'a religious season of goodwill to a consumerist one of acquisition'

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yenrod

Guest
Logging on to the sales becomes a new Christmas Day tradition
By Emily Dugan
Published: 26 December 2007
Despite the credit squeeze and warnings of a recession, thousands of Britons began sale-shopping on Christmas Day this year thanks to online technology.

In a continuing cultural shift that many commentators say has helped turn Christmas from a religious season of goodwill to a consumerist one of acquisition, many retailers began their online sales early yesterday.

The Post Office Broadband website was predicting that nearly two-thirds of all Britons would have a session on their computer at some point yesterday.

According to their research, based on a YouGov survey of 2,042 people carried out earlier this month, one in five of those surfing the net would be logging on to spend money.

The Post Office Broadband manager, Stewart Fox-Mills, said: "Whereas families traditionally fought over the TV remote control on Christmas Day, the growing popularity of computers and the internet means more people will be fighting over the mouse this year."

While many children awaited the arrival of Santa in the early hours of Christmas Day, thousands of people were already in front of their computers blearily browsing the online sales.

M&S, which usually concentrates on its high street presence, cashed in on the trend. From midnight to 1am on Christmas morning alone, tens of thousands of shoppers logged on to its website to buy products.

The chain's in-store sale begins tomorrow but, like retailers such as PC World, Currys and Argos, they decided to launch their online sale on 25 December.

A spokesperson for M&S said online shopping on Christmas Day was becoming more popular and made no comment as to the appropriateness of the trend. "Our customers like to shop online before the store sales start two days later, as it gives them the chance to get ahead," she said.

"Online shopping is becoming more and more popular as confidence has grown in delivery and security from websites."

This is the seventh year that M&S has launched its sale online on Christmas Day. "It's more convenient for some people to beat the rush of people to the shops, and simply choose from home," continued the spokesperson. "Last year, just under 200,000 people shopped on the site on Christmas Day. We're expecting more this year."

The electrical chain Comet predicted that some people were likely to switch on to their computers from around 3pm, after finishing their Christmas dinner. A web-traffic peak was expected at 9pm. DSG International, parent company for PC World, Currys and Dixons, said flat-screen TVs, laptops and cameras would be popular online.

"January sales" were once a marketing ploy in the slack new year retail period but they have been arriving in shops earlier each year. This year, many will begin in shops today, four days before January, but by then the internet version will be two days old.

PULLED FROM the independant

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article3284882.ece
 
Oxford St shops were taking £1000 per minute today. Must be true as I just heard Peter Donaldson say so on R4 news.

Wow.
 

Noodley

Guest
Christmas has never really been a purely religious event - the traditional Christmas image dates from Victorian times when the toffs celebrated by gorging themsleves for days on end.
 
Thats the way it gose for most of the westen world there is some thing wrong in most people lives. They try and make up for it by buying things that they have got into there heads that they need. Take Mrs S and I we got up did all the bits round the house that needed doing then we think lets go to the movies. Before we walk into town (my leg is not working) I ask her do we need to buy any thing? No we dont. So we get into town and Mrs S see's all the signs saying 50%, 70% 85% off so she ask's me do we have time to have a look. I just say to her that she agreed we did not need any thing so off we go to get a coffee before the movie. You dont need to spend money to be happy









I found out the hard way but thats for a new thread?
 
OP
OP
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yenrod

Guest
spandex said:
Thats the way it gose for most of the westen world there is some thing wrong in most people lives. They try and make up for it by buying things that they have got into there heads that they need. Take Mrs S and I we got up did all the bits round the house that needed doing then we think lets go to the movies. Before we walk into town (my leg is not working) I ask her do we need to buy any thing? No we dont. So we get into town and Mrs S see's all the signs saying 50%, 70% 85% off so she ask's me do we have time to have a look. I just say to her that she agreed we did not need any thing so off we go to get a coffee before the movie. You dont need to spend money to be happy









I found out the hard way but thats for a new thread?


Yeah...
 
I agree totally spandex - spending money does not make you happy. Having nice things doesn't necessarily either. We have less to spend now than when I was in my old job, but are far happier with life. In fact, we wonder now what we used to spend the money on!

When we can, we wait to buy bigger things we really need - replacement electrical goods especially - until they are in a sale. We used to go to the shops in the city most weekends. Nowadays we go far less often and tend to wait until we have a list of requirements so that the journey is worthwhile.

The problem with sales at this time of year is they are so widespread: you can end up buying stuff you don't really need just because it's been reduced in price. The real 'gotcha' of Christmas economics as everyone knows is that people buy stuff before Christmas for themselves or to give as gifts on Christmas Day only to find the same items discounted in the same shops a week later.
 
thats what the big companies play on. people have time to kill, which they're not used to and fill it by buying on "want" ( and credit) and not "need" and then regret it later when they find stuff they've bought lying around unused, with credit card bills dropping through the letterbox.
the big companies don't care because they've got their money, which is all they're intrested in..
trouble is that they all say it's consumer led, which is cr@p because if online shopping wasn't available people wouldn't miss it for a couple of days rest.
a lot of people will be off to the c.a.b. for financial advice in the next few months.
 
I wonder too how much of it is to do with keeping up with what others have? All those aspirational adverts on tv make me sick.

I have a relative who delights each Christmas in showing me (I was going to say 'boasting about' but as you can see, I resisted - unsucessfully) his latest techno purchase every time we see him. In fact, Mrs B and I like to see how long we can go without asking anything along the lines of 'what did Santa bring you then?' until he can't wait anymore and blurts it out.

OK, he can afford it, but when I look at some of the rubbish he's bought down the years, I wouldn't want to buy it even if I could!
 
yenrod said:
Logging on to the sales becomes a new Christmas Day tradition
By Emily Dugan
Published: 26 December 2007
Despite the credit squeeze and warnings of a recession, thousands of Britons began sale-shopping on Christmas Day this year thanks to online technology.

In a continuing cultural shift that many commentators say has helped turn Christmas from a religious season of goodwill to a consumerist one of acquisition, many retailers began their online sales early yesterday.

Is this news, does this surprise anyone? We live in consumer driven society. Why not frenetically consume goods? After all we're worth it... and it's a free country... the rest of the world, and everyone else, will look after itself. Won't it?;)
 
Is this news, does this surprise anyone?

Too true. And is it me, or every year is there talk about how sellers are worried that consumers are staying away in the run-up to Christmas and predicting a bleak trading period then - whaddyaknow? - there's tills ringing off the counters during the sales and, fancy that, it all seems to turn out right for the shops in the end.
 
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