Black Friday... Green?

(Follows in Romanian)

So, Black Friday just happened and I kept thinking about it. It seems its origins date back to the 50’s and it officially marks the beginning of the Christmas “shopping season” in the United States. Personally, I see it as a strategy of big companies to get rid of items they were unable to sell and just try to move inventory.

Long ago when I watched The Story of Stuff, I began to be really conscious about the stuff I bought. I notice I don’t buy routinely and given that I kept the same items for years, I decided to go for quality and good materials.

Recently I watch in the Buy Me Once Instagram account an idea to turn Black Friday green, so people are invited to exchange their items instead of being call to buy more. I thought it was a great idea.

Image from Buy Me Once IG Account

As much as I love when we can take advantages of discounts, and when we get what we wanted for half the price, I feel most sales campaigns are oriented to create a sort of hysteria among customers and make them buy NOW, whatever they are selling. Discounts that end by the end of the day, prices that are .99 using consumer psychology to make them think it’s of a lower price than what they are asking, are techniques that for me feel very stressful and anxiety inducing.

In addition, I also feel that this idea that we have to be constantly producing and consuming, especially in such detrimental ways, is dated to say the least. Specially, in the idea of exhausting all our resources, the so called “renewable” and non-renewable, and in the dosing up just acquiring stuff.

So, I guess discounts are awesome if we can take advantage of them when we are in the search for a specific object, I guess new creations are awesome as well, and they can be shared, sell, acquire. I also feel it’s awesome, when we remember our connection with earth and we look inside before just acquiring everything the campaigns tell us to buy.

--

Evenimentul Black Friday tocmai a trecut si m-am tot gandit la el. Se pare ca originile lui dateaza din anii '50 si marcheaza oficial inceputul perioadei de cumparaturi de Craciun in America. Noua ni se pare ca este o strategie a companiilor sa scape de obiectele care nu s-au vandut ca sa adauge altele noi. 

Acum mult timp am vazut 'The Story of Stuff' si am inceput sa dau mai multa atentie lucrurilor pe care le cumpar. Am observat ca nu cumpar in nestire si prefer sa cumpar obiecte de buna calitate si durabile. 

De curand am vazut in contul de Instagram 'Buy Me Once' ca au pornit o idee sa faca evenimentul Black Friday unul  'verde', deci oamenii sunt invitati sa schimbe intre ei lucurile pe care le au deja in loc sa cumpere mai mult. Ni s-a parut o idee grozava.

Image from Buy Me Once IG Account

Chair daca imi place sa profit de discounturi, si cand putem sa cumparam ceea ce vrem la jumatate de pret, noua ni se pare ca este o adevarata isterie in jurul evenimentului Black Friday. cand te imping sa cumperi acel ceva ACUM, incluzand discounturi care dureaza doar o zi sau cele care au pretul de .99. Acestea utilizeaza tehnici de marketing ca sa ii daca pe oameni sa cumpere mai mult decat necesar, ceea ce noua ni se pare ca mai mult induce anxietate si o stare generala proasta.

De asemena suntem de parere ca ideea de a produce si a consuma non stop este outdatata, mai ales ca epuizam resursele si pana la urma doar ajungem sa avem mai mult si mai mult. 

Cred ca perioadele de discount sunt grozave atunci cand cauti ceva anume, so de asemenea noile creatii sunt ceva pozitive si pot fi vandute sau expuse. Dar mi se pare si mai bine atunci cand ne amintim conexiunea noastra cu Mama Natura si ne gandim bine inainte de a cumpara orice campaniile ne spun ca este bine. 

#BlackFriday #BuymeOnce #BlackFridayGoingGreen #GreenFriday #ConsciousConsumer #ConsciousBuyer #Discounts #ToOurAdvantage #ToTheWorldsAdvantage #Humanity #Connection #StoryofStuff #datedbelieves #NewBelieves #Sharing #creating #ConsciousCustomers #ShoppingSeason #CaringForOurResources #ConsumerPsychologyAnxietyInducing #consumatorconștient #partajare #conexiune #umanitate