How is this sign any different than stores opening up on Thanksgiving to offer their shoppers great “deals”. These gimmicks sugar coat the fact that the shopper might be paying a few dollars less for that “got to have” Christmas gift while completely skating over the fact that going shopping on Thanksgiving takes away from time with the family. It is just one more example of marketing and industries have taken advantage of the core values that we have as Christians in America.
There are other holidays that have been exploited that have no connection to religion, for example Cinco de Mayo. Based on the Hispanic heritage, this holiday has been primarily associated with drinking alcohol. Similar to the exploitation of St. Patrick’s Day, everywhere you turn during March, you see merchandise that is labeled with some sort of leprechaun drinking a beer to celebrate.
It’s very common for companies to advertise a “deal” angled towards a holiday. In fact, from the economic perspective it is a great way to capitalize on the holiday shoppers. Even though it is the prime time to target specific customers, it does not make it morally right to take advantage of these holidays by offering goods or services that do not glorify the reason for the season.
How is this sign any different than stores opening up on Thanksgiving to offer their shoppers great “deals”. These gimmicks sugar coat the fact that the shopper might be paying a few dollars less for that “got to have” Christmas gift while completely skating over the fact that going shopping on Thanksgiving takes away from time with the family. It is just one more example of marketing and industries have taken advantage of the core values that we have as Christians in America.
ReplyDeleteThere are other holidays that have been exploited that have no connection to religion, for example Cinco de Mayo.
Based on the Hispanic heritage, this holiday has been primarily associated with drinking alcohol. Similar to the exploitation of St. Patrick’s Day, everywhere you turn during March, you see merchandise that is labeled with some sort of leprechaun drinking a beer to celebrate.
It’s very common for companies to advertise a “deal” angled towards a holiday. In fact, from the economic perspective it is a great way to capitalize on the holiday shoppers. Even though it is the prime time to target specific customers, it does not make it morally right to take advantage of these holidays by offering goods or services that do not glorify the reason for the season.
References:
http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/Exploiting-a-holiday-2619044.php
http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/02/01/4356344/advertisers-exploit-holidays.html