Why you shouldn’t buy anything on Black Friday

If you walk down Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse on November 24, 2023, you might barely notice it. Nevertheless, resistance to Black Friday, which is becoming more and more established, is growing from year to year: for example in the form of anti-consumer days such as ‘Buy Nothing Day’ or ‘White Monday’, which comes from Sweden. , which sets an example against overconsumption. Here are five reasons why you should ignore the discount war:

The staggering discounts cause many consumers to make a thoughtless purchase. However, the percentages are often artificially inflated because dealers refer to a non-binding price suggestion from the manufacturer.

Because many people are tempted by lower prices to make impulse purchases, the bottom line is that they don’t save anything. The opposite is usually the case: if you spend unplanned money on things you don’t need, you won’t save any money.

On Black Friday, the marketing departments of participating companies deliberately spread fear. The fear of missing out – ‘Fomo’ in English – means ‘Fear of Missing Out’ – tempts consumers to buy something because it may soon no longer be available (or at least not at such a low price).

In concrete terms, this trick is used for messages such as “only 5 units left” or “10 people are currently looking at this offer”. Another measure from the sales psychology bag of tricks is labels in fluorescent colors or consciously placing a bargain next to expensive products.

The way our society consumes today is a major driver of climate change. Greenpeace calls Black Friday “Black Day for the Environment” – and for good reason. If everything that is broken is bought new instead of repaired on these shopping days, the climate will become even warmer. Instead of a more environmentally friendly circular economy, Black Friday continues to fuel the problematic linear economy.

Buying clothing and electronics in particular harms our environment – ​​because of the long transport routes or because the required production processes and raw materials are not sustainable. The fact that a lot of online orders and returns are made on Black Friday causes even more emissions.

The run-up to Christmas means pure stress for many retail employees: longer working days, stores that are also open on Sundays and even more customers than usual to serve and advise. This not only affects sellers, but also logistics and couriers.

In addition, low prices are often due to unfair working conditions in the production country. Child labor, low wages and poor social services make it possible for retailers to offer Black Friday deals.

Not only consumers and employees, but also stores and online shops are under enormous pressure during the sales days and weeks in November. Especially in the sales-relevant months of November and December, it is crucial for them to remain competitive.

While all major retailers offer rock-bottom prices, small and medium-sized businesses must also follow suit to get their goods to customers. Unlike smaller and medium-sized retailers, retail giants can negotiate special terms with their suppliers in the run-up to Black Friday and often receive a significant discount on their goods as a result.

In an economic system already characterized by numerous quasi-monopolies, Black Friday and the like put smaller companies under even greater pressure.