"Christmas is over!" Or is it?

On Christmas Eve I was toying with the idea of getting a last minute gift. I went to the retail park and thought I'd pop into Homebase. The store looked rather unlit for the season. A man was standing outside, as if on guard. "Oh, are you closing?" I ventured. "Yeah, well, er, what do you want? Do you know exactly?" "Yes, yes!" I said,. "Well, in that case, be quick". I then added some remark about them closing earlier than the other stores. "Christmas is over!" he muttered. "Oh?" I said, "Whatever happened to the Twelve Days of Christmas?". He looked at me darkly.

Retailing used to comprehend Christmas. Then it became much more of Christmas-in-Advent. Woolworths was the first store in Britain to abandon the season of Christmas. Now look where they are. All the supermarkets get agitated on the 25th September. This is the date when the Christmas season starts for them. Forget about sell-by-dates. You can have five before Christmas Day if you are keen on mince pies. When questioned about the fact that they were stuffing shelves with Christmas fayre three months before the day, supermarket spokespersons blithely replied that customers liked a treat in advance. No wonder people have given up on Christmas come Boxing Day. They've been given too much beforehand.

Retailing is a vital element in our lives. We need retailers to sell us things that we require. But do we need to be so gullible, so easily led? Can we not enjoy Christmas when it comes, whether or not we are religiously minded? I have a fear that retailing may be the last chink to fly loose. We have surrended our manufacturing capabilities. We do have inventiveness, but that is sold to the Chinese and others. I bought a pair of decent pyjamas at Asda yesterday for £6. How much went to the Sri Lankan worker I do not know, but I hazard a guess it was not much. I'm pleased I got them, but I am getting a bit of a conscience twinge. Some tell me that there's not much I can do about it, apart from not buying things. But how can I do that when so much (probably everything) in superstores is made overseas?

At one time it was only MFI that had continual sales (except when they had promotions!) and MFI is now in retailing oblivion. Retailers are mixing "driving down costs" "tax increases" and "Made in China" into a potent concoction. How cheap everything can get is far from certain. Even before Christmas shops were offering "massive discounts" that one wondered if the New Year might see them in receivership. Price rises must surely come about just to keep businesses afloat. But that may well be where the trouble begins. It's all very well having stuff made in China, but if the Chinese workers feel they are the ones getting a raw deal, costs there will increase. And workers in the UK, Europe, USA, et al in the West will also clamour for better conditions.

Maybe British retailers should take a step back and look at things long term. For instance, does it make sense to spend so much carting apples around the world when they can be grown a few miles from the local shops? And is the quality of the fruit worth it all. We just got some strawberries which have the texture of apples. Why have these soft fruits got hard centres? Oh, and we bought a load of green bananas as they passed their sell-by-date. Does any of it make sense?

Stores need to be reborn themselves. Otherwise we may all go down, fighting over the last remnants in the penny bazaars!

Christmas Shopping Tales

The run up to Christmas was rather different this year. For once we got some snow, at least in Solihull we did. Then there was the rather depressed feel about it all. Everyone seemed to be on the look out for bargains. I overheard a young woman say to her partner, "I don't find it very Christmassy, what with all the sales on!" I thought for a second, looked around and the very first shop I spotted declared that they offered "0% Finance" with the poster virtually covering the window. Then I saw it's next door neighbour with a vast SALE poster in brilliant red letters. That was one of many "overheards" that day.

Christmas shopping has always been relatively stressful. Not because it's unpleasant to do or anything, just that "the world and his wife" are out, as my father often used to say. What sort of world and and what sort of wife I cannot really say, except that one particular person caused an outrage in the pound shop. Breaking wind whilst trying to grab a bargain is not on my list. Someone had dealt a low one indeed. It hung around the back of the shop. Customers were eager to give a look as if to say "that's not mine, you know!". I felt a dash for the door was called for but thought a measured exit more preferable. With all the shelves having been ransacked, merchandise was on the floor. I had visions of the paramedics bending over me. "Broke 'is neck rushin' out of the shop, apparently". "I was trying to avoid the fart!", I opine gently. With my daydreams intact, I wandered off into Mel Square.

The German Market was on. Looked very festive and it was indeed a very joyful sight. There was a beer garden and lots of little stalls decked out like German alpine cabins. Trouble was, I thought at least, there were no Germans there. You can't have a German market without Germans. Brummies don't quite make up for that much of a difference. I had visions of Basil Fawlty. "Don't mention Aston Villa. I did, but I think I got away with it!"

As usual each shop visit was greeted with an enterprisingly eager young assistant. "Need any help, mate?" Mate is now officially in every retailer's training programme. "Now, Colin - when a customer enters the store what do we say?" "Need any help, mate?". "Splendid!" I ventured into one store and got two young men saying almost the same thing followed a few minutes later by a young woman using the "mate" terminology. Does anybody today stand their ground like my uncle used to do. I imagine he'd be arrested today for gross political incorrectness.

The Wednesday evening, 23rd December, found me in Tesco. It was 9.30 at night but it could have been anytime during the day. It was packed solid. People had picked the largest shopping trollies possible to push around and into each other. I only went in for a few things. I must get the hang of this better next year. As I pondered the selection in the confectionery displays I heard a male voice speaking loudly. "She said I had a big nose?", he enquired in a rather tetchy manner. It was another mobile phone user on autopilot. "She's no right to say that. She's just stirring it". I tried turning round, my curiosity needed assuaging. But there was a trolley pinning me to the shelving. By the time I did turn round he was gone. Big nose or not, I will never know. I eventually got out of Tesco, having queued up for the self-service scanner (warning those in front of queue-jumpers).

Christmas was good for us this year and still is. After all there are twelve days of Christmas, although in this secular age it's more important to bother about the 120 days before Christmas. I hope the New Year brings us all some prosperity and happiness. My goodness, the world needs more of that!

Police in Preston neighbourhood carol watch

As if the state of British society wasn't bad enough, with people being scared witless by the idea that a terrorist, paedophile, bandit or burglar is about to pounce. We live with the constant reminder that things are not safe or not suitable or whatever. Now Lancashire Police have decided to issue postcards for people to put in their doors and windows warning festive revellers not to bother calling because doors won't be opened to them. The idea is that some people are alarmed by seeing other people after dark. Forget the joy of Christmas!

This just reinforces the idea that society does not exist on any meaningful level. It's more sad than shameful.

Merry Christmas!

I'm going offline for the festivities or because of them. Happy Christmas to one and all. I am sincerely hoping 2009 will be a better year for the world. Hope is better than fear so I go into the New Year looking for the positive things in life.

If I was giving presents to a whole group of people, it would be a new set of spectacles for those who made a mess of things this year. These glasses would let the person see straight, not deviate and be good to his/her neighbour. Robert Mugabe needs a new pair for one. It's not too late for him to redeem himself. If he met up with Archbishop Tutu and started by saying, "Guess what, I'm going to see things differently from now on!", would we not feel a whole lot better, especially those suffering at his hands presently?

I live in hope for 2009!