Are consumers falling out of love with Black Friday? Somewhere between the questionable discounts, the stress-inducing time-limited offers and the hassle of returns, some are realising that shopping to a deadline is just not that fun.
Overall interest in Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales shopping significantly decreased last year compared to 2023, according to research published by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC). The research was conducted in October 2024 and based on more than 1,000 interviews with consumers in Ireland aged 15 and above.
Only 36 per cent of respondents expected to make a purchase in that upcoming sales period compared to 45 per cent the previous year. Less than a third (30 per cent) of consumers said they trusted that discounts displayed by businesses are genuine.
Could concern for the environment be a factor too? The endless manufacturing, shopping, delivery, returns and landfill consumption hamster wheel makes Black Friday a bleak Friday for the planet.
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Yes, some shoppers wait all year for Black Friday to make necessary purchases they would otherwise not be able to afford, but others are enticed to buy stuff they otherwise wouldn’t.
Deals limited to a single day can foster panic buying. Time-bound special offers and discounts can influence consumers into making purchases they wouldn’t normally make. Some 45 per cent of research respondents in the State reported making an unplanned purchase during a sale and regretting it afterwards, according to the CCPC research.
Offers of “free shipping” and “free returns” contribute to the problem.
Deliveries from Black Friday sales were estimated to release more than 429,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK alone, according to a 2021 report by price-comparison site Money.co.uk.
As many as one in three shoppers will then send back their Black Friday and Cyber Monday bargains, with retailers bracing for a wave of returns on what the trade calls “Returns Tuesday”, according to logistics company Advanced Supply Chain.
The delivery and return of goods is responsible for millions of tons of CO2 emissions, contributing to climate change. And that’s nothing compared to the volume of CO2 spewed out during their manufacture.
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Black Friday has now got something of a bad name and some brands have started to distance themselves from it. Leisure-wear brand Patagonia has led the charge of those who don’t play ball. It describes the day as “a frenzy of deep discounts, limited-time offers, and last-ditch efforts urging you to ‘save’ by spending more”.
“We believe a healthy planet (and economy) needs a better model than buying and selling more and more things people don’t need,” says Patagonia of Black Friday.
The retailer has even made a film, The Shitthropocene, which it says explores how we “got to the age of cheap crap and why the impulse toward ‘more’ could destroy us all”.
Primark in the US takes a different tack. It doesn’t do Black Friday sales either, but for a different reason.
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“We don’t do Black Friday sales, because we do unbeatable prices every day,” the retailer’s US website states.
Despite a significant decrease in interest in Black Friday last year, according to the CCPC research, shoppers here still expected to spend more on the day. They anticipated spending €431 on average, up from €343 the previous year.
If you do plan to spend this Black Friday, you’ll do the planet and your pocket a good turn by buying only what you need rather than spending on “offers” for things you don’t.
By focusing on quality over quantity, you can acquire something that will last for years, not just for a season. You can make it a greener Friday by spending on sustainable and ethical brands too.
Of course, not shopping at all will save you the most, but if you feel the urge to spend, spend it on repairing or altering something you already have.
