Friday, July 24, 2015

Public Service Announcement

This is a Public Service Announcement.

I have little habits and rules when it comes to my retail shopping.  Small things, rules, such as not shopping at the Wal Mart after Thanksgiving, until after Valentine's Day.  Even now, I might shop at the Wal Mart once every month or two.  And I do not like the word boycott, and so I won't use it, but the Wal Mart after Thanksgiving makes me become an angry person, and one should be delightful during the winter holidays, so I have learned to opt out of the Wal Mart for Advent and Christmas and even after.

Also, it has always irritated me that Hobby Lobby keeps their doors closed on Sundays, with self-righteous signs on their doors stating that Sundays are "closed" days so that their employees can spend that day with their families.  Except...WHEN IT COMES TO DECEMBER!!! And then, they are open on Sundays!!  HAHAHAHA.  I don't like that store.  I don't like Chik Whatever, either.  I don't like it when retail stores try to foist their beliefs on our world and expect us to follow lockstep with theirs.  I am a Christian.  But I am not one of those Christians.

I am getting cranky, so let me meander away from this vein...

Our family always has outdoor pets, and outdoor pets require food and water pans and bowls and such.  Somehow through the years I have become habitual in going to the Wal Mart in July, after the 4th, and picking up "fresh" bowls and pans for whatever animal seems to need a new one.  (Chewing, high winds, you name it!  We always seem to be in need of new outdoor pet bowls.)  And after the 4th of July, one can pick up a few of these necessities for seemingly pennies.

There are several aisles in the Wal Mart, and probably K Mart, Target, and all the other big ol' box stores, which are dedicated to the holiday(s) at hand.  Or back to school.  Or moving to college.  Marketing, marketing.

Uh-oh; I was almost at another meander, but I am retracing my thoughts to point out that days shortly after any celebration or calendar moment, the stores sell off all their plastic goods at a pittance.  And still, even after the "Clearance", there are way too many plastic items on the shelves.  Red, white , and blue, or Valentine pink, or Easter egg pastel.  Christmas RED!!  Autumn scarecrow ORANGE!!!

Ugh.

Where does all this stuff, made in China, go?  Back to China?  No.  Unless we have garnered a deal with them (hey - it does occur) to have our landfills shipped over there to their land.

Seriously, folks, if my own Wal Mart out in the middle of rural Kansas had three aisles of 4th of July plastics on clearance after the fact, multiply that by how many Wal Mart stores in the US and abroad, and also factor in the K marts and the Targets and all the others, and we have a serious landfill overload of nonessential plastic bowls, plates, pitchers, cups, figurines, and "celebration" signs that are filling up our dwindling natural resources.

THAT is where I was going with this piece.  Too much plastic, made-in-China trash that lands right there: in the trash.

Stop buying it.  Begin using traditional wares, which last from year-to-year, and through generations.

That is all.

6 comments:

Melissa G said...

And that is why, with the exception of fun printed paper napkins, I use my vintage glass "snack sets" for any gathering I host, including last week's book club. I have used plastic cups on occasion, but only the ones that are recyclable, and we DO recycle them. Besides reducing the amount of garbage we output, using real plates and cups makes the eating experience so much nicer!

Louise Plummer said...

I like this cranky Christian rant. I think there is a Walmart in every mile of this suburb. I try to avoid them as much as possible, although I must say that a walk through Target lifts my spirits. I buy my lipstick there. I would add that using cloth napkins makes home feel very civilized, especially if they don't require ironing.

twebsterarmstrong said...

Ah, cloth napkins! I received some as a wedding gift many years ago, and have continued using cloth napkins ever since. So simple! And how much nicer they feel on one's lips, than wiping one's mouth and fingers with paper. Blech.

Gillian said...

There is a monthly vendor market in Stapleton, and one woman there sells homemade napkins. I only use cloth napkins, and my next project is to learn how to sew them as well... once I find some fabric I like.

twebsterarmstrong said...

There is a tutorial somewhere in The Cloud which teaches how to make the teeny-tiny rolled hem for silk scarves and napkins and such.

Gillian said...

"The Cloud"?? If you find it, show me. I had originally thought to do mitered corners.

http://www.my3monsters.com/2013/04/How-to-sew-cloth-napkins-with-perfect-mitered-corners.html

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