How To Shop With Intention This Black Friday

It’s that time of the year again when people ram themselves into shops and spend hours online to try and buy the best deal possible. It has become a tradition in society, originally an American thing coming after Thanksgiving (or before - I’m British, I don’t really know.) As with many things that originate in the States, the black Friday mayhem has eventually crossed the pond, inviting Brits and Europeans into its dangerous clasp. There have been many conversations over the years on how Black Friday shopping can be detrimental, not just about people getting trampled in the best buy store, but the implications impulse spending can have on one’s bank account and subsequently the environment. Fast fashion brands, of course, do all they can to cash in on this madness with brands like Pretty Little Thing hosting 99% off sales with clothes selling for literal pennies. Consumers become enthralled by what seems like such an incredible deal, but when you dig a little deeper the truth behind these ‘incredible’ deals reveals itself. 

Instagram cult favourite Pretty Little Thing is, quite simply, atrocious in terms of its impact on the environment and worker welfare. The brand received a score of 0-10% in the Fashion Transparency Index, much like similar brands Boohoo, Fashion Nova and Revolve. For context, according to the Fashion Transparency Index themselves, the average score from all brands checked is 23%. Basically, PLT is as far away from sustainable and ethical as one could possibly get. They disclose minimal information on their suppliers and audits, and there is no evidence that they pay their workers the minimum living wage. Of course, this is a massive problem but where does Black Friday fit into this?

Humans are innately attracted to a good deal, it is in our nature and we will always be like that. Even the most money-conscious amongst us will feel realed into these deals in some way. It may seem I have slaughtered the very idea of Black Friday, granted I probably just have, but there are ways that we can shop with intention this Black Friday. There are many reasons why you may be browsing Black Friday deals today. Perhaps you desperately need to replace your current fridge and you don’t want to pay full price or maybe you want to get ahead on Christmas presents. Whatever your reason to buy, there are many ways to limit the negative effect shopping today can have. The word is ‘intention’.

Shopping with intentions, sometimes called conscious shopping, is a process where you reflect on the item you want to purchase and don’t buy impulsively. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

‘Will this item be used regularly?’

‘Do I genuinely like this product?’

‘Is this something I’ve been wanting/needing for a while?’

‘Is it a necessity?’

‘Is the product good value for money?’

‘Am I just being attracted by the low price?’

Take a step back today, take a breather and don’t rush. If the deal will still be there in a few hours or tomorrow, come back to it with a clearer head. When we make rash decisions on our purchases we can have a bigger impact than we may first believe. Of course, large blame should not be put on the consumer but while we rally against the several companies ruining our planet we can do little things ourselves to help out.