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Black Friday

Bye-bye Black Friday – hello buy better day

Since Black Friday was first celebrated in this country 14 years ago, the 'always cheaper' November weekend has become an integral part of the retail calendar. Organizations such as the Fair Wear Foundation, Eco Brands, Greenfluencer and other activists are countering mass consumption with responsible shopping. Black Friday becomes a buy better (or nothing) day.

After Black Friday was proclaimed in Philadelphia on November 24, 1961 to lure people downtown with low prices between Thanksgiving and the weekend, the shopping day has expanded into a shopping weekend (until Cyber ​​Monday). It took 45 years for Black Friday to arrive in Germany. Apple has lowered its prices for a one-day shopping event to get sales of its products back on track.

Black Friday is so yesterday. It’s 2020.

And the concept has been accepted. According to the German trade association, from Black Friday to Cyber ​​Monday in 2017, purchases cost 1.7 billion euros. In 2018 it was already 2.4 billion euros and in 2019 a full 3.1 billion euros. The HDE is expecting a record turnover this year: around 3.7 billion euros will be invested in technology, fashion, beauty & co. Over the shopping weekend. That is 18 percent more than in the previous year. This time, the bargain offers were announced much earlier due to the corona: the first offers appeared at the end of October. In some places a “Black November” was even proclaimed.

Buy less but better day. Why not?!

Numerous organizations of the slow fashion movement have developed various campaigns and strategies to put an end to massive and often senseless consumption.

  • Each individual can set a small sign by not buying at all and declaring the Black Friday Weekend to be a “buy nothing day”. The Dutch fair fashion blogger Sara Dubbledam founded the @thenobuychallenge together with a colleague. Unfortunately only available in Dutch, but if you feel like it, you can post an outfit of yourself between Friday and Monday that you have had for a long time and still love and share it with #BuyNothingChallenge
  • This year, too, the price savings will not always be as high as expected. If you really want to save, you should act according to the “buy less but better” principle and not buy things that you do not need.
  • Buy better day: If you want to spend your money, you can invest the money in quality apart from the XL marketing machinery and support eco brands through purchases.
  • Get active now: Fashion Revolution is all year long. Right now the question “Who made my clothes” is more important than ever. Therefore: ask in the shop specifically about the working conditions under which a piece of clothing was manufactured.
  • How to? The Fair Wear Foundation, which has been working with more than 130 fashion and textile brands worldwide for a fairer and more humane production of clothing for 21 years, has proclaimed Fair Friday and is giving it in the “Black Friday” week under the hashtag #peoplefriendlyfashion Tips for sustainable shopping. Anyone who has made a “good purchase” is invited to share it with others using the Fair Wear hashtag.

Are you in?

Black Friday