If you browse the internet, you'll find more and more articles about responsible consumption on Black Friday, but very few like this one. And it's not that we tell you better than others. No, it's just that we've rolled up our sleeves to give you our unique and sincere approach, whether you like it or not.
We want to make you reflect and, if necessary, generate debate. Because shopping like crazy can be great until it leaves you, small businesses, and the planet broke and empty .
It's like children at Christmas. Dozens of gifts from Santa Claus and a pile from the Three Wise Men. But what happens hours later?
As soon as the sugar rush subsides, the crash hits, and you realize what you always do: the boxes that wrapped the dolls are the ones that bring the most laughter. And the best playtimes are those shared with siblings, family, and friends, regardless of the toy.
The same thing happens to adults with compulsive shopping or card binge eating.
When shopping is reduced to a material experience with no meaning other than grabbing a bargain, it becomes superficial. A cardboard wall that hides our problems, fears, or insecurities for a while, until it crumbles from all sides.
But what's more, hyperconsumption on days like Black Friday has serious consequences for the environment and the local, sustainable, and artisanal economy . For all those small and medium-sized businesses that aren't MediaMarkt, Amazon, or El Corte Inglés.
Come and we'll tell you what Black Friday is really all about . And how to switch to responsible, enjoyable, and self-directed consumption .
Origin of Black Friday
We've discovered that the term Black Friday has been linked to the saying "Greed breaks the sack" ever since it first came into use. It's a broken and empty bag, as we mentioned a moment ago.
Do you know why?
It happened in 1869 when two Wall Street stockbrokers ruined hundreds of investors by trying to corner the entire gold market. This was the first time Black Friday was ever heard in English.
After that, no one wanted to utter these words until almost a century later, when the city of Philadelphia collapsed. It was 1950.
That Friday, no police officer took a break. They worked tirelessly to control the crush of people that had thronged the city.
What a Black Friday! they said.
Or rather something like: What a Black Friday!
And all because of football?
The Army-Navy football game that weekend was just one factor. Let's just say the stars aligned: Thanksgiving, Christmas shopping, and sports fervor.
Everyone had just celebrated Thanksgiving, everyone was there to watch the game, and everyone wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to do their Christmas shopping. Sales soared, like never before. Philadelphia merchants couldn't pass up the opportunity.
From then to today's madness, which has spread throughout the entire world, a few years passed, but it all began like this and continues to grow. Until when? Until greed completely breaks the sack of the planet and it can no longer be mended or patched?
Black Friday and the textile industry
How to talk about Black Friday and the textile industry without introducing its nemesis, Green Friday.
Green Friday emerged in 2015 as an alternative to Black Friday. The intention was to encourage shopping at small businesses, handmade gifts, recycling, sustainability, and secondhand sales. However, unfortunately, it sometimes becomes a confusing strategy.
Other brands choose to close on this day.
Whatever the case, Black Friday and campaigns involving exorbitant discounts are damaging to fashion and the environment.
On the one hand, small and medium-sized businesses cannot afford these price cuts without incurring losses.
On the other hand, despite the significant negative impact of the textile industry, hyperconsumption continues to be encouraged.
But weren't we at the time of promoting the "Buy only what you really need to conserve the Earth's resources and biodiversity" approach?
And in the one about "If you buy, let it be ethical and certified ecological, quality, timeless and durable."
What's clear is that Black Friday is a "hurrah!" to overproduction based on obsolescence: planned obsolescence, with low quality, and perceived obsolescence, with changing fashion trends. We'll never be able to reduce these numbers this way:
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Fortunately, although we still have a lot to do, our store receives such encouraging comments as: Ioana, I have been wearing this Elisa Muresan dress for years, this is truly sustainable fashion , fashion for life .
Impact and consequences of Black Friday
Do you know how Black Friday affects the environment and our society?
Black Friday becomes even darker when we face the consequences of this holiday of consumerism. An unsustainable waste of resources for the planet. Raw materials, drinking water, and energy are being thrown away at a rate far exceeding their regenerative capacity.
And again, typing the same old words. These dull words, which are so often repeated that they no longer impress us, but which will soon affect our quality of life and the future of our children: drought, contamination of drinking water and the air we breathe, soil destruction, and loss of biodiversity.
And all for consuming beyond planetary limits.
I don't know about you, but we prefer to continue enjoying those spectacular sunsets by the sea, where the water slowly swallows the sun. Smelling the greenery and the sea, listening to the seagulls, and sharing a bottle of local wine.
Come on, learning to consume less is worth it. Are you up for saying NO to Black Friday?
4 reasons to say NO to Black Friday
At Elisa Muresan, Black Friday is like any other Friday, full of colors.
We explain how shopping on Black Friday affects you. You, as a consumer, and us, as a brand. The 4 reasons why Elisa Muresan is NOT participating in Black Friday :
- During Black Friday , returns increase , along with CO2 emissions and packaging waste. Furthermore, many of these products weren't needed and end up unused or in the trash.
- Black Friday joins a long list of promotions promoted by large companies . Brands plan their campaigns from the beginning of the year and raise prices in anticipation of the discounts they will apply later. Small businesses, however, lack this capacity, so at the end of the year, their small profit margins don't cover their expenses, and they have to close. In my house, it's always been called "bread for today, hunger for tomorrow."
- The combination of campaigns throughout the year creates a habit in consumers: they always buy at a lower price than the product's listed price. This has several consequences. One directly affects workers: companies need to produce at a lower cost and therefore reduce wages or relocate production. And another: the disregard for efforts to produce more sustainably. Both leave brands that seek the common good in a difficult situation.
- Campaigns with deep discounts generate a noticeable drop in sales in the weeks before and after those days. Something that, again, only the inflated profit margins of large companies can withstand.
Ultimately, we're committed to the long-term viability of small, local businesses and the health of the planet . Not to uncontrolled, senseless consumerism. Let us tell you how to consume less and enjoy your shopping more.
2 great tips for responsible shopping on Black Friday
How much did you spend this last Black Friday?
They say the average per person is over 300 euros. So, if you're like us and don't wait until Black Friday to buy what we need, it can only mean one thing: some people have spent several thousand.
What a shopping spree!
Whatever your type of shopping, if you want to ditch your credit card for Black Friday next year and embrace responsible shopping, here are two tips that help us the most:
1. Bet on your neighborhood stores
And not just when you shop in physical stores, but also online. This way, you support the economic development of your city, region, and country. Plus, you reduce one of the biggest sources of pollution: emissions from freight transport, which, if that weren't enough, increase with the volume of returns that occur on dates like Black Friday. Eliminate unnecessary trips and reduce your carbon footprint.
2. When you buy, make sure it is sustainable and of quality.
Sometimes, unfortunately, it's not easy to tell which brands are truly ethical and eco-friendly. But if you start paying attention to how they communicate what they do, dare to ask, and check their certifications, you'll soon distinguish sustainability from greenwashing at first glance.
Buying truly sustainable fashion means choosing clothes that care for people and the planet, while also lasting in your wardrobe for years and always looking stylish. It's not more expensive; it's an investment in your health and the planet's that will soon save you money.
