Well, today was Black Friday and everyone's interested in how much consumers are spending. Consumer spending is of course good for the economy, but is it good for individual consumers. If you're trying to beat back debt or save money for college or retirement or just cover the bills, getting hooked into the purchase of stuff may not be such a great idea.
The Occupy people were bringing that message to the malls today - with mixed results. It's not clear, for instance, how not shopping at Macy's helps education, as this protester said, as reported by ABC
"I see how the education deficit directly affects the schools; how the teachers struggle with so many kids in the classrooms and a lack of books. It's not fair to this generation."
There is a basic connection between giving money to corporations and struggling with debt - it's the mindset that tells us we have to have what they are selling, whether that was a home loan or a new car or a 47" TV. So there is a lot of virtue in Buy Nothing Day, but it's important that protesters don't make shoppers feel like criminals.
Down the street from Macy's massive store on Union Square in San Francisco, shopper Celia Collins of New Orleans said she worked hard to earn her MBA and pay off her student loans. She had every right to enjoy Black Friday, she said, and the protesters would be better off working within the system to find jobs and support the economy."I think they're a bunch of ... crybabies," said Collins, clutching her shopping bags as she watched the protesters march down Stockton Street. "I don't begrudge them the right to do it, but I just don't think they've really very smart."
