Buy Nothing Friday!

[bif]

In protest to the barrage of Black Friday deals, I make it a point of not spending a singe penny at stores today. Wasn't that an official thing from a few years ago or am I imagining it?

[RainCaster]

1. Yes!

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

2. I NEVER go to stores, never wait in line with the swine herd, spent my $100 on Amazon, be here Mon.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. I do need to get some groceries,

but I haven't been shopping the Friday after Thanksgiving in decades now.

[whistler162]

26. Local grocery store wasn't

very busy today and buying fish from a local restaurant food truck later today.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

42. When I finally got to the grocery store around 2pm, it wasn't very full, and I was able

to get what I needed quite easily
. I now have meals for about a week. Hooray!

[bif]

4. A woman I used to work with...

Used to get together for Thanksgiving with her sisters. Then, after dinner, they'd fill up several thermoses with booze, head to the mall, and camp out overnight, waiting for the shoes to open at dawn. Jesus, what a sad way to spend a holiday.

[Treefrog]

18. Obviously they enjoyed that. People differ.

I was out in a cold drizzle on a long early hike today. No doubt many people would see nothing appealing about that! We had a blast!

Why so disapproving of what people do for fun?

[bif]

22. I just knew someone would have a problem with my comment.

Sheesh, I could post the word "the" and someone would blast me for it.

[Treefrog]

30. Well hell, you seemed to be sneering at people doing what

was fun for them.

I sure don't have a problem with it but I just wonder why in the world would it bother you what other people do for fun? It bothered you enough that you've remembered it for quite some time and thought enough to post it on a discussion board. I dunno, that kind of thing flummoxes me.

How can anyone care what others do for fun? Assuming legal and doesn't hurt others, of course.

[LisaM]

35. I agree wholeheartedly.

I had to run in and buy something at, I think, Target twelve or so years ago the day before Thanksgiving. It's near a Best Buy and there were people out there camping (Seattle, so not too cold) overnight. They were mostly immigrants or seemed to be, and they were having fun, laughing and just enjoying life. I was kind of envious; our family always bickered a lot at holidays.

At that moment, I stopped letting Black Friday bother me. Overconsumption is a different issue, but I got the idea most of them were there to get cheap TVs, which they would then watch together as a family. Maybe money was tight and this purchase was a big deal. I don't know, but it stuck with me that they were just having a good time.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

47. Several decades ago I did Black Friday with my sister.

We'd get up early and to to a store. We actually weren't buying any of the supposed huge bargains, just stuff for Christmas presents. What was nice was being with my sister. We did it several years, and then realized there was no real point. We weren't getting excellent deals, and we could instead stay at home.

Today I did some grocery shopping, and it was nice because the store was quite empty and it was easy to get what I needed.

I will add that I have long been horrified at how much money so many people spend on Christmas. Really? Why?

Some years back my family, meaning all my brothers and sisters and most of the next generation, was going to have Christmas together with my mom. I was going to need to buy presents for a lot more people than I normally would. So I set a ten dollar limit per person, and worked rather hard at keeping within that limit. It worked quite well, and forced me to be somewhat creative, given the money limit.

A lot or people just enlarge the amount of money they spend, which really isn't necessary at all. Again, a specific dollar limit can be very helpful.

[Ron Green]

36. Consumption, mindless and otherwise, is an activity that's often harmful to our culture and

our world. A morning walk in a cold drizzle hurts no one and sets a good example for others.

Very different things that people do for fun.

[ForgedCrank]

45. Well, because

it's just a fun thing for some people. I won't claim to understand it, but they do it for kicks.
My wife is one of them. Not the camping part, but she likes to go out to the 24 hour binge sale things on that night. It's some sort of challenge I think, navigating the crowds or something. Sort of like when we get 24" of snow, I like to jump in one of the trucks and go drift-busting just to see if I can do it. Sounds stupid, and it probably is, but it sure is fun.

[Hotler]

5. 11/26/22, Small Business Saturday. Boycott the big box on Friday, shop mom and pop on Saturday.

Saturday, November 26, 2022 is Small Business Saturday – a day to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities. This year, we know that small businesses need our support now more than ever as they navigate, retool and pivot from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Please join SBA and organizations across the country in supporting your local small businesses by shopping at a small business.

https://www.sba.gov/about-sba/organization/sba-initiatives/small-business-saturday

[brooklynite]

6. It was NEVER an "official thing"

Some people chose not to shop. Some people shopped. Your choice.

[Blues Heron]

13. it was an organized protest

maybe not official, but I dont think Bif was implying it was organized by some government, just that it was a real, honest to goodness, organized thing, which it is.




from the wik

Buy Nothing Day was founded in Vancouver by artist Ted Dave[3] and subsequently promoted by Adbusters[4] based in Canada.

The first Buy Nothing Day was organized in Canada in September 1992 "as a day for society to examine the issue of overconsumption."

[brooklynite]

40. Organized or not, I'm not aware of any consequential numbers.

[pandr32]

7. They have gotten around that.

Black Friday deals have been going on all week.

[Boomerproud]

10. Ever since Halloween.

Since when is shopping news? Just passed CNN and sure enough it's BLACK FRIDAY and people are FLOCKING to the stores in spite of inflation. Oh my my.

[pandr32]

38. Not for us.

Sitting the madness out.

