Wednesday, December 26, 2012

After Holiday Sales




After all the countdowns, markdowns, and breakdowns, Christmas is behind us for a year.  You would think that shopping would be the last thing anyone would want to do at this point.  WRONG!   According to the people that track this sort of statistic, they tell us that the day after Christmas nearly rivals Black Friday.  So why doesn't this day have a name in the U.S.??   Perhaps we need to think of something more original that "the day after Christmas".  


I am VERY much in favor of adding another holiday to the celebratory list as surely, there could never be too many holidays.  I am thinking the day after Christmas should be a REAL holiday. I would suggest this should be a "paid day" off,  but of course, this couldn't include anyone  employed in retail sales.  Just add this "no holiday for you" to the list of reasons your job sucks.

 I guess we could follow the lead of our friends in the UK (and others)  and call it Boxing Day.  Unfortunately, the word "boxing" seems to confuse Americans.  Historically, this was the day that people gave gifts to servants and tradesmen but has morphed into another shopping day for the masses.  We probably, need to come up with something original for Americans to convey the day's sole and true purpose....picking at the bones of the cheapest of the cheap sales merchandise. It would appear that anything will sell if it becomes cheap enough.

My regular readers might remember that I HATE SHOPPING!  There is never an instance I enjoy shopping. I force myself to go into stores as I need things and even that is after I have looked to make sure it is not available to be ordered online.  So I usually am not enticed by these types of ads.

open early to get the last "best" deal
Only 60 percent?? Surely 75% is in order after Christmas.




It seems to be that I am the "unfun" family member...well... at least as far as shopping goes. The rest of my brood doesn't share this post Christmas  vestige of hum-buggery.  They, in fact, are getting ready, as I type this to go see what's left.

A couple of years ago in my effort to be a team player around here, I went along for the ride.  Our first stop was Macy's at the mall. We arrived as the doors were being unlocked at 7 AM.  The lines had already formed for the race up to the 3rd floor Christmas Department.    After nudging, pushing and maneuvering my way to the ornaments, I did find a couple of pretty things that were 70% off.  Whhooo Hooooo!  Look at me, the non-shopper finding a bargain.  About the time I was feeling rather proud of myself, disaster struck.  My husband spotted a tree on clearance.  You would have to know my husband but the words "FINAL CLEARANCE"   has the same draw as heroine does to an addict.  (this is an assumption on my part as I haven't ever been a heroine addict).

Anyway...hubby spots a 12 foot beauty of a tree that is like 90 percent off.   We buy "fake" trees as I am allergic to nearly everything associated with nature. (don't get all judgey until you have sneezed your way through the 12 days of Christmas).  At this point of the story...I remind him we have a very nice tree at home. BUT THIS IS 90% OFF!! he quickly responds.

(Sidebar:  Whether it is Christmas or not...in my husband's world, anything that is more the 75 percent off, whether we need it or not...whether we have one or not...whether we have room for it or not...it must be bought because....IT WAS A DEAL!!)

After I pulled out the WE DON'T NEED IT card, he pulled out the I AM JUST GOING TO ASK THE CASHIER HOW MANY ARE IN STOCK card and proceeds to get into the line of a gazillion people.

(Sidebar:  To all younger, less savvy, newlywed types: Be warned...never fall for the "I am just going to ask questions" line.  It is a smoke and mirror tactic.)

click to enlarge
Needless to say, when he came back to where I was looking at cute little $2.00 napkin rings, he announces we have to go to the loading dock.  Of course, we do.  I wasn't at all surprised.    How one gets a boxed 12 foot tree into a mid-sized SUV is a whole other post.


Yes, indeedy...the tree in yesterday's post is THE TREE.  What you can't see is that even with 12 foot ceilings, that sucker scrapes the ceiling because there is a stand involved.

So for today, husband is getting ready to leave for the hunt of  "deals."  I am not.  Post-Christmas hum-buggery is alive and well.



In honor of the "shoppers among us" I have written a poem.  This isn't me, of course, as I neither shop nor drink...but I can pretend.


 Tis the day after Christmas and the house is a wreck.
Sh**, I said the word Christmas. That's no longer correct.
Should of said "holidays, that's PC instead.
What in the hell is this pain in my head?

I can't lay around, I have to get on the ball.
There are sales happening down at the mall.
The day after "Christmas"..sh**, I now said it twice.
Not having this hangover would be very nice.

I am up and  I'm moving.  I'm no longer lying.
The fact that I'm mobile means I am probably not dying.
So off to the mall with my charge cards I go.
For more crap I don't need, but the prices are low.

There's bound to be shoes, and other cool stuff.
There's absolutely no truth to "enough is enough".
The cards all have room yet, at least I hope so.
The bills aren't due yet, so my husband won't know.

