Annual Shopping Pilgrimage

 

What was that? US Fiscal cliff, out of control National debt…what the heck, worries about the economy and fiscal austerity be damned. On Black Friday, consumers were ready to shop till they dropped…literally.

Hindus have Diwali, Christians have Christmas, Muslims have Ramadan, Jews have Chanukah and American Shoppers have Black Friday…the day after the Thanksgiving Thursday- a holiday when shoppers give thanks for bargain prices. It is the busiest shopping day of the year for the US retailers. (For my curious readers: Black in Black Friday indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit or are ‘in the black’)

Just as a religious person will visit their holy land, the modern day consumer will make their annual pilgrimage to their sprawling and glittering neighborhood malls. Their annual pilgrimage begins soon after their Thanksgiving meals. They will very passionately and eagerly wait outside their temples of consumerism, which have different names- Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, Toys’ R Us just to name a few. They all serve the same purpose, to satisfy the hunger of a value hungry consumer.

                The parking lots become the most expensive real estate in the area. Cart & Cashiers, both of them are in abundance on any other day, but today they both are as scarce as plutonium. The temples of capitalism have taken full advantage of the consumer psyche. They provide what the consumer is looking for- ‘a deal’. Each and every soul who is waiting outside the mall in a freezing temperature is hoping to get his or her hand on a ‘once in a century deal’. Be it a 50 inch flat screen LED TV or an I-Phone/pod/pad or a Martha Stewart signature Bed in a bag or Paula Deen’s cooking set. The stores are full of hyper active consumers whose vision for that day is 20/20. There curious eyes always looking for the tags with the highest percentage off and also staring at their co-shoppers cart to figure out if they have missed anything. Cashiers, with no disrespect, are usually at the mercy of the consumers as consumers are always right. But today, is the day when the only people who are correct, are the cashiers. They can and will dictate the price, depending on the scanner of course. They are treated with the utmost respect, as they are the ones who will be approving the consumer’s catch(es) of the day. The priciest catch for today will be the empty shopping carts. No one will care if the wheels are squeaking or wobbly. The shoppers use the carts like knives to cut through the swarm of endless checkout lines and almost empty aisles.

                Having made almost six annual pilgrimages to the mecca of modern consumerism- the shopping malls, on the auspicious day of the Black Friday, one thing I have realized, at the end of the day it’s not about how much you saved, but how did you saved!!

Happy Thanksgiving and a Prosperous Black Friday.

21st century, the American century

 

One good thing that came out of Hurricane Sandy was I got some more time to think about some more things!!

                The reason I believe that the United States of America will survive the Great Recession is because I truly believe that America is a great country. I have always believed in the ‘America story’. But then why, precisely, is America so great?  And why will it still be a dominating force in the world?

                Freedom of speech, land of Opportunities, the Constitution and Equality are some of the popular answers to this question and I totally agree. But I wanted to be more real and precise. Hence, I came up with the following reasons:

·         Economically speaking, no country is as big as the United States of America. The second largest economy, China is a third of the size of the US economy. And given the current economic situation, the first spot on the economic ranking won’t change for quite some time.

·         I think more than the economic strength, it’s the military hegemony that will keep the U.S. as the most dominating force in the world. US spend almost $700B every year on defense and that total is more than the total spends of next 20 countries combine. Also, the largest and the most advanced defense companies are American.

·         Another major aspect which is often overlooked is its favorable geographic position. The huge arable land, best maritime transport system, oceans on east and west ends and politically and economically friendly countries on the north and south of the border.

·         US have a secret weapon to remain the most powerful country in the world; Code name- H1B. The H1B visas allow foreign workers in specialty occupations to work in the United States. The success of Silicon Valley is the prime example.

·         No country is as large and developed to even come close to challenge the US supremacy, both economically and militarily.

o   As long as Europe doesn’t speak one language it will never be a threat to American dominance. Plain and simple.  

o   China, I think will grow old before it becomes rich or gains military dominance. Thanks to its ‘one child’ policy and its ‘one party’ political system. One more thing to note here is that all of the prosperity of China is built on the willingness of the Americans and Europeans to buy its products.

                Time publisher, Henry Luce famously said, “20^th century, the American century”. I whole heartedly believe, “21^st century will be another American century”.