Why You Shouldn't Buy Presents for the Holidays
E-Book, Englisch, 192 Seiten, EPUB
ISBN: 978-1-4008-3125-8
Verlag: De Gruyter
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)
Christmas is a time of seasonal cheer, family get-togethers, holiday parties, and . . . gift giving. Lots and lots—and lots—of gift giving. It's hard to imagine any Christmas without this time-honored custom. But let's stop to consider the gifts we receive—the rooster sweater from Grandma or the singing fish from Uncle Mike. How many of us get gifts we like? How many of us give gifts not knowing what recipients want? Did your cousin really look excited about that jumping alarm clock? Lively and informed, Scroogenomics illustrates how our consumer spending generates vast amounts of economic waste—to the shocking tune of eighty-five billion dollars each winter. Economist Joel Waldfogel provides solid explanations to show us why it's time to stop the madness and think twice before buying gifts for the holidays.
When we buy for ourselves, every dollar we spend produces at least a dollar in satisfaction, because we shop carefully and purchase items that are worth more than they cost. Gift giving is different. We make less-informed choices, max out on credit to buy gifts worth less than the money spent, and leave recipients less than satisfied, creating what Waldfogel calls "deadweight loss." Waldfogel indicates that this waste isn't confined to Americans—most major economies share in this orgy of wealth destruction. While recognizing the difficulties of altering current trends, Waldfogel offers viable gift-giving alternatives.
By reprioritizing our gift-giving habits, Scroogenomics proves that we can still maintain the economy without gouging our wallets, and reclaim the true spirit of the holiday season.
Autoren/Hrsg.
Fachgebiete
- Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Gottesdienst, Riten und Zeremonien
- Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftswissenschaften: Allgemeines
- Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christentum/Christliche Theologie Allgemein
Weitere Infos & Material
Preface ix
CHAPTER ONE: Introduction 1
CHAPTER TWO: Spending and Satisfaction 6
CHAPTER THREE: U.S. Holiday Spending 23
CHAPTER FOUR: How Much Waste Occurs at Christmas? 29
CHAPTER FIVE: Why We Do It: Are Gift Recipients Crackheads, or What? 41
CHAPTER SIX: Giving and Waste around the World 57
CHAPTER SEVEN: A Century of American Yuletide Spending 71
CHAPTER EIGHT: Have Yourself a Borrowed Little Christmas 78
CHAPTER NINE: Is Christmas Like Spam, Underwear, or Caviar? 89
CHAPTER TEN: Christmas and Commercialism: Are Santa and Jesus on the Same Team? If So, Who's Team Captain? 99
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Stop Carping; It's All for the Best 104
CHAPTER TWELVE: Making Giving More Effi cient with Cash
and Gift Cards 113
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Giving and Redistribution 120
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Solutions --Making Gift Giving a Force for Good 134
Notes 147
Index 171