Buy Nothing Day – 26 November

Melburnians went shopping crazy today, but they were offered help – a free credit card cutting-up service outside Myer in the Mall from midday to about 6pm, courtesy of the Melbourne BND Committee, supported by Environment Victoria, Friends of the Earth Melbourne, and the Australian Conservation Foundation. As well as the Credit Card Cut-up shoppers were offered counselling in the form of leaflets, and invited to consider the awful example of a number of shopping zombies … Proceedings ended with a visit from the well-known Dresses of Mass Seduction, who gave a spirited rendering of some equally well-known songs – though the words sounded a bit different …

Those who were brave enough to undergo the operation were rewarded with a free BND t-shirt, and there were also Christmas Gift Exemption Vouchers to be had for the asking. Several participants then made their way up to the State Library in time to join the Critical Mass bike ride – a good end to a good day’s work.

There is a brief video of this event on EngageMedia
See also Melbourne BND website

Woman sitting under sign offering credit card cutting

Credit card cutting service – waiting for the operation

Card being cut

The cut in progress

Tally of cards cut and credit cancelled

Keeping a tally of kills – with the total taken out of circulation

Shoppers loaded with bags of purchases

They hadn’t got the message in time, obviously

'Zombie' in department store

Nor had this unfortunate

More 'shopping zombies' in store

More victims

Anti-consumerism singlet

Designed by year ten students

Drag act singing anti-consumer songs

The Dresses of Mass Seduction rounding things off