Library Catalog
Amazon cover image
Image from Amazon.com

Scroogenomics : Why You Shouldn't Buy Presents for the Holidays / Joel Waldfogel.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2009]Copyright date: ©2010Edition: Course BookDescription: 1 online resource (192 p.)Content type:
Media type:
Carrier type:
ISBN:
  • 9780691142647
  • 9781400831258
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 339.4/7 22
LOC classification:
  • HB801
Other classification:
  • online - DeGruyter
Online resources: Available additional physical forms:
  • Issued also in print.
Contents:
Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- Preface -- CHAPTER ONE. Introduction -- CHAPTER TWO. Spending and Satisfaction -- CHAPTER THREE. U.S. Holiday Spending -- CHAPTER FOUR. How Much Waste Occurs at Christmas? -- CHAPTER FIVE. Why We Do It: Are Gift Recipients Crackheads, or What? -- CHAPTER SIX. Giving and Waste around the World -- CHAPTER SEVEN. A Century of American Yuletide Spending -- CHAPTER EIGHT. Have Yourself a Borrowed Little Christmas -- CHAPTER NINE. Is Christmas Like Spam, Underwear, or Caviar? -- CHAPTER TEN. Christmas and Commercialism: Are Santa and Jesus on the Same Team? If So, Who's Team Captain? -- CHAPTER ELEVEN. Stop Carping; It's All for the Best -- CHAPTER TWELVE. Making Giving More Effi cient with Cash and Gift Cards -- CHAPTER THIRTEEN. Giving and Redistribution -- CHAPTER FOURTEEN. Solutions-Making Gift Giving a Force for Good -- Notes -- Index
Summary: Christmas is a time of seasonal cheer, family get-togethers, holiday parties, and-gift giving. Lots and lots--and lots--of gift giving. It's hard to imagine any Christmas without this time-honored custom. But let's stop to consider the gifts we receive--the rooster sweater from Grandma or the singing fish from Uncle Mike. How many of us get gifts we like? How many of us give gifts not knowing what recipients want? Did your cousin really look excited about that jumping alarm clock? Lively and informed, Scroogenomics illustrates how our consumer spending generates vast amounts of economic waste--to the shocking tune of eighty-five billion dollars each winter. Economist Joel Waldfogel provides solid explanations to show us why it's time to stop the madness and think twice before buying gifts for the holidays. When we buy for ourselves, every dollar we spend produces at least a dollar in satisfaction, because we shop carefully and purchase items that are worth more than they cost. Gift giving is different. We make less-informed choices, max out on credit to buy gifts worth less than the money spent, and leave recipients less than satisfied, creating what Waldfogel calls "deadweight loss." Waldfogel indicates that this waste isn't confined to Americans--most major economies share in this orgy of wealth destruction. While recognizing the difficulties of altering current trends, Waldfogel offers viable gift-giving alternatives. By reprioritizing our gift-giving habits, Scroogenomics proves that we can still maintain the economy without gouging our wallets, and reclaim the true spirit of the holiday season.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number URL Status Notes Barcode
eBook eBook Biblioteca "Angelicum" Pont. Univ. S.Tommaso d'Aquino Nuvola online online - DeGruyter (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Online access Not for loan (Accesso limitato) Accesso per gli utenti autorizzati / Access for authorized users (dgr)9781400831258

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- Preface -- CHAPTER ONE. Introduction -- CHAPTER TWO. Spending and Satisfaction -- CHAPTER THREE. U.S. Holiday Spending -- CHAPTER FOUR. How Much Waste Occurs at Christmas? -- CHAPTER FIVE. Why We Do It: Are Gift Recipients Crackheads, or What? -- CHAPTER SIX. Giving and Waste around the World -- CHAPTER SEVEN. A Century of American Yuletide Spending -- CHAPTER EIGHT. Have Yourself a Borrowed Little Christmas -- CHAPTER NINE. Is Christmas Like Spam, Underwear, or Caviar? -- CHAPTER TEN. Christmas and Commercialism: Are Santa and Jesus on the Same Team? If So, Who's Team Captain? -- CHAPTER ELEVEN. Stop Carping; It's All for the Best -- CHAPTER TWELVE. Making Giving More Effi cient with Cash and Gift Cards -- CHAPTER THIRTEEN. Giving and Redistribution -- CHAPTER FOURTEEN. Solutions-Making Gift Giving a Force for Good -- Notes -- Index

restricted access online access with authorization star

http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_16ec

Christmas is a time of seasonal cheer, family get-togethers, holiday parties, and-gift giving. Lots and lots--and lots--of gift giving. It's hard to imagine any Christmas without this time-honored custom. But let's stop to consider the gifts we receive--the rooster sweater from Grandma or the singing fish from Uncle Mike. How many of us get gifts we like? How many of us give gifts not knowing what recipients want? Did your cousin really look excited about that jumping alarm clock? Lively and informed, Scroogenomics illustrates how our consumer spending generates vast amounts of economic waste--to the shocking tune of eighty-five billion dollars each winter. Economist Joel Waldfogel provides solid explanations to show us why it's time to stop the madness and think twice before buying gifts for the holidays. When we buy for ourselves, every dollar we spend produces at least a dollar in satisfaction, because we shop carefully and purchase items that are worth more than they cost. Gift giving is different. We make less-informed choices, max out on credit to buy gifts worth less than the money spent, and leave recipients less than satisfied, creating what Waldfogel calls "deadweight loss." Waldfogel indicates that this waste isn't confined to Americans--most major economies share in this orgy of wealth destruction. While recognizing the difficulties of altering current trends, Waldfogel offers viable gift-giving alternatives. By reprioritizing our gift-giving habits, Scroogenomics proves that we can still maintain the economy without gouging our wallets, and reclaim the true spirit of the holiday season.

Issued also in print.

Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.

In English.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 30. Aug 2021)