Suffer. Spend. Repeat.

Holiday shopping is defined drastically differently by the role one plays in the process: a joyous time of unity and togetherness for the receivers while absolute mayhem for those in charge of the price tags. And what would the American marketplace be to sit on the sidelines and hope for the best? Oliver Burkeman explores the manner through which stores advertise their holiday offers and create environments that induce mindless purchases. One way that the opinion piece captures its audience is by referencing case studies conducted by important figures, one being Penn State University. Penn State's experiment proved that music with fast tempo caused more impulsive purchasing, while a marketing professor at Western Kentucky University concluded that the same results can stem from slow tempo music as well. By using these examples as reasoning for his claim, Burkeman is able to control the audience and spread the opinion his piece is trying to convey: the holiday season is not solely responsible for ridiculous spending. Burkeman argues in his article that without the classic Christmas music, our holiday breaks seem lost and weak. However, too much of these things result in a slow loathing of the season, placing us in the zone businesses find optimal for sales. Getting caught up in the holiday season seems to be the Kryptonite for the super-spenders across the nation.