Buy Nothing Campaign: Phase One

Trevor Hagstrom, 27.11.2004 14:42

Ashland protesters hit the rogue valley mall and were swiftly stiffled, but this is just the beginning.

November 26th, the day after Thanksgiving has become a disgusting American tradition, revolving around materialism and leftovers.

Adbusters has ran a campaign called Buy Nothing Day on this faux holiday for 5 years now, but most people don't know it exists. In order to spread the word an impromptu protest was launched at the Rogue Valley Mall in Medford, ground zero for corporate Christmas

November 26th, the day after Thanksgiving has become a disgusting American tradition, revolving around materialism and leftovers. The day after Thanksgiving families nationwide can finally shove their plastic turkeys back in the attic and dust off the battery-operated dancing Santa. Corporate media delighted in reminding everyone that the 26th is prime shopping time, advertising sales in news articles with pictures of frenzied shoppers lining up at five in the morning outside of K-mart.

Bargin hunting on "Black Friday" is portrayed as a fun way to be patriotic and save in commercials, movies and sadly even the news. Fortunately there are a few people who don't buy it.

Adbusters has ran a campaign called Buy Nothing Day on this faux holiday for 5 years now, but most people don't know it exists. In order to spread the word an impromptu protest was launched at the Rogue Valley Mall in Medford, ground zero for corporate Christmas. Four Ashland Activists went to set-up a booth offering a healthy alternative to mindless spending, a craft booth that would enable shoppers to return their pre-packaged "gifts" and instead make something for the loved one they were shopping for.

Response was tepid, as most shoppers didn't seem to know or care that Buy Nothing day existed, and the ones that were interested couldn't seem to fathom why anyone wouldn't want to buy stuff. Why don't we want to buy stuff? Reasons include, but aren't limited to: the various environmental and human rights violations perpetrated by the holidays most popular retailers, Christmas' loss of religious meaning, the shallowness of buying pre-packaged gifts or worst yet gift certificates as opposed to making them, toys for children that indoctrinate them into our "waste and want" consumer culture, and simply not wanting to be told when it's time to fork over cash to big brother.

We were kicked off of mall property in minutes, told that we were soliciting (the irony of soliciting against solicitation apparently escaped mall security and management). I told them that I was independent press, and was laughed at. Right as the local fluffy 6 o'clock marionette squad applied make-up and set-up their camera's for the breaking story of happy shoppers and kids on Santa's lap.
We moved out to the sidewalk and were continually harassed by Mall security, even though we were off their property. Two of us, decided to make "Buy Nothing Day" t-shirts with utilizing scotch tape and paper, and were banned from the mall for the weekend for continued "solicitation".

Although we only reached a limited number of shoppers on Friday, this was only phase one. If you are interested in joining in phase two of "Buy Nothing Christmas" email me and join our "Anti-cooperate carolers" we will update old Christmas standards to remind people of Christmas' true meaning. Send me lyric ideas or contact if you would like to help us sing!

e-mail:: hagstrotr@students.sou.edu

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Buy Nothing Day in Bend, Oregon 28.11.2004 - 14:29 (L to R) Joe Katroscik, Phil Randall, Mafic and Tim Jeffries Buy Nothing Day in Bend Labor activists picket outside Bend Wal-Mart   From Bend.com news sources Posted: Saturday, November 27, 2004 8:48 PM Reference Code: PR-19626 November 27 - More than a dozen activists from Central Oregon Jobs with Justice picketed and leafleted at the Bend Wal-Mart on Friday, alerting shoppers to the low wages and inadequate health insurance the company provides its employees. Several hundred leaflets headlined "Wal-Mart Costs You More . . . Always" were distributed to shoppers and Wal-Mart employees as Jobs with Justice members picketed, chanted and marched on public property outside the store. The leaflets noted that 60 percent of Wal-Mart employees can't afford the company's health insurance and that Wal-Mart's low wages force many workers to rely on public assistance. That costs taxpayers $420,000 a year for a Wal-Mart the size of Bend's store - almost half a million dollars in health care, food, shelter, energy assistance, and other programs paid for by Deschutes County taxpayers. Wal-Mart pays a poverty wage, say Jobs with Justice leaders. At $7.30 an hour - the starting pay at the Bend Wal-Mart - a full-time, 34-hour-a-week job pays just $12,906 a year, before taxes. That is $2,764 below the 2004 federal poverty level for a family of three. Wal-Mart made over $9 billion in profits last year, and Jobs with Justice activists argue that the company can afford to pay a living wage and provide affordable health insurance to its employees. Friday's action coincided with international Buy Nothing Day, and the leaflets suggested to shoppers that it was a "good day to stay away from Wal-Mart." Central Oregon Jobs with Justice plans ongoing actions at both the Bend and Redmond stores in the weeks ahead. For more information, call 541-617-3879. JWJ Supporter> Homepage:: http://www.bend.com/news/ar_view^3Far_id^3D19626.htm