

Yaaay, unions!

a reply to: olaru12

Yaaay, unions!

a reply to: Look2theSacredHeart

I loved working Holidays. Some classical music, coffee and pizza. Machines weren't bogged down. Boss and coworkers weren't around to break your concentration. Great creative time.

I've never worked retail but then again I wouldn't have the patience to put up with some of the things you see on YouTube.

I think Holiday meals are over rated anyway, now more than then, mainly because of politics or some other reason. A lot ours started out like a Rockwell painting but sometimes ended up with folks in different rooms or outside.

Not even interested in going to a crowded store no matter the savings.

Now, I just order online and binge read.

a reply to: Look2theSacredHeart

Doing Thanksgiving out at the sisters. Going to finish putting lights up outside along with some more decorations. Going to break out the drone and film a flyover of the decorations at night. See how it turns out.