YES: “Manic Christmas shoppers resort to pepper spraying their fellow gift-givers”
Writes Oliver Harman
It was only early November when I heard my first Christmas song on a shop’s radio. Straight after the celebrations of Halloween are over we are careering towards the next big event- the Christmas season. Or should I call it Xmas season, the abbreviation seems to be used more and more each year as it moves from glory in the highest to glory in the High St.
It seems that the Americans can’t even hack the holiday season anymore, their first weekend of pre-Christmas sales (where some prices are slashed by 70 percent) saw half of the entire US population hitting the stores. Some manic Christmas shoppers even resort to pepper spraying their fellow gift givers to get their hands on the goods their children crave. What some parents will do to ensure their children’s elation on Christmas day is either a testament of human love or evidence of the capitalist hold on our society.
It is no wonder that consumption, in countries such as America, is running at unsustainable levels. The population has a relentless want to over exhaust what is available to them and the commercialisation and hype over the Christmas season only exacerbates this. Perhaps, this year, it would be best if we were all on the naughty list and saved Santa a trip.
NO: “Earlier price competition, means earlier savings.”
Writes Oliver Bruce Taylor
No doubt Christmas advertising does start early, but the consumer can only benefit from this and as a result, have a far merrier Christmas. Early advertising promotes consumer awareness of different products, services and crucially their prices, giving families more time to plan and prepare financially for the extra spending during the holiday season. This could prevent some vulnerable families, especially during the present job uncertainty, from going into debt or taking out expensive pay day loans.
Will a premature festive season cause people to feel less ‘Christmassy’ as the 25th draws closer? Or will they just experience the benefits of the intense price war between supermarkets that early advertising helps to foster as they compete for the lucrative ‘big’ Christmas shop? Earlier price competition just means greater savings.
Finally, retailers know you’re forced to buy a present for your mother-in-law before Christmas. Consider that the consumer’s price sensitivity of demand for tacky gifts is lower before Christmas than it is after. Without the increased information and competition that earlier advertising affords the consumer, it would be easier for big corporations to rip you off.
Besides, who wants less Christmas when you could have more? So shove your bah humbug cynicism up your stocking and let lower prices and increased competition make your Christmas merry. Santa is clearly a capitalist himself.
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