Thanks, but no thanks… (giving more thought to your holiday shopping)
Dec 02
This year, my wife and I are 100% committed to doing our Christmas shopping with local merchants and craftsman. Why? Because we care! It’s not just about our caring about our local economy, but caring for our friends and family too!
This may be extremely politically incorrect to ask, but how many times have you reached under the tree to open a gift, only to say, “Oh, thank you… it’s … it’s … packaged really well…“? Then, after using the jaws of life to break through all of the plastic, cardboard, and wire ties, you unveil the high-margin, low-quality widget to lie once again, “I’ve never seen one of these… Wherever did you find it? You must have looked forever…” (knowing full well, they they are on every end cap of every big-box discount store across the country). I’m not saying that we should be ungrateful gift recipients, I’m saying that we should be more thoughtful gift givers!
We had a blast last weekend, getting to know more of our local merchants and avoiding the chaos of the national chains. We had a few books to buy for folks, but instead of B&N, we went to visit two quirky local bookstores on either side of town. We had some costume jewelry to buy, but instead of Kohl’s, Macy’s, or TJ Maxx (all right next to each other), we stopped by a few local eclectic art galleries, finding gorgeous, unique, and locally made necklaces plus a bunch of amazing pottery and some interesting lampshades that you’d never find at a DIY warehouse. A couple of folks asked for some kitchen gadgets, and we were able avoid BB&B and Target, and spend some time uncovering all sorts of cool culinary gadgets we had never seen before! We are also preparing to host a couple fancy holiday dinners, and found some great locally made “drinking chocolate” (think molten, velvety goodness) at a specialty grocer.
The reason I bring this up, is because I often find myself frustrated overhearing shoppers as they browse the promoted end cap goodies, asking their shopping buddy, “Do you think Josh would like this?” Without even looking up from their smartphone, “Sure, yeah, of course…” And, so it goes into the cart with less thought than their morning coffee order. Why? We are lazy! Wait, wait – hear me out. If you look at my own shopping adventure above, it might sound like a lot of work – there is a lot of driving around, going to separate stores, etc… It sure would be easier to let someone tell me what to get for my loved ones (advertising), drive to one location (big box), and handle all of my shopping at once (end caps luring me with special deals). I say that we are lazy enough. Just a quick look at obesity rates, daily tv usage, and the latest iteration of “time saver” inventions is proof enough. What I get worried about is that laziness seems to equate directly with thoughtlessness.
We are happy to anonymously “give” to our local merchants by spending our money in their local shops. However, our real goal is to avoid the awkward Christmas morning embarrassment of having two (or more) people opening the exact same gift, from different people, bought in different states, but in the same old stores… Actually, we just want people to be happy. ;^>
It may be terribly rude and presumptuous to admit it, but I don’t want a lazy, crappy, big-box gift this year, I want a thoughtful, unique, local one.
– Steve Ramsey
Great post Steve! I find that I’m having more and more conversations about shopping *thoughtfully*, whether for gifts or for every day items. Instead of just spend, spend, spend and rush, rush, rush, we can consider the impact our purchases have. It is great to see this conversation growing even in a recession and appreciate you giving us more food for thought. Thanks for the example and the encouragement!