1980s Christmas, for 24 days before, parents take to the shops after work, scrambling to find the toy their child asked Santa for, in hopes of getting that latest Barbie or matchbox car or science kit or light-up jump rope. Even on the 24th you could still make it to the shops to get it. Today? HA!
What's Happened?
Lets explore some of the problems I see, from supply chain to internet shopping, Santa's Letter to the night before Christmas, how stressful its amped up in the last 40 years.
December 1st, up go the decorations, before that, the Grinch would notice, steal into your house and damage things to need replacing, and you' have to double up on your spending for the year, Fear Not, no, lets stay the course and delay like good Traditional Folk to December 1st.
Up go the Decorations. Out comes the Christmas Cheer, all the good boys and girls make up their Christmas list for Santa, post the Letter, having shown it to mum and dad for "spelling" So that mum and dad have enough time to find those toys in the stores.
Today, Shipping costs means the prices of goods, and this is 90% of goods for most places, are up as much as 50% from those shipping costs. That $30 toy you want to buy your kid, is $10 in shipping costs, if it were produced at the same cost locally, it'd have been $20.
There is far too much choice, and at the same time, far too little ability. The cartoons that the toys are based on can come from a multitude of origins, which means the toys are not likely to be on the shelves for your kids, locally. So when little Susie says she wants a Masha and the Bear doll, well sorry, while the internet is world wide, that doll is produced for Russians.. good luck getting one of those these days.
Oh except of course, China probably does produce one of them, fake, cheap, will break in a week versions, and your kids will find that on google and ask Santa for it.
So what happens next, Your kids asks for the toy on December 1st, you quickly scan the internet that very day, and can take a chance on 21 day shipping for 50% markup, 14 day shipping for 100% markup, or 7 day shipping for 200% markup.
Yeah, good luck if you kid takes 2 weeks to make up their mind, and another to write the letter, "Here daddy, can you post this for Santa, " on the 22nd "I want a Mongolia Sheep Herder doll, and a African Tribe Doll" which has a 31 day shipping and 2 day overnight shipping is 1000% of the dolls price, even if its cheaper than the barbies in Target/Kmart/Walmart.
So, what to do? How do you tell your kids that Santa couldn't get that doll in time, he can travel around the world overnight, and his elves (or Yetis) can make *any* toy. But he couldn't get *your*kids toys?
Thanks Capitalism, Thanks.
