ThisIsRetail #29
Welcome to ThisIsRetail, our occasional look at some of the more diverse and unexpected stuff influencing the way we buy, sell, and consume in the 21st century.
Office drinks. Competitive gifting. Travel chaos. Temporary alcoholism. Over eating. Penury. Overstayed welcomes. It's easy to be cynical about Christmas…
In our festive special, we celebrate human self-control with news of an unprecedented (and, frankly, surprising) zero (0) fatalities during last month's Black Friday.
Those jolly old souls - the economists - appear bearing gifts of heart-warming Christmas card tidings such as "non-cash presents serve many functions such as signalling regard". And we'll be investigating just what on earth is going on with Japan's obsession with eating KFC for Christmas, plus a few more festive crackers.
And as you’ve been good all year, we’ve even thrown a few extra bits and pieces in a stocking for you.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
🎶🔔🎶🔔🎶🔔🎶🔔🎶🔔 📄✔🧦🥛🍪🎅🎄🌟☃️🥕🎁 🎶🔔🎶🔔🎶🔔🎶🔔🎶🔔
If Economists Wrote Christmas Cards
The University of Chicago asks a group of academics about gift-giving and the holidays. Their responses will melt your heart [The Atlantic]
"Fist of Christmas"
This is what happens when a neural network creates Christmas movies [Wired]
Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!
Inside Japan’s obsession with KFC for Christmas [Smithsonian Magazine]
Bad Santa
Santa and the cash-for-access scandal [New York Times]
Second Helpings?
African swine fever and extreme weather push up costs for festive diners [Financial Times]
🎶🔔🎶🔔🎶🔔🎶🔔🎶🔔 📄✔🧦🥛🍪🎅🎄🌟☃️🥕🎁 🎶🔔🎶🔔🎶🔔🎶🔔🎶🔔
🎶🔔🎶🔔🎶🔔🎶🔔🎶🔔 📄✔🧦🥛🍪🎅🎄🌟☃️🥕🎁 🎶🔔🎶🔔🎶🔔🎶🔔🎶🔔
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