Monday, May 3, 2010

A Labor Day Sale


It was 2010 Labor Day Sale.

The newspapers were advertising a one day’s sale in the supermarkets, hypermarkets, department stores, and shopping malls.

The roads were congested with vehicles from everywhere. Everyone, including me, had to drive at a snail’s pace. It would be okay if everyone followed the traffic rules. As it was, I had to deal with reckless drivers around me.

The eatery outlets were packed with people, so were the shopping complexes. It was a Saturday weekend where family and friends gathered together, and enjoyed a break from the daily routine, doing shopping, sightseeing and everything else under the sun.

I was on my way to a bank to withdraw money from the ATM machine for our weekly expenses. It was only upon my second trip that I managed to find an empty parking space. And it was a distant away! I sighed.

I rushed to the bank, sweating profusely. The ATM room had been expanded and renovated. It was spacious and comfortable. The air-conditioner was very cold. I loved the new design; it looked unique and appealing, suited to my taste. It was only a matter of minutes before I walked out of the room with my desired amount of money.

I walked fast to my van. My wife and my two daughters were waiting patiently. Our next trip was to a supermarket to buy our daily needs. I started my engine and maneuvered my way through the traffic. Another round of chaotic traffic woes began.

I dropped my wife and daughters in front of the supermarket. Then I looked around for another empty parking space. After some trying, I finally gave up. The parking lot was 100% full. So I stopped the van to shelter under the awning of a shop that sold mobile phones.

Lately, we had made it a rule to buy only what we needed. We had enough of extravagant expanding. We decided to save up for raining days, especially since the economy was still not that promising to recover.

It took about half an hour or so before my wife and daughters emerged from the supermarket with our needs and wants. Now it was time to make our way home.

Looking around at the people carrying lots and lots of things, we shook our heads. Is all that necessary? But we could anticipate the common responses: it was cheap; it was necessary to keep a few extras at home; oh! I had been eyeing it for so long. I looked at my wife and my wife looked back at me, we smiled together. we knew how difficult it was to break away from the spending habits.

The shoppers were smiling broadly, so were the shop owners. In fact, I didn’t notice anyone showing a sad face at all.

It was a 2010 Labor Day Sale, a happy day for everyone.

Who could deny it?

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