Today is payday. It’s not only payday (well, for those of you who are on PAYE and not freelance, scrabbling around for someone to actually pay you the money they owe), but it’s Black Friday.
Coming on the same weekend as Thanksgiving, the final payday before it’s realistically possible to actually buy any Christmas presents, has come to be known in the US as a big shopping day.
Not only do people shop, but shops put on bargains. The bargains are so irresistible to people who spend their whole year otherwise unable to afford flatscreen TVs, that actual fights break out in the mismanaged shops selling items at massive discounts. It’s almost as if mass hysteria around consumerism is encouraged!
But all that could change if the #BuyNothingDay gains pace. A
, which has 36,000 ‘attendees’ and 15,000 people who are ‘interested in going’ on Facebook, says:
‘Instead of getting in a tug of war with the granny down the road over that 10%-off TV why not: =Hug your friend =Ring your parents =Go for a walk and enjoy the crisp autumn breeze =Get together and feel alright.’
There’s also a woman writing for The Guardian to explain** that, because of Black Friday, she won’t buy ANYTHING for 12 months. All very good and well, but something tells us, if online shopping’s as up to speed as it should be, we can all make a crafty bargain today without risk of injury.
Besides, what a great way to stick it to The Man if we all ONLY buy stuff when it’s discounted?
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophwilkinson
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.