From the Buy Nothing By Law? department:
I guess people in Germany who read Consumatron probably don’t think too much of my weekly self-perscribed Buy Nothing days. In Germany, most stores are closed on Sunday by law. There are, of course some loopholes, such as allowing stores in train stations to remain open. This just creates longer lines at an already queue crazy locale. A Buy Nothing Day, enacted by law? Not the solution. What’s the point of taking a break from spending if you are just following orders. The whole point of a Buy Nothing Day is to consciously stop your spending and think about the things you buy almost automatically every day. Steve Chapman argues against this national day of consumer rest on the basis personal freedom and a 19 percent unemployment rate. While I don’t think selling more crap to people is a solution to a bad economy, I do defend the right to do so. I’m like a consumer Voltaire, eh? (Chicago Tribune)
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