We are deep in the Holiday shopping season. There are less then 10 days left. So I thought it would be fun to talk about two very different perspectives on shopping.
While living in
South America I noticed some distinct cultural shopping norms between how people approach shopping in South America and how they approach it here in the states. Starting with the obvious, we are much more about the purchase. The Latino community in South America I lived in was much more about getting the family together and going down to the artisan market or to a mail as a group. Here in the states we may be able to do a little bit of our shopping together as a family but the truth is it seems much more at a certain point a necessity to go shopping alone to get things done. Right there is a big part of the difference, the gifts are so important, we rush around in the states rather than slowing down and enjoying each other. Here we get into our cars, fight the traffic to get to a mail or shopping center. We go to battle against others who would take the parking spot we thought was rightly ours. We even get up at 3 am on the day after thanksgiving to wait in line at a store to get something thirty or fifty percent off that we probably don't need.
Meanwhile Latino shoppers are not perfect or overly considerate either. They too have to drive in traffic to get to where they want to go, find a parking spot and wait in line to buy something they want. Now when I refer to "Latino" don't we primarily think "developing country"? Lack of infrastructure and novices at commerce? Well the truth is there are a lot of things the U.S. could learn from the Latino community by the way they shop and were importance is placed. For example in many countries in South America parking lots at local mails have handicapped parking, parking for pregnet woman and parking for women with infants. To me this seems like such a civil gesture.
It is not common in South America to hear about these crazy early morning sales were people are beating each other up and trampling one another to get the last doll on sale at the toy store. People in South America generally do not have the money to go crazy and buy everything they are told they have to have. Children get a gift from key members of the family but by no means do you see a tone of money spent on things that end up under the Christmas tree. I would argue that channels the focus of Christmas more toward what Christmas is really about, us focusing on each other. Instead of having the best of everything, Latinos get to dance together, eat together, drink together. That really makes Christmas about people and that is what it should be about. With the state of the economy we should get back to our older traditional customs. This year if money is tight and you are not able to get the people you love and care about the gift you want, channel the focus to not what you didn't get them but rather how lucky you are to have them in your life. Tell them how much you love them, give them a hug and simply say thank you. We have to appreciate what we have and we need to look around to see who we have. We are very very blessed. Speaking for myself I don't car if I loose my house and my business. All that is important is my family, friends, and my health. I know if I keep my focus on what is important I can recover from anything. Anyway thanks for reading the blog and lets get to the Secret Sale Item.
To be fitting to the topic of the blog post I have chosen the Chocho rojo jewelry line as our Secret Sale Item. It is a red seed that is considered by communities in the Amazon to be good luck. As well as having a great story, the Chocho rojo line is well priced under $29.95. With the 50% of the most expensive piece would $14.98. The various bracelets and earrings will be $7.50 and less. This sale is good From 10 am Wednesday until 10 am Thursday.
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