[IbogaProject]

8. Church of Stop Shopping

Is an actual group w Reverend Billy as their leader here in NYC.

[lindysalsagal]

15. I saw the Reverend Billy Live. Great show! He's right.

I don't buy gifts much anymore for any reason. Waiting for grandchildren to spoil....

[2naSalit]

9. It started a long time ago...

Can't recall when, gets revived once in a while. I haven't shopped on black Friday since then. I don't like crowds so it just reinforces the desire to participate.

I do have to buy something that I though I purchased two weeks ago only to realize, this morning, that my order had been canceled. I will wait to reorder.

[Hortensis]

11. :) But I don't see the big virtue of waiting until next week.

Imo, refusing to shop the day after Thanksgiving and joining the crowds for a shopping party are both fine. Live and let live.

As pointed out, though, the party's already winding down. Without that, can another reason be found to keep energy for a "Refusal Friday" tradition stoked?

Fwiw, we have relatives who head for SE Asia every year at this time to skip the consumerism season entirely (children are gifted stocks and bonds in interesting companies they lightheartedly hope will take off good, that's it) -- and strongly recommend it.

[SoBlueInFL]

12. A lot of us indie online sellers offer good deals for the Thanksgiving weekend. Those specials r/o

(usually) don't extend beyond Monday. I understand avoiding the big box stores and corporate overdone madness but avoiding the little guys is hurtful to the very sellers that are already being hurt by corporate America.

[Genki Hikari]

17. Most of the businesses I've shopped from the past few days

Are indie sellers.

My interests can be rather niche, so most of what I save up to buy comes from niche sellers--i.e., independent, small businesses.

[SoBlueInFL]

19. I'll say thanks from all of us indie sellers! :)

[Tetrachloride]

14. Covid , influenza, RSV -- i stay home if I was in the US

as i have been for all my life. I used to go to a movie on the weekends.

[Genki Hikari]

16. I haven't shopped Black Friday in person in decades

However, I'm not in the kind of financial position to ignore online black Friday deals. I save up to get things I otherwise couldn't afford the rest of the year.

When you're not-rich, you don't have the luxury of being idealistic all the time.

[Treefrog]

20. I went to the grocery store. It was empty.

I need to buy a new coffee maker, and I'll do that on Amazon.

I hate going to stores no matter what day of the week it is!

[Generic Brad]

33. Grocery stores had deep discounts on some perishables

I bought a pound of Atlantic salmon for $4.50, a pound of hamburger for $3.89, and a 7 lb pork roast that was $0.99 a pound. That was all I bought and I hightailed it out of there. I figured no one was buying meats other than poultry and ham so the grocery store must have other refrigerated meats they needed to unload before it spoiled. I guessed correctly.

Now I'm home slow roasting a pork roast.

[sarcasmo]

21. Grocery delivery, no in store shopping.

[homegirl]

23. Me

too!!!

[moreland01]

24. But I need new hiking shoes

and Zappos has this $130 pair of Merrill's for $50 with free shipping. Sometimes you just can't pass up a good deal. My local stores don't carry the wide size that I need, or I would buy locally.

[NullTuples]

25. No problem: Black Friday is a ghost of what it once was.

Black Friday has become "Black Friday all November and December, with deals on only the usual narrow range of items" for many retailers (I really do not need an Alexa or Ring, thank you Amazon).

Cyber Monday seems to have just sort of evaporated as well.

[a kennedy]

39. I know, "but hurry, these Black Friday deals only last until Dec 9th".

Black Friday indeed, ya really mean Black Friday lasts for forever.

[DenaliDemocrat]

46. Yep

I used to chauffeur my wife around and remember well heading out at 4AM. It was actually kind of fun. Especially in Alaska with the snow and lights.

Then it got really insane. Then it kind of went away.

[moreland01]

27. But I need new hiking shoes

and Zappos has this $130 pair of Merrill's for $50 with free shipping. Sometimes you just can't pass up a good deal. My local stores don't carry the wide size that I need, or I would buy locally.

[NickB79]

28. Done!

My daughter and I are going to hit the Mall of America this afternoon, but strictly to walk off some turkey calories. I may buy her an iced coffee though. That's about all.

[milestogo]

29. Got a huge grocery order that should last me 2 weeks.

[MontanaMama]

31. My teenage son works at Ace Hardware

and they’ve got a deal for one hour only where you can buy a $50 gift card and get a second $50 gift card for free. I’m not going anywhere today and he’s working so he’s going to take advantage of that deal for me. Other than that, I’ll participate in small business Saturday tomorrow.

[William Seger]

32. I wasn't going to buy anything today, but...

My favorite retail marijuana place had an irresistible special today: $50 ounces of premium buds.

[NQAS]

34. I bought some stuff

Needed dog good.

Some fresh fruit.

And some alcohol.

In and out of the shops in a few minutes.

No buying stuff I don’t need or want. A normal day.

[IcyPeas]

37. But... but... there's one item I really really want that costs $43 and I can get $10 off today...

[WhiskeyGrinder]

41. Protesting a deal? To what end?

[Initech]

43. I'm so over Black Friday.

Most of the deals they have anyways are shit, and not worth fighting crowds over.

[DenaliDemocrat]

44. The Black Fridays battle is over

And kind of died about five years ago. The backlash from push it to Thanksgiving Day was successful. It’s not remotely what it once was.