How We See It | Our say on Black Friday

Black Friday has been around for a good few years now, and with most businesses around the UK participating in the event, it is perceived to be the norm. Interestingly however the movement against Black Friday is beginning to gain momentum with an increasing amount of business’ like our friends at bird and blend amongst many others opting out of the event!

Black Friday and small businesses 

The main issue surrounding Black Friday when we compare the impact it has on different businesses’ is the ability for certain companies to push for huge discounts (Not necessarily all honest, but we will come on to this shortly) that ultimately benefit the company more than the consumer. On the other side when we look at many small business’, a lot of the time it’s impossible for them to compete with the huge discounts that are being offered, leading to an unfair advantage. 

It’s also easy to forget that small companies can only afford to hold a certain amount of stock, therefore selling everything at a discounted price throughout the key trading period could mean not having anything to sell in the run-up to Christmas.

Another aspect to consider is the fact that the lead up to Christmas has traditionally been the key trading period for many business’, lots expect to make a good portion of there yearly turnover over these months, however with Black Friday coming in to the picture, buying patterns have changed, with many holding out for the pre-christmas deals which as mentioned above favour companies which are able to push for huge discounts.   

The wider impact events like Black Friday have on the planet

Moving on to the wider impact of Black Friday, it’s firstly important to mention the negative impact  hyper-consumerism has on the environment. A lot of the time, these rushed sales can lead to unnecessary purchases which are driven by our instinctive behaviour of not wanting to lose out. Whilst an increase in the consumption of plastic is one factor to consider, fast fashion over Black Friday is also amongst one of the big culprits contributing to unnecessary waste. 

It’s also worth noting that this year, where most Black Friday shopping will be carried out online, we will see a rise in air pollution due to the sudden spike in delivery drivers on the road. 

Ultimately, the most damaging aspect is how events like Black Friday lead to an overall shift to increased consumerism.

Things to watch out for when browsing for deals 

Whilst the list of negative aspects surrounding Black Friday goes on, if you are looking out for a deal on something specific, here are a few things to consider so you don’t fall victim to inconspicuous marketing tactics.   

Data has shown how many retailers actually offer discounts similar to those on Black Friday all the way throughout the year, so this is worth remembering before you purchase something under the pressure of a limited time deal. 

Whilst you can usually trust a well established brand when it comes to the quality of the product, over Black Friday some companies now actually produce products specifically for the event using cheaper materials to then sell them with only slight name variations, meaning many people buy what they think is a top of the range model, when in fact it's just been made with less quality. 

One of the key take outs from this is  to make sure that you support small business this Christmas period where possible. We are lucky to have our online store, however for many businesses which have been shut over the past month, times will be incredibly hard so it’s a great time to support your small local shops. 

We hope you are starting to get in to the Christmas spirit and whilst we don’t believe in Black Friday here at WiDEYE, we do like to offer our customers discounts in a way that we feel gives genuine value. So be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for all our latest promotions!