Conscious Buyer's Guide to Black Friday
Because you don’t need another jacket
Black Friday has become a bigger part of my work life every year. I don’t think I’ll ever escape it at this point. I saw it (many years ago now) in Australia, where brands slowly adopted the “American” holiday. I’ve seen the German version, which is very different. And now I see how much North America relies on this week to hit annual targets.
For us at the club, this is the last chance for the merch department to hit or surpass their goals. So maybe I’m more aware than the average customer. Maybe I care too much because I used to work at a start up whose whole purpose was to keep clothing out of landfill. Half of me wants to do as little harm as possible. The other half sees something I want and thinks, well, I may as well pay 50 percent for items that will ultimately end up in my wardrobe.
At the end of the day, most of us don’t need more clothes.
Biggie talked about the Ten Crack Commandments. You are either slinging crack rock, or you’ve got a wicked jump shot. Neither applies to my life.
But here are my commandments for a conscious Black Friday.
Have a list of what you actually want. (I’m not going to say ‘need.’)
Know why the item is on the list.
Ask yourself if buying more is really the answer.
Get a copy of Alec Leach’s “The World Is On Fire But We’re Still Buying Shoes.”
And read it.
Buy less but buy better. Quality means you replace things less often, so less needs to be produced.
This is the week where marketers market. Don’t fall for fake urgency.
If you are buying because of price, remember a better deal is probably coming.
Read number three again.
Ask yourself if this fits the life you are building or just your current mood.
Anything I missed?
Good luck out there.
As always,
thanks for reading.
Hayden