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Weekly Short
25 November, 2022
Today is Black Friday, when attempts to sell us more stuff peak. Today, we aren’t going to be talking about what to buy, but about how to buy less and buy better.
In the UK, overall Black Friday spending is expected to drop by £850 million compared to last year. If the cost-of-living crisis is the main explanation, research also flags raising awareness of consuming reasonably and responsively. Knowing that 80% of items purchased in Black Friday end up as waste within a year encourages us to be more thoughtful about consumerism.
Some companies are taking meaningful steps to help us do just that. eBay UK announced a few weeks ago that it will only be promoting pre-owned and refurbished items this Black Friday. This aims to put the stockist looking to discount new stock down the list. Buy Me Once also encourages responsible consumerism by selling “things that last” – while the prices for their carefully chosen goods are high, the intention is that spending £65 on a garden broom means you don’t have to buy another one for many many years.
In short, take your time, buy what will be useful, and that will last. At Good Business, we are not anti-consumerism but pro-conscious consumerism and pro-people making smart decisions.
By Flora Gicquel