Shops' seasonal tat!

[Passaggressfedup]

Society is in economic decline. The average family struggles to afford their bills. They can't afford to save let alone any form of luxury. This is what is shared through whatever social media platform.

So it makes me wonder? Who buys all the tat that covers whole shelves of supermarkets or shops selling cheap stuff? Christmas is over and here comes Valentine tat. Big teddy bears, huge chocolate boxes, cards that cost £10. Then the same for mother's day. The next day, all the shit for Easter? Easter family pyjamas, decorative pillows, duvet, garden stuff with bunnies on them...and it goes on, theme after theme, tat after that.

Surely this happens because it sells, and sells very well. So who has the disposable income to buy that absolute unnecessary stuff? Not even luxury, things that will end up in the bin.

Are the media selling us fake stories about families on the brick of financial crisis? Or are all these shops selling stuff that are recycled every year because it's not selling?

There are other people aside from "families". I actually detest that "hard working families" come up again and again as if they are the only people in existence. There are probably far more single people and childless couples, or "families" with grown children. Or pensioners. Some of them will very much have disposable income. I do. I don't buy tat but could if this was something I wanted.
The same goes for "nurses"... there are thousands of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, SaLTS etc. but we lump them together into homogenous "nurses" mass.

This gets done so many times on here. I have some seasonal stuff - just autumn and Christmas for me though. I have had most of my decorations for years - they don’t get thrown in the bin. What makes you think they do?

Some of the things aren’t expensive - my autumn decor probably cost me about £25 in total and if they bring a bit of joy to someone, then what’s the harm?

It’s like anything else that people post on MN asking how anybody can afford it. Some people have plenty of disposable income. And as Catza says, not everyone is a family juggling expensive children: think of all the money you spend on childcare, school dinners, school uniform, kids’ clothes and shoes, swimming lessons. Well, I have all of that money to do whatever I want with. I don’t generally buy seasonal items unless I see something really great, but plenty of people in my income position will do.

If you’re one of the people just struggling to pay the bills then the polite and sensitive people in your life won’t talk about how much more money they have than you do, so you probably won’t realise quite how many people aren’t struggling.

Me!

I really struggle in the winter and spring and changing up the cushions/pictures on the wall/ teddy bears on my shelves helps me get through it.

i am not a hard working family.

I don’t understand why this thread pops up every few weeks on here. It’s glaringly obvious that not everyone is in the same financial position. The crisis means many will have less money for fun, or more people will struggle than did before. But it obviously doesn’t mean that everyone is in the same boat.

Also why would all seasonal stuff get thrown in the bin?

It’s not specifically aimed at you OP. You have the option of not buying it. Maybe Tesco should strip its shelves of steak and champagne because some people can’t afford it

There is no puzzle here. It's known that not all households are on the breadline, but some are. It's known that some people like to buy seasonal decorations, and some don't.

Many people have a lot more disposable income than the typical posters on MN.

I have the money to buy seasonal household stuff, but don't. I regard it as tat that would add nothing of benefit to my life.

I do have Christmas decorations, but the same ones come out year after year until they fall apart.

I like a bit of autumn tat...you know, pumpkin blankets and autumnal fake bouquets

@Katemax82 Me too. Love Autumn

Nothing wrong if people want to spend their money on this. The point is that if it sells so well as it would seem, our economy is not half as bad as we are expected to believe.

Me. I love seasonal shit.

DH and I both work.
We have huge disposable income.
That's how we afford seasonal shit.
We reuse our seasonal shit year to year but also top up with anything that catches our eye.

I call it landfillcore.

Doesn't matter how often you use it, sooner or later that's where it ends up. Totally unnecessary in it's creation and use.

What and they choose to spend it on Tesco seasonal teddy bears or signs?

Equally, let's face it 'prosperity' is not the first word that comes to mind when describing this year so far!

Mumsnet

You conflate two almost unrelated issues. Bad economy is mostly characterised by the state of the stock market, GDP and interest rates and unemployment. Personal finances are affected by interest rates and unemployment but not so much by other factors. So someone could live in a country affected by low economic growth but be perfectly fine financially at the level of individual.

I don't believe the economy is nowhere near as bad as people make out

I had a thread about it ( under a different name, I will try and find it )

Surely, people on here bemoan the fact that posters' socio-economic status is not reflective of real life where people have less money not more!

I have some Easter decs that were bought before I was born, over 30 years ago, from Germany and made of wood. But our easter tradition of going to the woods and finding and painting a stick just isn’t do-able at the moment as I’m too sick, so we bought a new Easter tree from Asda about 3 years ago when I started getting sick.
I have a box of Halloween decorations, but as Halloween typically happens during the darker/colder/rainy 31st October, many of our decs have been ruined by the weather, so they sometimes need replacing/exchanging for new. (I live in a village with an actual Halloween committee and you sign up to be on a Halloween “route”)
I bought a cute Easter PJs set for a friends baby, rather than an Easter egg - something she can wear over Easter and much more practical than an egg and cheaper too!
Sometimes topping up seasonal shit is the only joy left for some people!

MN is hardly a forum full of wealthy people is it. Shops and restaurants are full of people with money to spend. Shops are not going to stock products they can't sell.

How are unemployment and interest rates unrelated to personal wealth?

I love seasonal stuff. I reuse it year after year, of course.

I have bits for autumn/ Halloween/ Christmas/ Spring/ Easter/ Summer. A door wreath and a few bits dotted about, mainly.

4 times a year (seasons) I also change the cushion covers & throws in our bedroom and the family room at the back of the house which leads to the garden. I've just done the Spring ones- lighter colours & fabrics- and I've washed the cosy, winter ones for next year. I also change the curtains in that back room for lighter, linen ones around now, packing away the velvets for next autumn/winter. It makes me happy. I love interiors & changing it up.

My mam did this, so it's definitely passed on to me.

I'm going to have a squizz in the nice gift shops today (am on holiday in the UK) as I fancy a new cushion cover with pink & green in it.

Hear, hear. Not all families are hard working and not all hard-working people are families.

But I agree - hate the amount of tat you see around, wasting resources. And it's not all cheap, either.

There seems a to be a proper bell curve of people, occupations and salaries on MN. Don't kid yourself that everyone is broke.

Totally agree.