Persuasive Essay On Buy Nothing Day

Black Friday is the one day of the year when a large majority of U.S. citizens hit the retail stores and spend, spend, spend. It signifies the beginning of the holiday shopping season in America, taking place the day after the national holiday of Thanksgiving. Almost one and a half percent of American yearly retail sales occur on Black Friday, with consumers spending nearly $60 billion on this day annually. Each year, Adbusters, a Canadian-based anti-consumerist organization, calls for a boycott of Black Friday, instead proposing a “Buy Nothing Day” on the same day. Adbusters claims that retail stores are manipulative, dangerous, capitalist machines that try to “bully [the consumer] into submission” and take their money while giving little

The ideals of Buy Nothing Day encourage frugality and the decrease of the purchase of goods from retail stores. Retail, however, accounts for over 15 percent of jobs in the work force, second only to government at 16 percent. If people slow their retail spending, as Buy Nothing Day proponents advocate, these retail companies will have to scale back employment or reduce wages. There will be fewer jobs available and unemployment will increase. It is unknown to most people the importance of retail spending. It accounts for a large percentage of the economy and the work force and if it is compromised there will be a huge loss and a possible

However, Black Friday is a way of boosting the economy and even morale. Americans take pride in their gadgets and devices, and that does not necessarily mean they are materialistic. Americans are proud at how advanced they have become, and are more than willing to spend their money on products that improve their lives. Just because they consume does not mean they do not place value on friendship, family, the environment, and other aspects of life. Their spending creates jobs, maintains the value of the American dollar, increases wages, and promotes technological