sales

tradition is important. it gives us a sense of past, a sense of belonging, a sense of unity. in these days of uncertainty tradition is like a glue that keeps us together. tradition comes in many forms. for some this is the time of religious traditions, and thus the most important time of the year for them. for others it is the key part of the football season when several games are played in a short period of time, a time that sorts out the men from the boys (unless of course it is ladies football). some see this as being a time of celebration, well partying an excuse to get drunk and perhaps be violently sick because it is traditional to drink far too much at this time of year.
the one tradition we all agree on is “the sales”.
as ever the sales have been well attended. people have flocked to get a bargain. items bought. bags packed. stuff taken home. people happy.
a clever process.
for me the sales are a chance to pick up some cheap books, dvds and cds. sure i could buy some clothes, but it is not like t-shirts and jeans from tescos can get much cheaper. what’s that you say, get some decent clothes! pish paw is all i can say to that. true i could buy some new furniture, but i have never seen anything wrong with sitting on the floor. the practical stuff of sales just doesn’t appeal to me.
i want the fluff and nonsense stuff, the clutter.
while stores that sell clothes, furniture, electrical goods and such like are having to cut their prices in dramatic fashion not just to deal with the issue of cash flow but also to make room for next seasons goods. stores that deal in books, cds and dvds are just doing the same old same old.
it must be great to be one of the chain bookshops you never take a risk. publishers take all the risks, they give large discounts and they have to accept returns. sure in some cases this means that the reader gets a bargain, but it also means that there is little difference between the main bookshops – they all have the same 3 for 2 offers, they are all pretty much selling the same books at a “sale” price right now. the few real bargains to be had are the handful of books that the publishers have manned up to and said no to being returned.
so i have not been tempted by the bookshops.
as for dvds and cds, again little to tempt me. zaavi is a mess, but it always was (so no wonder that it is going out of business), and little on offer that jumps out and says “buy me”. over at hmv it is the usual suspects that are on sale (again), how many times are they going to pretend that boxsets such as “band of brothers” “rocky” “godfather” et al are ever sold at full price? same with the cds, it is the same stuff that was in the last sale.
most of the items on sale are just product that the publisher is happy to take an additional hit on to eke out a few extra sales. there are no real bargains to be had.
though i am not sure why i am complaining: i am broke so not having anything to spend cash on is a good thing.

mmm could this be the start of a new tradition?