Will Cyber Monday Specials Lure Consumers out of Shopping Siberia?
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This morning my co-worker offered me a $10 off coupon from Victoria’s Secret, and I turned it down. Right after that, hell froze over. What can I say? It’s a peculiar holiday season indeed.There’s an unexpected whiff of anti-consumerism in the air, even for support-group-worthy shopoholics (ahem.) Why? Let’s recap. In the past week someone was fatally shot at the mall by where I work. Then, the police called me to tell me my stolen wallet was found pitched into the icy waters of Puget Sound. So, basically someone drowned my debit card. Do you think the universe is trying to tell me to stop shopping? I used to think superstition was just another catchy Stevie Wonder song, but now I’m not so sure.
Whatever the case, I know my material unease is not isolated. By now, most people either know someone who’s drinking themselves into a back stupor because they got laid off, or someone who’s drinking themselves into a black stupor in case they got laid off . The economy’s in a financial avalanche of harvested misfortunes, and the temptation to hibernate and store all your money in the hollow of a 100-year oak is a tempting one. But, most trees don’t actually have cozy holes to hide stuff in like cartoons have led us to believe (and there’s no Santa). That said, there is a silver lining that may just thaw the spending freeze: Cyber Monday.
For those not living on Geek Street, Cyber Monday is a one-day sale on December 1st offering steeply discounted items like food, accessories, and hotel rooms. The deals are so good, it almost seems irresponsible not to shop, especially if it’s stuff you are going to buy anyway. On Cyber Monday, shopping deals become as obsequious as the finger-pointing political ads of yore-so you really don’t have to out of your way to shop. You just have to be able to breathe and click. After all, if I, of the waterlogged wallet and chalk-outlined mall parking lot (ok, there’s no chalk outline) can do it, surely you can.
I understand people’s hesitation, trust me. The world does feel weird right now, and a little off-kilter, and we don’t know what’s going to happen next. But we do know fear is the opposite of fun, and that a thriving economy is the backbone of our country (Shopaholics Creed, Chapter V1). And we know we want to feel the glee and magic of the holidays, and the smiles we put on our loved one’s faces when they unwrap something special. You don’t have to go all-out. You should definitely store some of your hard-earned money away, and not be overly extravagant. But if you are thinking of coming out of Shopping Siberia to get your holiday list checked off, why not choose Cyber Monday as the day to bask in the warm rays of computer-glow consumerism? By getting amazing deals even Scrooge would approve of, and enjoying the ease of shopping online, you will still feel like you are being a responsible citizen-and if you go overboard, well, I’ll see you at Shopoholics Anonymous! After all, the universe is no match for 40% off my favorite products.
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