|
Blog: How Much Is Enough?
 You don't always need as much as you have the space for
This morning I left my TV tuned to the Today Show on NBC when I went out. When I returned home, it had mysteriously changed itself to the Home Shopping Network. I might not have noticed if it wasn't a network I've watched only once in my entire life. As I looked at the screen I noticed that an icon appeared in the corner indicating that I could use my remote control to make a purchase. I checked it out and sure enough there's a new "interactive" program where I can click my remote and order with the push of a button. Clearly my satellite provider had programmed my TV to change to this channel as part of a new order system they set up with HSN.
It really struck me. Today I'd planned on writing about the big d-day coming up: the Friday after thanksgiving where so many of us who love to shop get sucked into getting up at 5 am to buy things we probably don't need because we've been conditioned to think we're getting a once in a lifetime deal. Every retailer around the country is probably holding 3AM conference calls this weekend to figure out how to get you to their store first and get you to spend the most money with them. But this just might to be the mother of all marketing strategy…my own television is magically turning itself to the shopping channel.
So of course, I sat and watched. They're marketing the Huggable Hanger – at the lowest price they've ever sold it at, naturally. This is actually a product I own and is the only hanger I recommend to clients, although I have the Bed, Bath & Beyond version. They're great because they are super thin so they take up much less space than any other hanger and they've got the built in cover so nothing slides off.
They've gone full out with the set. They have a before and after closet, each with 132 clothing items. They show that the Before closet can't fit all 132 items but that the Huggable Hanger side can. But here's the thing. They tell you all these great benefits in one sentence: "You can keep all those clothes and still have over half the space empty." And then, as they show that the HH side can fit more items they say "To fill with double or triple the clothes you have now…without giving anything away."
What? No, No NO!!
I don't understand how they can use the phrase "cleanse your life" in the same sentence as "will be able to shove so much more into your closet." Yes, they used the word shove. If your life and closet are cleansed I promise you, you aren't "shoving" things into any of your closets.
So right now it's approaching 10:00 PM Central time and they are approaching 101,000 sets of hangers sold. If each of these orders is the 132 pack, that's 13,332,000 hangers sold. If each person then takes their advice and buys triple the amount of clothes that's over 26 million new clothing articles purchased. So why would they recommend you fill up your newly cleared space with more clothes rather than leaving some nice breathing room in your closet. Oh. Could it be because when this program ends (or tomorrow, or next week) there's going to be another program selling… clothes?
This is such a great example of the message of excess out there everywhere seducing us. I love these hangers and if you need some, get them. Listen to the first part of the message and bring some space into your closet. But be very, very careful with the second part of the message. Being truly organized is having that breathing room. It's still regularly purging your closet of things you don't wear or that have negative energy around them. It's buying something because you know it will fill a gap in your wardrobe and not because you have an empty hanger to fill.
I'll be posting an off schedule message Thursday afternoon to help you prepare for the weekend shopping madness and take advantage of the deals without getting taken advantage of. Have a great week!
posted on: 11/18/2007 8:00:00 AM by Elisabeth Shake
category: Clutter
How Much Is Enough?: < Previous Post - Next Post >
Blog Central: < Previous Post - Next Post >
 Discuss This Post
There are no comments.
|
www.OnlineOrganizing.com is a service mark of Bradford, LLC.
