My thoughts on Black Friday.
It’s an event that we’ve adopted from America but in the short time it’s been in the UK, it’s already extended into Cyber Monday, then it became a week long event and now I’ve seen the term ‘Black November’, yes, an entire month, on numerous occasions.
I just don’t like it. Namely because it encourages us to buy more and therefore over-consume.
Why is this a problem? Because we’re already consuming too much. In fact, when it comes to clothes we are consuming 60% more than in the year 2000. Each time we consume something it means the Earth’s resources have been used, and we know these are precious as well as finite. If we carry on with this trajectory, clothing sales are set to triple by 2050.
What’s more, 60% of the clothes we buy will end up in the bin within 12 months.
This effectively means we’re buying more yet using less.
So why is Black Friday so tempting? It’s a curious phenomena because according to Which Magazine, 87% of deals can be found elsewhere throughout the year anyway, so it’s not really all it’s cracked up to be.
But we are subjected to enticing deals, lines of credit, 24hr access thanks to online shopping as well as succumbing to powerful influencers who actively and tirelessly promote new purchases. It’s no wonder we react and respond to the well oiled marketing machine. Seriously, look in your inbox and count exactly how many emails are in there with Black Friday deals. It’s endless.
My advice would be by all means take advantage of a special offer, but only if you were going to buy that product or service anyway. It’s also worth asking yourself these questions:
1/ Do you really need it?
2/ How often are you going to use it?
3/ How long will it likely last?
4/ Can it be sourced from an ethical and local supplier?
This way you ensure a positive shift from being an unconscious consumer to a conscious one and therefore you avoid falling prey to retailers seeking to persuade us to buy things we never knew we needed....