By Luis Araujo

Associate Editor

Okay, I’m guilty as charged. I go to one or two all inclusives (although literally one or two) and I go to movies at MovieTowne. I don’t doubt that, as the business editor Anthony Wilson stated a few weeks ago, there are people who can’t afford or those who overdo it, or that overdraft is as much a fact of life for some as waking up on a morning.

I’m not one of those and I’m sure that there are people like me out there who can and do enjoy these things once, well, you know, groceries are bought and car payments are made.

The fact is that I enjoy fetes, all inclusives and others as much as I enjoy seeing a movie and then taking a lime at MovieTowne. That’s the price I put on enjoyment or, most often, simple stress relief.

Are we becoming a consumer society? I guess so. But, wait. There’s another side to this.

Yes, I spend my hard-earned money at MovieTowne but there are many young people working there, young people as we all once were, trying to make a start in life.

Head start

There are also people working the bars at fetes.

The experts are right about creating wealth—about entrepreneurship—but many times all of that starts with a job, money at the end of the month. It’s up to those young people working at MovieTowne or working in bars, to build on that start, maybe to go on to start their own enterprises.

I’m not advocating spending at all cost but I think we could also look at the upside. The fact is that people are spending and while we should discourage indiscreet spending, we should also look to capitalise on the situation and make money on the fact that people are willing to spend.

Trade Minister Ken Valley described T&T as a “haven for shoppers” last year. “We have to recognise this potential and exploit the possibilities,” he said.

Being such a haven can bring its own problems. Simply trying to keep up with the Joneses will get us nowhere but if the Jones’ purchases can give somebody else an opportunity, well, that’s not such a bad thing.