Black Friday or Buy Nothing Friday?

When I started writing this post earlier this week I was doing so under the title of ‘Anyone else hate Black Friday?’ That was how I felt at the time.

Until I received an offer for an item I was already wanting to buy.

I was laughing to myself as I ordered my new jumper at a 30% discount, with a pair of lovely socks thrown in. I went on to buy one other item that I’d been browsing at for a Christmas present too. 

New perspecitves on Black Friday

That made me realise that it’s not Black Friday in itself that I hate.

But rather how many businesses use false scarcity to tempt me and others to buy things we really don’t need.

But then those who put out the offers, don’t know what I need versus what would be superfluous.

This new awareness prompted me to cull email subscriptions and unfollow lots of people and pages on social media – so I only see in my inbox and social feeds what I really want to see. In doing so I’m thrilled to now enjoy seeing what friends and family are up to again. 

Turning Black Friday into an opportunity to declutter and reconnect with people I care about feels so much better!

Letting go of Black Friday to Steping into Your Power

As for scarcity, when you realise it’s a natural human behaviour advertisers love to exploit, you can choose whether or not to let that influence what you buy over the next few days.

Bargains for things we need and were intending to buy anyway – I’m all for that.

Fear of missing out on a great deal (for something you don’t really need) – let it go and do a happy dance that you’ve stepped back into your power!

Now we’re talking… 

Celebrating Buy Nothing Friday instead

I felt even better when I discovered that since the early 1990s, the Friday after Thanksgiving was actually called Buy Nothing Friday. Until retrailers highjacked it in a bid to make more money. 

Thanks to CP26 this year, and an ever growing concern about the environment and oversumption, Buy Nothing Friday is enjoying a resurgence around the world. 

So that’s where my focus will be going forward: as far as I’m concerned, the last Friday in November will be Buy Nothing Friday. 

What do you think?