Doing away with unbridled consumerism

Buy Nothing Day observed on 27 November to discourage the habits of overbuying.

ISLAMABAD: Buy Nothing Day is observed on 27th of November, every year, around the world to discourage the habits of overbuying and over consumption among the people.

It is an international day of protest against unbridled consumerism, which can be defined as a social or economic order based on the systematic creation of desire to purchase goods and services in amounts not needed.

Buy Nothing Day has a special significance for Pakistan where knowledge of the consumer rights and their observance is abysmally low. This year Buy Nothing Day comes at a time when Pakistan is severely hit by unprecedented rise in the prices of food engineered by cartelisation and lack of regulatory apparatuses, while gross consumerism of the mega rich continues in grotesque proportions. This day reminds the consumers of Pakistan that they can exert consumer power by opting not to make unnecessary purchases.

Dr Arif Azad, Executive Coordinator The Network for Consumer Protection said, “As a nation we should develop a habit of saving as Pakistan has poor saving rate. By curtailing over and unnecessary buying, we could add to the saving pool of the country.”

“The culture of shop till drop sits ill with a country which is finding itself difficult to meet the basic needs of its people,” he added.

Azad said that the notion of shopping as a necessary social activity had taken such a hold on middle classes that doing shopping had become a compulsory activity. He said in a country like Pakistan, where middle class was fast shrinking and poor-rich gap was widening, too much and unnecessary buying had creates several social and economic problems.

The first ‘Buy Nothing Day’ was organised, in Vancouver, in September 1992 as a day for the society to examine the issue of over-consumption. In 1997, it was moved to the Friday after American Thanksgiving, also called ‘Black Friday’, which is one of the 10 busiest shopping days in the United States.

Various gatherings and forms of protest have been carried out on the Buy Nothing Day to draw attention towards problem of over-consumption. For example, participant wander around shopping malls or other consumer havens with a blank stare and marvel at the expressionless faces of the shoppers.

When asked what they were doing, the participants describe the purpose of the ‘Buy Nothing Day’.

Participants silently steer their shopping carts around a shopping mall without putting anything in them or making any purchases.

Another strategy called the ‘Wildcat General Strike’ was used for the 2009 Buy Nothing Day. Apart from not buying anything for 24 hours, the participants keep their lights, televisions, computers and other nonessential appliances turned off, their cars parked, and their phones turned
off or unplugged from sunrise to sunset.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2010.