Merry . . . Well, whatever you celebrate, I guess.
I heard an interesting piece regarding the assault on Christmas perpetrated by retailers across the country. While these views came from Bill O'Rielly, a man I loath without measure, he had a couple of great points I thought I would share. As we have all seen and heard, this holiday season has been scrooged by the new retail trend of foregoing the mention of Christmas in holiday sale promotions. Wal-mart and Target are two big names that draw my attention, but many retailers, large and small, have taken the stance that "Christmas" is offensive to the shopping populous. First, 70% of the US population is reported to be of Christian faith. Given this fact (as reported in the US census data), who in the hell are the marketing geniuses who thought it would be a good idea to alienate 70% of the customer base? Furthermore, do these same companies not recognize the hypocrisy of denying all things Christian in their ad campaigns? Christmas is the single biggest retail occasion every calendar year, responsible for bringing many retailers between 20%-60% of their annual gross sales. Quite simply put, the Christmas season can make or break a retailer. It seems asinine to turn your back on the very institution that keeps you in business. And no, I haven't had some epiphany in which I found God, I just know bad marketing when I see it.
posted by Todd @ 12/01/2005 04:51:00 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Happy Rama-Hana-Kwanz-mas.
Your point is very well taken, Todd. Question: are retailers actually alienating consumers to the point where they refuse to spend money? I've seen no evidence of Americans being so offended that they put their credit cards away... and maybe that's a sad commentary on how spineless they are in their religious beliefs.
I agree 100%, Sean. It is indeed a sad compromise when we forgo our convictions for the convenience of shopping at one of these mega retailers. As many of you know, I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart because of their business practices (eminent domain for store locations, poor employee benefits, profitless margins), but few people are willing to make that sacrifice. I'm by no means a martyr in my cause, but I do feel that these beliefs are left empty unless we exercise some discretion in our shopping destinations.
Just so you guys know: I bought nothing on "Buy Nothing Day" and found it to be a liberating experience. Especially when I saw pictures of people getting trampled at malls that same day. Bizarre.
I say consume less, consume locally and from locally-owned businesses, and remember that shopping and buying can't really make you happy. Only drugs can.
Kidding.
I know a handful of people at my church (including our priests) that stopped shopping at Target when they booted the Salvation Army last year.
That paying the lowest price may not be in one's own best interest is a really complex concept for many to understand.
Another drawback to the "Big Box" retailers is that as competition folds, consumer choices become limited to the brands the Big Box chooses to carry, or rather the brands that are able to land a supply agreement with a nationwide mega-retailer.
It’s scary how the pinnacle achievers in capitalism can leave us with a reality of diminished competition. It's like if the communists outsourced....
coupla thoughts... first, i dont get the purpose of not mentioning christmas in advertising, esp because its around us everywhere else. if anything, im offended by the sheer volume of crap that is generated and thrown at us every year (and earlier and earlier too, i think i started seeing christmas, excuse me, holiday stuff out in early october.) whats wrong with mentioning a holiday that the majority of the country celebrates?
second though/question... what do you guys think about the trend in public schools to ban celebration of religious-based holidays? at my school, we werent allowed to put up any specifically christmas decorations--we had winter-themed stuff, but no santas, christmas trees, etc. same went for easter, and even halloween. i think the idea is to make sure that kids who dont celebrate these holidays dont feel alienated from their peers.
Maybe I'm moving towards the center... but I don't get it. I mean the whole "let's not acknowledge any religion or religious event" mentality. Thing of it is, there is historical precedent for Christianity in this country, as well as Judaism, Islam, and LDS. Why don't we talk about these holidays at least in terms of their historical and sociological significance? I, for one, would like to see Americans worship a little less at the altar of pop culture consumerism and a little more at... some... altar. I don't care what kind, really. I'm just totally burned out on consumerism these days.
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