Everything that is wrong with Black Friday and some rays of hope
Once upon a time, Black Friday was a single day dedicated to excessive consumption that marked the beginning of the holiday shopping season. Those were the golden days of lining up in front of a store from 4 in the morning, shoving people out of the way while sprinting toward that discounted flat-screen TV, and engaging in violent fighting over dirt cheap rice cookers. And then come Cyber Monday that extended hyperconsumerism to the online space. On a positive note: at least it reduced the number of hand-to-hand combats in malls.
Since 2016 online shopping has been taking over physical retail. To compete with Cyber Monday, Black Friday deals have started to launch earlier, creating a month-long discount season, Black November (sometimes even starting in October). And while these discounts are available during the month, Cyber Week (that starts with Black Friday and ends with Cyber Monday) still has the most significant impact.
Impact on what? Glad you asked! Let me break it down for you:
1. Impact on the environment
Production
The amount of stuff sold during the shopping frenzy of Cyber Week is unfathomable. In 2020 large retailers registered a 403% increase in sales during these days compared to the October daily average. 186.4 million US citizens shopped during these days helping Amazon sell 86 items per SECOND on Black Friday. I couldn’t find the exact number about how much more we consume thanks to these discounts, but in my estimation, it is: a lot. But even without the exact number, we can see that buying 400% more than usual means 400% more raw materials extracted, 400% more water and chemicals used in production, and 400% more waste, pollution, and CO2 emission. Our ‘base level’ consumption is already causing climate change, biodiversity loss, and a lot more, so just imagine turning up the impact by 400%. Not promising.
Delivery
While it is much safer and more convenient, online shopping has a dark side: all the packaging waste and emissions thanks to delivery. In 2017 in the UK alone 225.000.000 extra parcels were delivered the day after Black Friday, accounting for 16% of the yearly package delivery, with the help of 82.000 diesel delivery trucks that emitted an estimated 429,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. These are arbitrary numbers, so just to make it more tangible imagine that you get one package every second for the next 7 years. Now imagine the amount of CO2 emission and packaging wase these deliveries create. That is the amount we are talking about here. And it happens in just one day. In just one country. Can you imagine the impact worldwide, through the whole shopping season?
Use and Discard
Cyber Week is about buying stuff we don’t need just because they are cheap. The low prices allow (dare I say encourage) consumers to replace their ‘old’ products in otherwise perfect condition with the newer versions. Or simply we just buy stuff we don’t even need. According to a survey 1 in 5 customers regret their Black Friday purchases. There are a few options to deal with this situation: (1) Since it was so cheap, we don’t bother sending it back, it is so much easier to just throw it out after 0–1 use. (Some articles say that 80% of the Black Friday purchases end up discarded after 0–1 use, but I couldn’t find the proper source of this information so I don’t want to reference it. However, I can imagine that a huge portion of the purchases has a rather short lifespan). (2) Send back to the retailer under the illusion that we are doing a service for the planet (at least the company can resell it to someone who wants to use it). However, a report shows that less than 10% of the returned merchandise goes back to retail shelves. Companies aim to find solutions for handling return merchandise that costs them the least amount of money and sometimes destroying, donating to charities, or selling them at liquidation auctions are the least expensive options. And let’s not forget that sending something back doubles the shipping impact.
2. Impact on the person
Benefit
I want to start by highlighting that there are situations when Black Friday discounts can be beneficial. For example, if you are struggling financially Black Friday can be a great opportunity to get some essentials at a good price. Let say if you are a broke student who can not afford to replace her 7+ year old dying laptop at normal price levels (hi there). So if you have a budget plan and know self-discipline, go ahead and take advantage of this opportunity. However as I said before, this is generally not the case of a Black Friday shopper.
Debt
It is not unusual for people to buy over their means during the period of Cyber Week. The low prices and the sense of urgency intentionally created by retailers by for example using countdown clocks, encourage people to buy stuff even if they are unsure. Combine this with the easily available buy-now-pay-later services and it becomes too easy to step over the budget. So easy indeed that 1 in 3 Americans expects to take on debt during this holiday shopping season.
