Black Friday: The National Holiday of Consumerism
In the United States, Black Friday kick-starts the holiday season on the day after Thanksgiving. With unbeatable prices and no-brainer deals, Americans rush to mainstream stores to grab holiday gifts for family and friends, and even themselves, at a discounted price. Black Friday originated in the 1950s as a social phenomena that allowed consumers to make shopping a special occasion, and small and large businesses to flourish. With the development of online shopping and the growing demand for fast fashion items, Black Friday is now one of the most lucrative events for some brands, expanding its reach to global markets. The contrast between Thanksgiving, a day dedicated to spending time with family and gratefulness, and Black Friday, a day of exorbitant spending, crucially highlights America’s problem of mass consumption. While there are numerous reasons to participate in Black Friday sales as a consumer, upon analyzing the impacts of Black Friday on the environment and its societal implications, some choose to opt out. Though the pros of Black Friday may encourage people to chase after deals and the cons discourage some from participating in the event, the impacts of Black Friday on American culture are everlasting.
In 2020, many aspects of American tradition changed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, one of which was the switch to online shopping rather than in-person. The effects have become permanent, and the Black Friday shopping scene has adapted alongside this change. The transition of deals from exclusively in-person to online has incentivized people to shop deals from home in order to beat the crowd in-store. The ability to shop online lures participation in Black Friday as having virtual access to discounted items prevents the stress of waiting in long lines for consumer goods. This also allows families to fully enjoy Thanksgiving rather than waking up early to wait in brutally long lines. In a report on which stores will be open for the 2023 Black Friday events, Shannon Flynn from BlackFriday.com found the chaos and competition is less intense than pre-2020. In 2013, the first recorded death during Black Friday events happened at a Walmart in Long Island, New York when employee Jdimytai Damour was trampled by shoppers (Pruit 2023). However, the Covid-19 pandemic discouraged store owners from inviting crowds of shoppers on Thanksgiving for early deals in 2020 (Flynn 2023). Stores like Target and Walmart found online to be a better alternative, and declared their stores would not be open on Thanksgiving going forward (Flynn 2023). This allows for a less hectic and possibly dangerous environment during the shopping craze. Instead, online Black Friday deals, which are often posted in advance, provide shoppers a safer alternative with similar financial advantages and a less hectic environment where they can rationalize purchases. The BlackFriday.com Team found that in 2021, shoppers were seeking deals in advance of Black Friday, and shoppers took advantage of those earlier postings. The Team stated that from “Nov. 1 to Nov. 29, consumers spent $109.8 billion online, up 11.9% compared to 2020,” (BlackFriday.com Team Staff 2023). The ability for shoppers to skip the mayhem of Black Friday in-person shopping proves a fruitful way to draw in more shoppers and increase profits for businesses.
Despite how much these great deals benefit people on a budget around the globe, there are detrimental environmental and social impacts caused by mass transportation and production of goods. Online shopping is a great alternative from a consumer perspective, but the increase in delivery during the Black Friday season produces great carbon emissions. Solene Rauturier, a self-proclaimed mindful digital marketer provides reasons why shoppers should not participate in Black Friday in her article on the website for Good on You. This website is dedicated to measuring the sustainability of various fashion brands and how they contribute to climate change goals, or harm, those goals. Rauturier found that, “It has been estimated that shipping accounts for 3-4% of human-caused carbon emissions” (Rauturier 2022). On top of the environmental damage caused by shipping, for companies who participate in fast fashion, the damage is even worse. Deforestation, toxins in waterways, and carbon emissions are only a few among the many environmental determinants caused by fast fashion. Black Friday only amplifies this damage done to the Earth and to employees who are often paid unfair wages and work in inhumane conditions. The company, Good Energy, supplies clients with 100% renewable electricity and works to reverse the wasteful cycle of consumerism. Their staff found that “in the US waste increases by 25% between Black Friday and the New Year” and additionally, “many products that aren’t thrown away are often returned to the company…this then leads to more waste, as these returned products end up in landfill” (Good Energy 2023). Overall, Black Friday deals distract consumers from problematic practices that companies uphold for the sake of taking advantage of the best deals.
The appeal of Black Friday consumer deals and economic gain for businesses comes at a cost, and it is important for individuals to remain conscious of their impact on the environment and contributions to mass consumerism. While this is easier said than done, Rauterier’s advice to “stop before you shop” is a mantra that might help consumers make their purchases intentionally before it’s too late this holiday season and the many to come (Rauterier 2022). Instead of participating in Black Friday at major companies, Rauterier urges buyers (who have the means) to support local fashion brands, and to participate in Giving Tuesday, a global movement dedicated to encouraging donating to non-profit companies. On the flip side, it is important to not shame those who are only able to buy these items during this discount event. Rather, consumers should strive to be more in-tune with their wants and needs as Black Friday approaches in order to avoid buyers’ remorse. In a census taken, 42% of shoppers report that they regret buying at least one item during Black Friday which reveals how marketing tools can skew conscious decision making while shopping (Connor McMahon 2023).
Black Friday is just one reflection of capitalism’s role in the United States and reveals issues that exist outside of this one event. In a list of Black Friday statistics for Zippia, a company that provides career mentorship, Connor McMahon found that 122.7 million Americans shopped Black Friday deals in 2022, revealing just how important this “holiday” is to both consumers and producers (McMahon 2023). Persuasive marketing tactics and encouragement of competition causes hysteria and stress during this period of shopping, resulting in negative effects on consumers, but positive effects for businesses. As technology and marketing evolves at a rapid pace, it is important for consumers to be purposeful with their goals and budget during holiday shopping in preparation for Black Friday.
References
Team Staff. 2023. “Black Friday History and Statistics.” BlackFriday.Com. https://blackfriday.com/news/black-friday-history.
Rauturier, Solene. 2023. “Stop Before You Shop: The Issues With Black Friday and Cyber Monday.” Good on You. https://goodonyou.eco/issues-with-black-friday/.
Suter, Imogen. 2023. “What's the environmental impact of Black Friday?” Good Energy. https://www.goodenergy.co.uk/blog/black-friday/.
McMahon, Conor. 2023. “Black Friday Statistics [2023]: Facts On Sales + Trends You Need To Know.” Zippia. https://www.zippia.com/advice/black-friday-statistics/.
Pruitt, Sarah. 2015. What's the Real History of Black Friday? | HISTORY. https://www.history.com/news/black-friday-thanksgiving-origins-history.