Christmas the consumers nightmare!

Peter Dolman · Christmas the consumers nightmare!

Christmas has become a consumers nightmare with the credit crunch restricting the ability to purchase while the desire is still rampant.

It would seem from the adverts on TV, newspapers etc that there are considerable bargains for consumers, "50% OFF" seems to be the norm. This is placing considerable pressure on families and there is another thread discussing shoplifting for Christmas presents.

There was a newspaper article this week claiming that 20% of adults were still paying off credit card bills from last Christmas.

Surely now is the time to stop all this excess and start buying only that we can afford. Consumption at Christmas time has got out of control, enough food is thrown away to feed thousand of refugees for weeks or even longer.

Is this really in tune with the Christmas message?

Geddi

I have some small envy for those paying off last Xmas' credit. I am struggling to pay off credit which was initiated in 2004.

I now earn over £1000 per month, but according to the right honourable organisation of the CSA I pay another 20% 'tax' off the net. Irony is that recently the interest rate has gone down in one huge drop and yet my overdraft has increased in interest %, as has my creidt card interest and other borrowing. Never mind France, does any one feel like joining the Greeks?

GTB

Geddi, no doubt you feel somewhat aggrieved at all these layabout fathers who do nothing but knocks kids out whilst not paying a penny for them?

As for it being a consumers nightmare, I think people have only got themselves to blame. Christmas for some people has gotten so competitive that there was bound to be some sort of financial melt down where the spending outweighed the earnings. I remember when I was a kid we would have a big present along with lots of stocking fillers. Nowadays it's all electrical items and the latest fad toy paid for on the never-never.