Clutter
Even if we have the money to buy stuff, do we really need them? As I said before, Cyber Week is a lot about unplanned purchases and it is easy to end up with a bunch of stuff that we don’t even like or want after all. If we don’t dispose of them they will only create clutter in our living space that can have a negative impact on our mental well-being. Or if your excuse for going crazy on Black Friday is to buy presents for your loved ones ask yourself: will this thing bring value to them or will it just add clutter to their lives?
Physical pain
Luckily the concern for physical pain due to Black Friday fights is declining thanks to online shopping options, however, it is still unbelievable that there were times when people got hurt and even died on the altar of consumerism.
Time allocation
Spending the time hunting down the best Black Friday deals rather than spending the time with the family can have a negative impact on family relations and mental health.
3. Impact on society
The celebration of hyperconsumption has many names: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Cyber Week, Black November. But regardless of the name, what this celebration does is normalize overconsumption. It doubles down on the message we are told throughout the year anyway: you need more stuff. And when we focus on material stuff, we have less mental space for things such as family, friends, self-development, giving back to the community, etc. This very loud and popular bonanza around how to buy and sell the most stuff has an impact on our cultural norms and values we live by.
4. Impact on companies’ bottom line.
PROFIT. That is what companies get out of this. Especially the large ones who have the economies of scale to build up cheap inventory. Of course, there is a risk for the company to offer such big discounts, but discounts are only a part of the plan. Indeed the discounts are just the bait to lure consumers in because once they are in it is more likely that they will do the whole Christmas shopping there, filling up their baskets with non-discounted stuff.
In summary
Black Friday has a huge impact, not just on the environment but on individuals and on our cultural norms. But if Black Friday is so evil, somebody must have been doing something about it right? Right! There are many brands and movements that oppose Black Friday (and the consumerism frenzy) and here I collected a few examples to inspire you to take action (if you feel like it).
What can I do if I’m an individual?
Opt-out: Just simply not buy anything on Black Friday. Or Cyber Week. Or through the whole Black November. Easier said than done. Ads keep flooding your feed, newsletter just won’t stop coming…If you think you can’t handle being surrounded by all the shopping options you can join the #optoutside movement and spend Black Friday out in nature, far away from the hysteric shopping. Or you can get inspiration for non-materialistic gift ideas from the new Instagram account I just started instead of hastily buying a pair of gloves on Black Friday. Or you can organize a clothes swap and repair workshop together with friends.
Activism: If you want to raise your voice against Black Friday you can join some events: (these events are from the past, but probably you can find similar ones in your city this year).
- Buy Nothing Day — an international protest against consumerism. (some inspo from Instagram)
- Block Friday — Extinction Rebellion activists blocking Amazon fulfillment centers to protest against rampant consumerism.
- Make Something — a one week makers festival from Greenpeace that will teach people how to repair, upcycle, share, DIY and reuse.
What can I do as a company?
Business as usual: If you don’t want to participate in the discount race, then don’t. Just keep your business as usual.
Opt-out: Or if you want to make a bigger statement, close shop on Black Friday.
Donate your profit from Black Friday (or a part of it) to an organization for a good cause as Kotn did last year.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqatiLQB_w-/?utm_source=ig_embed
Raise your price and donate the extra income. Yes this really happens. For example: Cake Bikes
Encourage more mindful consumption: For example, Deciem decided to keep their prices low through the whole of November to lift the time pressure off of consumers’ shoulders, and they also closed their store on Black Friday (in 2020) to take a stand. Or as Patagonia says: buy less but well-made stuff so you have to replace them rarely.
Did I miss anything? How else does Black Friday have an impact on our lives and environment? What other noteworthy ani-Black Fridays initiatives are out there? Let me know in the comments!
