Accross the world, Buy Nothing Day has become an entrenched tradition as shoppers stay indoors to observe the day. While some shoppers and shop owners say it will be a wonderful idea if Nigerians embrace the idea, others differ, arguing that they would be deprived of income, TONIA ‘DIYAN reports
Penultimate Friday was observed as Black Friday all over the world, including Nigeria, where shoppers went on a shopping spree.
While many are still relishing those moments, shoppers across Europe, United Kingdom and America are already getting set to mark the Buy Nothing Day, a day people would be asked to put down their credit cards and wallets and stay away from shopping.
Buy Nothing Day is a simple idea, which challenges consumers’ culture by asking people to switch off from shopping for a day. It’s a global stand off from consumerism; it is celebrated as a holiday by some people.
Spearheaded by Adbusters in the early 90s, it has grown into an international event celebrated in some parts of the world. In Canada and America, Buy Nothing Day falls on the Friday after Thanks Giving Day. In Europe, where shoppers shop more on Saturday, it is the last Saturday in November.
Last Saturday in some countries, after shoppers’ indulge in the Black Friday bargains, they were urged to curb their spending for Buy Nothing Day which happened to be the day after this year’s Black Friday.
As developed countries, they make up 20 per cent of the world’s population and consume over 80 per cent of the earth’s natural resources.
Speaking on the justification of the Buy Nothing Day, one of the organisers, Michael Smith, said it is a tradition that has been going on for 20 years now.
According to him, people should be encouraged to think about their consumption and see that there are some daily things they take for granted.
He said: “The developing world is consuming far more than it needs to, especially the amount of waste and stuff we buy at this time of the year, we need to lower our consumption to something that is acceptable. It is basically time to lock up wallets, purses, cut up credit cards and dump shopping.
“Everything we buy has an impact on the environment; Buy Nothing Day highlights the environmental and ethical consequences of consumerism. The developed countries – only 20 per cent of the world population are consuming over 80 per cent of the earth’s natural resources, causing a disproportionate level of environmental damage, and an unfair distribution of wealth.
“As consumers, we need to question the products we buy and challenge the companies who produce them. What are the true risks to the environment and developing countries? We all know recycling is okay for the environment, but consuming less is better and Buy Nothing Day is a great way to start.”
Although the Buy Nothing Day is well-entrenched in the West, it is not certain whether this culture may resonate with Nigerians.
Speaking with a cross-section of some shoppers and business owners on the possibility of commemorating the day in Nigeria, they expressed mixed reactions.
A woman who simply gave her name as Madam Folake, and runs a boutique at Onipanu, in Lagos mainland, said as an independent shop/business, she doesn’t see the reason to support the Buy Nothing Day shopping culture.
“I own my business and this so-called shopping culture will definitely affect my business for the period it will be observed. So, I can’t support such,” she said.
Informed that the idea is to make people stop and think about what and how much they buy daily, enriching the purses of businesses, another trader, who gave his name as Godwin, said if the idea is introduced in Nigeria, it will cause harm. This, he attributed to the fact that if people are not buying on a particular day, they may end up buying in excess the previous day which is likely to increase their expenditure.
His words: “In my opinion, I don’t think Nigeria is developed enough to observe a day like that. More so, for the trader, there will be no benefits when he is not making sales.”
A shopper, Mr. Sunday Kolawole, in his opinion said he doesn’t think Nigerians need anybody or anything to teach them about saving or spending because the harsh economy is doing that already.
‘’ In Nigeria, we have people who cannot feed if they do not make sales in a day, so you can’t tell such people to just stay at home for a whole day,’’ he said.
A retailer in a Lagos shop, Mrs Ifeoma Okafor, explained that it will be a good thing if Nigeria could observe the day as it will give opportunity for buyers and sellers to have a day of compulsory rest.
Her words: ‘’ I think it is good because, it will enable one to rest and save for that day. As a trader, it will not affect my sales in any way because, people would have prepared and shop the previous day for items they need. She, however, said it is important that people are informed before the D day. Therefore, if the government is able to create enough awareness we might just be able to observe ‘Buy Nothing Day’ you know!”
Mr. Chinoso Uzor explained that a day such as that will not suite Nigeria because everybody is hustling come rain come shine to make ends meet, but it is not totally impossible to observe such a day as it will give opportunity to rest.
An educationist and shopper, Mrs. Kike Ibrahim, said the Buy Nothing Day could be observed in Nigeria addng that it will give both the shopper and seller not just an opportunity to rest but also teach them the ability to minimise their expenditure.
He said: “If other countries are doing it, why can’t we? If we don’t spend money in a day, I don’t think it will cause any harm. Therefore, it is important that parents teach their kids about spending habits and savings.”
For Bunmi Bolajoko, a shopper, Nigeria should not venture into such project at all because we are not as developed as those countries observing it. In those countries where a day like this is being observed they have better economy compared to Nigeria. She said: “I don’t think those countries have people that will go hungry if they do not buy or sell for one day but in Nigeria, we have such people and as such, we can’t compare ourselves with them.”
She, however, added that even if such a day is observed in the country, most people will not observe it because they work from Sundays to Saturdays to make ends meet.
A shopper, Mr. Akachukwu Okoha, explained that if such a day is declared he won’t feel happy because he works hard for his money and reserves the right to spend how and whenever he wants to.
He said: “I don’t need anybody to tell me how to save or spend my money, so I don’t think Nigerians need to observe such day.’’
Mrs. Dolapo Oladele thinks Nigerians will not observe such day to their busy schedule. She said: “If such happens here, it will be like shutting down the whole country and keeping everyone indoors because what brings most people out on a daily basis is buying and selling. I don’t think such a day will be necessary in Nigeria because people have better things to do than just sitting at home and not going about their normal businesses.”
Another shopper simply known as Miss. Success explained that such a day will not be possible because there is no way a person will go out without buying a thing.
She said: “I can’t go out without buying anything, if I am on my way from a place and I become thirsty that means I have to get home before drinking water? I don’t think it can be possible here.’’
Tomiwa Oladele, Head of Public Relation and Communications Nigeria and Ghana, Kaymu said: “In this side of the world the concept of Buy Nothing Day has not caught on; however Black Friday in Nigeria is catching on like wild fire, with sales across e-commerce sites doubling, tripling in some cases.”
Speaking with a source at the Consumer Protection council (CPC), who asked not to be named, the source said the Buy Nothing Day culture was strange but didn’t foreclosed whether the agency would support it or not.
