Why Buy Nothing Day is Good for Business Owners
My first day of “real” work (aside from babysitting jobs) was the day after Thanksgiving in 1988. I was 16, and the entire day I stood behind the counter and dealt with the hangers (I worked in a women’s clothing store.)
Back then it wasn’t known as Black Friday. I don’t think we had special hours, but we were open and had a lot of customers. Since then, as you know, opening hours have crept earlier and earlier to the point where some stores are open on Thanksgiving Day.
Let people have some time with their families. The flip side of the coin is that some people welcome the extra hours because it means more money in their pockets. Does making people choose between money and family seem like good policy? Is that really the world we want to live in?
As a backlash to the unfettered consumerism that causes Americans to melt TF down on the fourth Friday in November, a rival holiday arose, called Buy Nothing Day. That’s the one I’m celebrating!
Normally this week I do a post for Thanksgiving, but I read last year’s post (here if you want to read it) and this year is substantially the same. Although I’m giving thanks that I moved to Long Beach instead of living in the desert.
Why it’s helpful to avoid shopping on Black Friday
There may have been a time when it was both fun and economical, but no longer. Too many people are angry and frustrated and take it out on people they don’t know. And when they have guns, that just makes the problem worse.
In the past, you might’ve found actual bargains on the day after Thanksgiving, with real markdowns. But now you’ll find true markdowns at different times of the year, not Black Friday. The big retailers, especially big box stores, may jack up the prices beforehand so it looks like there’s a discount. Your local mom & pop shop probably won’t, but that’s not where most Americans go the day after Thanksgiving.
Going to places that are crammed with angry people to spend money on stuff I probably don’t need and is almost definitely overpriced… is not my idea of fun. If it’s yours have at it, but at least have a budget so you don’t spend too much. (Once a financial planner, always a financial planner!)
I have relatives who love to shop on Black Friday. They also like to gamble, which is probably not a coincidence. I’m not a huge fan of gambling either. Occasionally if I’m at a casino for a convention or something I’ll take $100 to play with. And when it’s gone, so am I.
Because I know that the house always wins.
(Except for the casino owned by the former occupant of the Oval Office, which somehow went bankrupt. HOW does a casino go bankrupt? Those things make money hand over fist.)
Gambling is the same kind of variable reward system that social media sites and some apps use to keep you hooked. A rat who never gets food when it presses a lever will get tired of the lever and stop pushing it. A rat who sometimes gets food and sometimes doesn’t when it presses a lever will keep pressing, pretty much forever.
It’s not just gaming execs and social media programmers who understand how the reward systems in human brains work. Advertisers and retailers do too. There’s a whole science behind how stores are laid out to squeeze out more dollars from every shopper. And you can bet that retailers are using those strategies against shoppers on Black Friday.
Just like at the casino, where the house always wins, at the store, the retailer wins. That makes the experiences much less enjoyable for me. But of course, your mileage may vary. (At least try to shop at locally owned businesses if you have to go out this Friday!)
Why buy nothing is a good strategy for business owners
A lot of us (including me) shop as a coping mechanism. As long as you don’t spend money you don’t have and it’s not your only way to self-soothe, the occasional binge isn’t bad.
At least that’s what I tell myself when I hit the bookstore, knowing full well I’m not getting out of there for less than $100. And yes, I make full and frequent use of my library too.
But consumerism is based on the belief that buying something will solve your problems. And, to be fair, if you don’t have anything to read in your house, buying a book will solve that problem.
However, if you buy lots of clothes and never get rid of them, buying a closet organization system will not help you organize your closet, because you’re simply going to overwhelm it with more stuff.
If your laptop is about to die, then yes, buying a computer will solve that problem. If you’re currently trying to log your contacts on a spreadsheet, then yes, paying for a CRM will solve that problem (though you can find perfectly good ones for free.)
Don’t have time or energy to deal with your finances on a daily basis? Hiring a bookkeeper will solve that problem (though you still need to stay on top of your money, says the former financial planner.)
If, on the other hand, you feel the urge to stay busy then hiring a bookkeeper won’t solve your problem, since you’ll simply fill up that time with something else to avoid having empty spots on your calendar. If you already have a project management software app and it’s not helping you organize your projects, investing in a more expensive one will not help you get more organized.
Productivity apps will not help you be more productive if you have other issues getting in your way
Similarly, if you don’t know how your brain works and you try to download more apps to help you be more productive, you won’t be. Tech can help around the margins, but it’s not going to solve your productivity problems if you don’t already have a good foundation for working with your brain and using boundaries.
For example, if you routinely set aside time on your calendar to do things and you routinely ignore these appointments, time blocking and time management apps are not going to solve your problem of being unable to set and maintain boundaries around your time and energy.
If you allow interruptions (like people walking in your office, phone calls, texts, emails, and any kinds of notifications) while you’re doing cognitively demanding work, no productivity app can help you.
If you don’t know when the best time is for you to do cognitively demanding work, or you do know but regularly schedule other work during this time or allow interruptions, no productivity app can help you.
If you insist on doing the routine or undemanding work that you’ve hired other people to do for you, productivity apps are not going to solve your delegation problem.
If you don’t do all the unproductive things on a regular basis that fill up your productivity tank (including hobbies, time with friends and family, and moving your butt around), a productivity app is not going to help you prevent stress and burnout.
Solve your actual productivity problems first. Then see if you need an app.
Recap (tl;dr)
Retailers use your brain against you, and Buy Nothing Day is an antidote to that. Business purchases and investments should solve your problems, and if not, they should be avoided. Productivity apps won’t solve underlying problems that are affecting your productivity.
Did you recognize yourself in any of the productivity scenarios above? If so, click here to schedule a free consulting call as I may be able to help.