Christmas is the one time of year when the nation’s consumption practices appear to converge and people more or less look the same in the cash register lines. Or do they? Driving past strip malls and specialty stores things look pretty much as they always do this time of year: parking lots full of cars and bustling shoppers burdened with over stuffed bags of presents. On the surface we all look the same, but a closer look at the the cars in the parking lots, the stores and their merchandise, and the people in them tell a story of our nation divided by income, credit, and employment.
Where I live there is a store called “Ollies”. It occupies a former grocery store on my side of town. From the outside Ollies looks pretty much like any other store. It’s on the inside that counts. It sells products that didn’t make it in conventional stores either because there were too many of one thing or another, the produce didn’t sell, or there was some type of flaw and the product ended up sent back to the producer for remanufacturing. Ollies basically sells second hand stuff and cast offs from the regular system of consumption. Why this matters is that Ollies attracts Americans who want to enjoy the idea of a middle class life style, but who no longer or never could afford one.
Besides a unique assortment of stuff in the haphazardly packed shelves, what distinguishes Ollies from the local Target or even the Walmart is Ollies clientele. Here we find old folks, folks with old rickety cars, and individuals who themselves look like they have seen easier moments sometime in the past. Lots of Ollies customers are in need of dental care some even could use a good meal. Here Christmas presents are likely to be a pair of jeans normally out of reach or a new pillow to replace the old one. There are no new Nintendo Wiis or other electronic gadgets just mostly plain stuff people want or need on an ongoing basis. For the poor Christmas presents are not always what a child dreams of getting from Santa having seen a toy on the TV. No, presents are far more likely to be something someone needs with extra cash going for the basics.
As the nation becomes more and more divided by income, by work, and by opportunity, we find ourselves at Christmas walking different paths, shopping in different stores, enjoying different comforts and ultimately less frequently sharing a sense of common security and well-being.
Ollies is a place where there is still the occasional surprise of a good deal at the right price even if the present is just a pair of jeans to replace the old ones. While the store offers a sense of belonging and the possibility of being the same as others, the mark on the box indicating its contents were refurbished is a reminder that not everyone enjoys Christmas in the same way in America.