Christmas  is past us at least for this year.
I have time to recover from the Holiday Cheer.
Hungover and broke...sure..but what better reason,
than one final spree to round out the season.




      

16 comments:

luvebeingagrandpa said...

Wow, a beautiful tree for sure....and your husband sounds A-W-E-S-O-M-E......what a peach...a total find...a great guy.....heck, I think I have a man crush....

Cheryl P. said...

Very funny!! Aren't you supposed to be out shopping??? I bet you just missed a great deal! And yes, my husband is A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

lisleman said...

Good to find another one who views the whole shopping sport with little interest. Those marked down prices are most always off of prices that are higher than the typical. I believe a store could put a sign offering 150% mark-up and some people would think it was a bargain.

Cheryl P. said...

Little interest...that's me. I am amazed at how entire chains work with this mark it up to always mark it down and people think they are getting some spectacular deal. There is one store that puts half of the store 50 percent off every week. I have compared prices and their half off is slightly more than anyone elses full price.

Chubby Chatterbox said...

I really don't like to shop and was so pleased when Mrs. C suggested we treat each other to a new Keurig coffee maker this year. Happy Holidays.

Jo-Anne said...

Boxing Day is a paid holiday here and if you work on Boxing Day it is double time and half........so bloody good money hubby worked Boxing Day he was paid $75 per hour and did a 10 hour shift............so bloody good money...........
Where I live the stores are not open on Boxing Day althoug I did go out today and piced up some Christmas decorations for next year and will have a look again tomorrow when I go shopping I try and buy most of my Christmas decorations at the after Christmas sales

Riot Kitty said...

I hate shopping too. I can't, for the life of me, figure out why anyone enjoys it, let alone why anyone wants to risk being trampled by idiots to save a few bucks.

Linda R. said...

There is good shopping and bad shopping. When it is good, it is very good. When it is bad, it is horrible. I love a good bargain too, but unless you need it, can use it, or think you'll need to barter it, don't buy it. Disclaimer-this doesn't apply to non-perishable food, and household supplies.

Great poem to round out our Christmas season! Just my thought here - to me, Christmas is Christmas, but the "holidays" are from Thanksgiving to New Years.

Cheryl P. said...

Good move on your part. I love the Keurig for flavored tea as I am not a coffee drinker. I am traveling tomorrow but should have time to get caught up on back posts on Friday. I will catch up with you over on your blog then.

Cheryl P. said...

I was reading an article about Boxing Day in the UK and it made it sound like it was a big shopping day. Maybe the stores are closed there as well and I just didn't follow it correctly. I think Australia has it right by making it an official holiday and a paid day off. Have fun on the hunt for next years decorations.

Cheryl P. said...

Amen...my husband enjoys going out to find out what's left but I stay home and try to start getting things back to their pre-Christmas state. As you said on your post, the chaos of the over-zealous shoppers and aggressive drivers can manage without me.

Cheryl P. said...

Oh, I agree with there is good shopping and bad shopping. Because I don't enjoy shopping...good shopping is when the stores aren't overly crowded and I manage to find a clearance on something I really need. I, also, enjoy a deal but am not willing to push through a crowd to fight over the last few of anything.


Good point on the distinction between the Christmas season and the holidays. When I was writing the poem, I was thinking specifically buying gifts and decorations related to Christmas. I think most of the shopping on the day after Christmas has to do with returns, exchanges and taking advantage of sales on things that you didn't get. My husband likes to get a few decorations for next year. They are always so much cheaper after Christmas.

Jo-Anne said...

The capital cities such as Sydney and Melbourne are open Boxing Day but I live in Newcastle and the stores are not open. I do not think they need to be opened it is as if people can't wait 2 days to go shopping..........

Cheryl P. said...

I agree. Americans have created an environment where stores have to be open every day of the year. In many cases the only day they close is Christmas...even a few are open on that as well. I would think we could take a holiday off from shopping. I must be in the minority on this though.

Jay of The Depp Effect said...

Hahahaha! I came over from Meleah's blog and I'm kind of glad I did. This is funny - and mostly could have been me. I loathe shopping, but fortunately, so does my husband (OH).

We actually do need some new Christmas decorations and a new tree (we've had the ones we're using now for about ten years) so we braved the masses and went to a shop to look. The experience was so traumatic that we came home with nothing and haven't yet been back out there - despite also desperately needing a new recliner and some new carpet for the hall.


I think we both prefer to wait until the crowds subside and just pay more.

Cheryl P. said...

Hi Jay, I am so glad you stopped by. If my husband hated shopping with the same abhorance as me, our house might, in fact, be empty. I am willing to shop for food so we probably wouldn't starve to death.
Not to make light of your misery, that is funny that you came back without a tree. I probably would have bought the first crappy tree I saw to get it over with.
Those are VERY wise words...."when the crowds subside"....I would never shop on a busy shopping day.