Black Friday is a day that has gained massive recognition globally as a shopping occasion symbolizing consumerism and showing the massive impact a trend can have on the world. We live in an age where individuals are driven by popular culture or the various trends and craze that arise. Black Friday is one of many examples that exhibit this. Let’s take a look at why Black Friday is such a renowned day and if it really is worth that title.
Causes:
Fear of missing out: Consumers give into the shopping frenzy of Black Friday as they have a fear of missing out on ostensible bargains (deals that are not really deals) which rather are contrived as companies implement slight mark-ups on their original prices days before Black Friday to entice a greater clientele. Through this, companies manipulate people into believing that they’re getting great discounts when really they may get the same “deals” in the middle of the year and maybe even for less.
“Limited-time offers”: By offering deals that are only available on specific occasions such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, individuals yield to their intuitive reactions and believe they must take the opportunity so they don’t regret it later when the prices once again rise, supporting the psychological concept of loss aversion in humans.
Shopping for the beginning of the holiday season: One of the most prominent reasons that Black Friday deals are especially valued, is due to the time of year it falls under. As Black Friday is positioned so close to the holiday season, where Christmas shopping and spending for various seasonal events and parties is at its peak, families rush to take full advantage of the more affordable “deals and discounts” to fulfill their needs.
Effects:
Growing carbon footprint: Euronews states that “research from wastemanaged.co.uk [estimated the 2021 Black Friday] shopping bonanza will generate 429,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from product deliveries alone…the equivalent of 435 return flights between London and New York.” The increased consumption of material dedicated for Black Friday can cause increased pollution from mining, exhaustion of natural resources, and a higher carbon footprint from the increased amount of online orders resulting in deliveries.
Promotes overconsumption: In addition to this, Black Friday pushes individuals to purchase unnecessary items just because of the deals and discounts. It can lead to impulse shopping and irrelevant spending. Not only would this negatively impact the individuals prey to this shopping day, but it would also allow companies and various brands to take advantage of the day to get rid of unsold stock, at the expense of the consumers and the environment.
Outsourcing labor: Production at such a large scale also requires more laborers that are often mistreated and deprived of a good living wage. Furthermore, the profits that are made from Black Friday sales do not go to the workers. A noticeable example is the multitude of Amazon workers that pack and deliver products as they are under a lot of stress to meet deadlines with long working hours.
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