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It's
not easy to buy nothing at Christiana Mall, but it can be done
11/29/05 By AL MASCITTI I knew I was late, but I headed over to Christiana Mall on Monday to buy nothing. Anyone who read the newspaper knows Friday was "Buy Nothing Day," and that a half-dozen people caught in the mall dispensing nothing and wearing "Buy Nothing" shirts were handcuffed and hauled away. It's easy to see why. Merchants who rent space in an upscale retail center are paying good money for their captive audience. You can't just allow freeloaders to peddle their wares without renting so much as a temporary kiosk. Wait, some would say. These roving retailers weren't competing with any of the mall's more than 150 businesses. No other merchant on the premises lists "nothing" among its offerings. Of course, that's a good indication Delawareans prefer anything to nothing. In our capitalist society, anyone who wants to market goods or services is free to do so. If demand for nothing existed, theoretically entrepreneurs would step up to fill it. Or would they? Sales figures retailers reported for the holiday weekend were down slightly from the same weekend last year, despite an impressive amount of foot traffic in the stores. Many shoppers must have gone home with nothing. Could it be that the Buy Nothing movement is catching on? Not really -- not at Christiana Mall, at least. The crowds were thinner Monday, but the majority of the people I saw over the course of a couple of hours headed back to their cars with at least one bag in tow. A stroll through the mall showed why. It isn't easy to buy nothing there -- everywhere I looked were merchants who were selling things I was tempted to buy. One vendor was selling radio-controlled flying saucers that he was happy to demonstrate -- but only to shoulder height because, he said, the mall's management didn't want him to create a disturbance. If management is worried about a foam-and-plastic disc causing a ruckus, no wonder free samples of nothing are verboten. One new retailer should be called the Goth Shop -- most of the merchandise consisted of black T-shirts advertising one anti-establishment, anti-corporate rock band or another. Surely if enough people embrace the concept, the anti-capitalist message will get through -- especially with the store offering a buy-one, get-one-for-half-price special -- but it must be acknowledged that among hundreds of offerings, none of the shirts featured the "Buy Nothing" message. Even the Salvation Army is having a hard time selling nothing. Although the mall's new ownership has restricted the placement of bell-ringers and red kettles, making it harder for shoppers to give money away, it has allowed the organization to operate an "angel tree." Shoppers can pick a tag and buy a child a gift, but be warned -- the wishes tend toward video games and other electronic doodads that cost a good bit more than the pocket change most people donate. In the end I was able to fulfill my mission and leave with nothing, but on the way home I filled the gas tank at a Citgo station because It's not easy to buy nothing at Christiana Mall, but it can be done. Copyright © 2005, The News Journal Reprinted with permission of The News Journal |
