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Want to make conscious purchasing decisions on Black Friday despite the siren call of jaw-dropping deals?
Whether you’re searching for crowd-pleasing holiday gifts or simply waiting for those amazing discounts to help you upgrade your home or capsule wardrobe, we’ve got you covered.
Here are the most important things you should ask during the Black Friday sales.
The post is all about making Black Friday purchases more mindful!
Let’s go ahead and say it – nothing can captivate consumer-driven souls more than Black Friday deals.
Caffeine-fueled and ready to pounce on those irresistible deals, this post-Thanksgiving tradition seems like the perfect way to kick off the holiday season.
Let’s not forget the slew of drip-feed teasers from brands that want to create buzz and deploy clever marketing tactics to ensure you’re primed and ready to shop until you drop.
However, the hidden cost of Black Friday shopping comes with a huge environmental “tax.”
When people perceive something as scarce or in limited supply, their desire for it increases dramatically.
In the context of Black Friday shopping, limited-time deals create the perception of scarcity, triggering the psychological response that we must act quickly to secure these exclusive offers.
And, you guessed it, it’s inherently unsustainable!
Why Is Black Friday Not Sustainable?
The focus on fast and cheap deals during Black Friday perpetuates a disposable culture. This not only wastes resources but also increases the overall environmental footprint of goods.
The aftermath of Black Friday often results in a surge in waste, including packaging materials, discarded products, and even electronic waste.
Many products purchased during Black Friday sales are eventually disposed of, adding to landfills and contributing to environmental degradation.
In fact, 80% of products bought at Black Friday end up in landfills, are incinerated, or are recycled poorly!
Plus, in 2023, Black Friday is expected to produce 429,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from product deliveries alone. Let’s not forget the thousands of returned items!
Logistics company Optoro found that returning items bought during the sales used over 1.2 billion gallons of diesel and emitted 12 million metric tonnes of CO2. That was just in the US alone.
These are only some of the reasons why we should all try to make conscious purchasing decisions on Black Friday.
We’ve already made a list of the Best Sustainable Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sales of 2023 to help you make the best sustainable buying decisions. But before you start clicking “add to cart,” let’s go over the most important questions to ask yourself before that Black Friday sale.
This blog post is all about making conscious purchasing decisions on Black Friday.
What Questions Should I Ask Before Making a Black Friday Purchase?
1. Would I still want this if it wasn’t on sale?
Sales can trigger consumers into purchasing on impulse without truly thinking about whether they need it or not. Add the hype up of sales with the holiday season, and we are in for a serious consumer trap.
Studies show that the “end-of-year” consumer is far more impulsive as a buyer than at other times of the year. They apply emotional judgment rather than logical judgment to their purchase decisions.
Big brands love to use various marketing manipulations or “dark patterns,” – which are design choices that benefit an online service by “coercing, steering, or deceiving users into making unintended and potentially harmful decisions.”
These well-designed manipulations performed by websites during this period aim to directly affect the cognitive decision-making process, leading to impulsive, emotional-based purchasing. Scary, huh?!
2. Where will this item be in a few months? Still in Use? In the Landfill?
Some pretty scary statistics are running rampant on the internet about where our Black Friday purchases really end at the end of the year – usually the landfill.
A new report says that up to 80 percent of items—and any plastic packaging they are wrapped in—will end up either in landfill, incineration, or—at best—low-quality recycling, often after a very short life.
To avoid unwanted waste, asking yourself honestly and openly, “Where will this item *REALLY* be in a few months or a year?” is a great question.
3. Am I being manipulated into shopping?
We all know that we are being *manipulated* by colors, flashing sales signs, and gorgeous models, but it goes deeper than that. We are being manipulated into shopping by thousands of variables nowadays – especially online.
Email marketing, social media, influencers, greenwashing….the list is never-ending. Keep asking yourself this question repeatedly – and gain true wisdom on consumerism in the process.
4. Is my anxiety taking control of my shopping habits?
Did you know that individuals who engage in compulsive shopping usually have co-occurring disorders such as anxiety, eating disorders, substance disorders, depression, and personality disorders?
Compulsive shopping may be confused with shopping sprees during a manic episode or bipolar disorder.
Shopping addictions are serious, and we need to keep ourselves safe.
Ask the questions and seek help. There is absolutely ZERO shame in having a shopping addiction. Seek help and heal from the anchors that hold you down.
5. How many times will I actually use this purchase?
A key question to use before making any conscious purchase decision on Black Friday and thereafter.
How often will you use this item in the next few months? In one year? In five years?
This question is one of the most important questions I personally ask before making a fashion or home appliance purchasing decision. If the answer is over 30 in the next few months, I know it is a sound purchase. If not, I will look for rental options or just move on.
6. Will this item serve me in the long run?
In our fast-paced consumer culture, it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of short-term satisfaction. Does this item have a warranty? Repair service? How about a long life cycle? We want to ask these questions about our purchase to ensure they serve us in the long run.
Consider the life cycle of the product. How long do you expect it to remain useful? Sustainable Black Friday shopping involves choosing items that won’t become obsolete or worn out within a season. Think timeless fashion pieces, classic home decor, or tech that’s built to last.
Also, sustainable products are designed with the intention of being fixed, not discarded. This means that if a component breaks or malfunctions, you can breathe new life into your purchase rather than sending it to the landfill.
7. Am I supporting a company that aligns with my ethics? Is this company taking part in business practices that align with how I wish the world to be?
Some of our all-time favourite consumer questions here at Sustainably Kind Living:
- Who made this item?
- Can I find something similar to this item from a secondhand website?
- Do the business practices of this company align with my ethics?
This blog post was all about making conscious purchasing decisions on Black Friday.
There you have it – all the information you need to make conscious purchasing decisions on Black Friday.
While the allure of discounts and deals is undeniable, we’ve discovered that sustainable shopping practices can coexist with the thrill of finding a bargain.
So, as we step into the bustling stores or navigate the digital marketplace on this special day, let’s remember the power we hold as consumers.
Remember to always ask these questions before making a Black Friday Purchase. Our planet and your wallet will thank you for that!
Did you enjoy these top 7 questions to ask on Black Friday? Check out these other helpful posts below!
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