Friday was Buy Nothing Day, when people of good moral fibre are urged to abstain from participating in global consumerism, to meditate on the environmental effects of capitalist hegemony, or to collectivize with the culture jammers to put the third world developing countries less-developed countries on the global agenda.[1] Mostly, it seems, one does this by avoiding the after Thanksgiving Day sales.

Buy Nothing Day was a close-run thing for me. I've done my Christmas shopping early through Amazon, and as you can see from the reappearance of Exam Watch, I'm swamped with revision. Only a quick restaurant dinner (appetizer, really), a coffee and a tea, some Naked Juice, and an apple from Hamilton's Deli saved my reputation for capitalist iniquity. [2]

Fortunately, others were out there making sure that the cats stay fat, the pigs stay capitalist, and the rest of the animal farm is well-stocked with Uncle Ronald's Own Culture Jammer Preserves (™). For instance, Prof. Katherine Litvak gives details of the relationship between arbitrage markets and "doorbuster" special offers, as well as a rather clever argument in favor of enforcement of penalty clauses in consumer contracts. As she points out, though, those undertaking the Arbitrage of the Sales don't seem to be making a lot of money at it.

[1]: Joke shamelessly stolen from Yes, Minister, which come to think of it might have been a good thing to buy on Buy Nothing Day.

[2]: After writing this, I realized that it's not quite true. I forgot that I exhausted my coffee supplies while I was studying on Friday and made a quick pop into Starbucks to buy some beans. They're not the best, but they were passable and I was in a hurry. Anyway, I spent ten or so dollars at one of the symbols of global capitalism on Friday, so I haven't lost my place as one of the first against the wall when the revolution (finally) comes. Phew!

Quick Update: Also, Carrie Lukas at National Review gives thanks for WalMart. She has my hearty agreement.