The Gift that Keeps on Taking
I couldn’t let this holiday go by without at least one good rant. There are so many things to rant about – crowded malls, nasty shoppers, crappy holiday films, lousy television specials… without my first cup of coffee this morning, it hurts my brain to decide.
Rant On
Okay – what about gifts? I like the personal touch. I find far more value in a gift made by hand then one bought at a store… unless it’s a car, then I’ll feel safer driving one bought from a store – no offense. But now television commercials are encouraging people to purchase gift cards instead of spending the time to find the perfect gift, and the really sad part – its working. Kids all over the nation are asking for gift cards. Teenagers ranked Gift Cards in this years top 10 most wanted items for Christmas (I suppose not knowing what your children are buying is acceptable. I understand Target has an excellent wine selection and the newest version of “Babes Gone Wild” is available at Best Buy).
Having the Department Stores decide that a gift card is better then an actual gift is lunacy. First off – they get the sale and there is a possibility that the receiver of the card won’t ever use it (pure profit), and if they do use it – they are probably less likely to return what they buy and that means less staff for the stores after the holidays. There is also small print (read it) that the card devalues over time. So it might be $100 today, but next year it might be $90. Don’t you see – the Department Stores want to de-personalize the holiday shopping experience to pad their bottom line. It’s like De Beers deciding that an engagement ring should be 2-months salary, who the hell are they to decide that? We might as well have Ben and Jerry’s decide that our optimal weight is 300 pounds.
Rant Off
- Did you know there is exactly enough tannic acid in the brain of an animal to tan its own hide? Another reason I believe if god didn’t want us to eat animals, he wouldn’t have made them out of meat.
Rant On
Okay – what about gifts? I like the personal touch. I find far more value in a gift made by hand then one bought at a store… unless it’s a car, then I’ll feel safer driving one bought from a store – no offense. But now television commercials are encouraging people to purchase gift cards instead of spending the time to find the perfect gift, and the really sad part – its working. Kids all over the nation are asking for gift cards. Teenagers ranked Gift Cards in this years top 10 most wanted items for Christmas (I suppose not knowing what your children are buying is acceptable. I understand Target has an excellent wine selection and the newest version of “Babes Gone Wild” is available at Best Buy).
Having the Department Stores decide that a gift card is better then an actual gift is lunacy. First off – they get the sale and there is a possibility that the receiver of the card won’t ever use it (pure profit), and if they do use it – they are probably less likely to return what they buy and that means less staff for the stores after the holidays. There is also small print (read it) that the card devalues over time. So it might be $100 today, but next year it might be $90. Don’t you see – the Department Stores want to de-personalize the holiday shopping experience to pad their bottom line. It’s like De Beers deciding that an engagement ring should be 2-months salary, who the hell are they to decide that? We might as well have Ben and Jerry’s decide that our optimal weight is 300 pounds.
Rant Off
- Did you know there is exactly enough tannic acid in the brain of an animal to tan its own hide? Another reason I believe if god didn’t want us to eat animals, he wouldn’t have made them out of meat.
posted by Survival Cookies at 6:42 AM
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