I Shop ... therefore I Am

WITHOUT wanting to jinx the Springboks ahead of their match against Wales this evening, we reckon that if Allister Coetzee is looking for speed, power and sheer ruthlessness, he should have sent his scouts out to places like Pick n Pay and Checkers yesterday.

Because nothing – and no-one – stands between a South African shopper and a Bargain.

On Black Friday, those two giant retailers and scores of others were swamped by a human, penny-pinching tsunami. People were prepared to camp outside doors hours before opening time; prepared to shove others out of their way to snatch up the special offers; even prepared to stand in long queues waiting to pay.

Undoubtedly, in some cases, people saved less than their actual time was worth. Also, no doubt, the so-called “bargains” were nothing of the kind, because the “before” prices were inflated to start with.

However, there was still good value to be had and the only disgruntled people would have been those who didn’t get their hands on what they wanted.

There are those who will assess this frenzy as the desperation of a nation battered by inflation, unemployment, drought, an avaricious ruling clique and ratings agency downgrades... and wanting to get festive season gifts cheaply.

There is also truth in the fact that we do follow, lemming-like, the latest trends and fashions from abroad – and Black Friday has been one of the best stock-movers yet conceptualised by foreign capital.

But the truth is that we don’t care about art, history or culture. We live for shopping. We care for bargains.

I shop, therefore I am...