Mostly when I receive press releases for KBzine, I smile - particularly when I look at the fabulous images of all the things I can't afford. There probably aren't many jobs that create the 'I wants' as much as mine does, but at the moment, I'm enjoying dreaming...

This week though, my inbox has been filled with releases that caused me to screw up my face. You may have guessed the subject matter of most of them: Black Friday - a tradition which, I feel, brings out many of the worst aspects of human behaviour. I don't think it does the retail sector any good in the long run, while the hype causes a panic amongst many of the general population that no doubt persuades the weaker-willed to buy things they wouldn't have bought in the first place, probably don't need and may not actually be able to afford. And as for the potential for being preserved for posterity by a film crew recording the disgraceful scrum - well, it doesn't bear thinking about, does it?

Plus, it creates waste, with people replacing perfectly serviceable items just for the sake of having nabbed a bargain, and since far too many of us don't recycle in the way we should, this waste adds to our landfill problems.

Then of course, it damages trust. If an item can be sold so cheaply on Black Friday, why is it so expensive throughout the rest of the year? Is it sub-standard? Has it been sold for less than the Black Friday price earlier in the year?

Who on earth started this tradition and do they still have any friends, I wonder?

The other releases I've not enjoyed reading are those regarding Smart Meters - a feeling not helped by the almost daily 'phone calls I'm receiving from my electricity provider, pretending that the free meter on offer is something of a prize. The view that these meters can cause ill-health has been around for a long time, as has the idea that they can be used to spy on us and that we'll end up being manipulated into paying more for our power if we're recorded using it in peak times. Then there's the possibility of them being hacked. The news this week that they may actually increase our bills hasn't gone down well and bearing in mind I already use as little electricity as possible anyway, the longer I can avoid having one, the better. How about you?

www.facebook.com/KBzine  

Yours,

Jan Hobbs