(Anti)-Black Friday 2020 for Sustainable Minimalists
(Anti) Black Friday 2020
What are you doing on Black Friday? Will you elbow your way through crowds of fellow consumers in hopes of scoring an epic Black Friday-only deal, or are you curious about enjoying a different kind of day?
I’ll never forget the first (and only) time I participated in Black Friday festivities. I woke up early—too early, if I’m honest—and stood in a line that snaked around the side of a big box store. It was a frigid November night and I shuffled side to side to keep warm. The lights in the parking lot illuminated by exhales and, in that moment, I had the fleeting thought that this was all so silly. I should go home. I should get back in bed.
But in the end, I bought a flat screen television. I saved some money, but not all that much. The TV worked, but only for a few years before it pixelated. When I look back on this particular Black Friday I realize I was right: I should have gone home. I wish I had gotten back to bed.
Corporations want us to believe that happiness lies in stuff, but research suggests otherwise. Forty percent of Americans are more anxious than they were last year, and 1 in 15 report symptoms of depression. Our buying behavior has catapulted us into debt, and the average American has four credit cards and a collective $6,200 balance at any given time.
It’s crazy but it’s true: Only in America do we trample each other for sales exactly one day after being thankful for what we already have.
My guest this week is blogger Barbara Alfeo. Barbara is on the show to explain the history behind Black Friday (you’ll definitely be surprised!). She then suggests novel – but structured! – alternatives to shopping for conscious consumers.
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