There are lots of articles on the web these days about shortages of hot ticket toys and procrastinating shoppers, some of whom just might sit this Christmas shopping season out. An article in the Rochester "Democrat and Chronicle", "Shoppers beginning to see 'sold out'" is as good as any.
This phenomenon is worth the trouble of social scientists to try and understand. There are at least two underlying trends of some note.
- As consumers in Marshall McLuhan's "global village" one of the few things that give us a common tribal identity is we all want the same stuff. This comes from everyone seeing the same commercials.
- Shoppers faced with shortages of "must have" items, and the social pressure to buy something, anything, for their hapless recipients is so great it has spawned a whole new industry of gift cards. (Of course, other forces are at work here, like what to get the boss who already has everything.)
None of that is much help to the kid who wakes up the next day and gazes longingly at a neighbor carrying their brand new "amazing" toy.
If only we adults were better at helping them process their grief.