Katya
11-19-2007, 10:45 PM
First off, an introduction. I am new to these forums. My name is Katya. I joined for the most part to post what I am posting now. I wrote that downnot too long ago as a result of holiday frustrations. I just want to say now that it is a work of opinion and I mean no ill wishes on any of you kind people here. I also love to hear what you all think and what your perspectives are. Again, this is onyl my point of view from a different perspective than some people experience.
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I want you all the think long and hard about this. Really hard. How much do you spend each holiday season? How much of it is on food? On gifts? On decorations? The average American spent $649 on holidays gifts, decorations, and other holiday-related merchandise in the year 2002.
In 2002, 78% of households in the United States gave at least one electronic item as a present during "the Holidays". Really, will your kid hate you if he doesn't get a PS3 or a Wii? In my experience, I don't usually USE my Christmas gifts for too long after recieving them. Toys also accounted for 38.6% of sales in 2002. The total amount of revenue expected in that season was estimated to be $209.3 BILLION dollars. I once worked at a major toy company and on one weekend in the holiday season of 2006, the store I worked at earned over one million dollars. ONLY our store and ONLY one weekend. Without the holiday season (of course I am being politically correct and including Hannakuh, Kwanzaa, Solstice, and other winter holidays as well as Christmas) most, if not all, major retailers would go bankrupt.
Christmas does wonders on the economy. Not only does it fuel capitalism, but it fuels greed and that's what really gets to me. I don't want you to come into reading this piece thinking this a rant of an un-satisfied teenager. This I believe is much more. I want my readers to sit down and actually think for once, as it seems that many people leave their thoughts (as well as their budget and their manners) at home during this most joyous time of the year.
For two years I worked at previously stated major toy company. Most of the time, it was alright. I liked most of the people and I liked most of the workers. The pay wasn't great, but what can you expect? I was 17 (then 18, then 19...) and I accepted that without a college degree, I can't really hope to earn more.
What really surprised me about working there though was that in the holiday season, people got MEAN. I mean every capitalised letter, folks. People got downright vicious. I have many experiences of this during the holiday season especially that of November-December 2006. I have been personally insulted, assaulted, and offended. And the big wigs let it all fly. Why is this? MONEY. I was denied a chance to go visit a doctor by my manager because I needed to be there to fuel people's greed. It was only when my father interviened days later that I was allowed to go. A co-worker of mine had items THROWN at her when she refused to take them back without a receipt. Customers have yelled at me and other co-workers of mine, reducing us to tears because they couldn't have their way. Management doesn't care about that either. Neither do customers, as long as they get their material possessions wrapped and put under the Christmas tree.
I am not objecting to the idea of Christmas. Ideally, it is very pretty. Celebrating the birth of Jesus mixed with pagan festivals to convert the non-believers. Now it is all about Santa Claus and who can get the best present (Jingle All The Way anyone?) and who spends the most and whose kid loves them the most because of it.
Let's all re-evaluate our lives and find out what really is important.
I understand that at some points stress can turn people ugly. You should see me around finals. But for a season supposedly so happy, why are people becoming so ugly?
(DISCLAIMER: This is a work of opinion. Just to let you all know. Don't get mad at me because I dislike Christmas.)
____________________________________
I want you all the think long and hard about this. Really hard. How much do you spend each holiday season? How much of it is on food? On gifts? On decorations? The average American spent $649 on holidays gifts, decorations, and other holiday-related merchandise in the year 2002.
In 2002, 78% of households in the United States gave at least one electronic item as a present during "the Holidays". Really, will your kid hate you if he doesn't get a PS3 or a Wii? In my experience, I don't usually USE my Christmas gifts for too long after recieving them. Toys also accounted for 38.6% of sales in 2002. The total amount of revenue expected in that season was estimated to be $209.3 BILLION dollars. I once worked at a major toy company and on one weekend in the holiday season of 2006, the store I worked at earned over one million dollars. ONLY our store and ONLY one weekend. Without the holiday season (of course I am being politically correct and including Hannakuh, Kwanzaa, Solstice, and other winter holidays as well as Christmas) most, if not all, major retailers would go bankrupt.
Christmas does wonders on the economy. Not only does it fuel capitalism, but it fuels greed and that's what really gets to me. I don't want you to come into reading this piece thinking this a rant of an un-satisfied teenager. This I believe is much more. I want my readers to sit down and actually think for once, as it seems that many people leave their thoughts (as well as their budget and their manners) at home during this most joyous time of the year.
For two years I worked at previously stated major toy company. Most of the time, it was alright. I liked most of the people and I liked most of the workers. The pay wasn't great, but what can you expect? I was 17 (then 18, then 19...) and I accepted that without a college degree, I can't really hope to earn more.
What really surprised me about working there though was that in the holiday season, people got MEAN. I mean every capitalised letter, folks. People got downright vicious. I have many experiences of this during the holiday season especially that of November-December 2006. I have been personally insulted, assaulted, and offended. And the big wigs let it all fly. Why is this? MONEY. I was denied a chance to go visit a doctor by my manager because I needed to be there to fuel people's greed. It was only when my father interviened days later that I was allowed to go. A co-worker of mine had items THROWN at her when she refused to take them back without a receipt. Customers have yelled at me and other co-workers of mine, reducing us to tears because they couldn't have their way. Management doesn't care about that either. Neither do customers, as long as they get their material possessions wrapped and put under the Christmas tree.
I am not objecting to the idea of Christmas. Ideally, it is very pretty. Celebrating the birth of Jesus mixed with pagan festivals to convert the non-believers. Now it is all about Santa Claus and who can get the best present (Jingle All The Way anyone?) and who spends the most and whose kid loves them the most because of it.
Let's all re-evaluate our lives and find out what really is important.
I understand that at some points stress can turn people ugly. You should see me around finals. But for a season supposedly so happy, why are people becoming so ugly?
(DISCLAIMER: This is a work of opinion. Just to let you all know. Don't get mad at me because I dislike Christmas.)