We've probably all had numerous this week"Black Friday Sale”, “Black Friday starts earlier" or "Black Week is on” Get emails. The advertisements and emails lure you into the shops with discount campaigns, voucher codes and supposedly wild strike-through prices. Black Friday heralds the Christmas season with a clear starting signal for overconsumption.

Where does all this come from anyway? Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States and marks the start of the Christmas shopping season.

But how good are the deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday really? In fact, even if they seem very tempting, as a consumer you often save little. Consumer advocates criticize that the discounts on such “sale days” are often rather artificially inflated will. According to considerations, the discounts are often not based on the recommended retail price, but are based on overpriced moon prices, on the basis of which the offer is supposed to be irresistible. With a fantastic-sounding 50% or 60% discount, alarm bells should ring for most of them. It is best to compare a round with other providers before falling into the trap.

10 to 25% is still realistic, but of course you should act thoughtfully and not just strike, because everything is so cheap. Before you get carried away blindly by the offers, here are a few good questions to go through:

1. Would I also pay full price for this product?
2. Do I have something comparable at home or can I convert something similar at home?
3. Can I borrow it or find it used?
4. Okay, but do I really need this?
5. Is it durable?
6. Will I still want it next year?
7. Is it something I've wanted for a long time?
8. Does the brand/ product match my values?

But why not just buy a round wildly and let the consumption run wild? That Overconsumption and unnecessary consumption bad for the environment and climate is, everyone here has probably heard it often enough. But of course you should not only think about the stuff that you would probably never have bought without the discounts, but also about Packaging, shipping and the peoplewho are involved in our new something. Unnecessarily huge amounts of garbage arise on these days and the garbage cans are quickly full of packaging, boxes or even bad purchases. The rush for shipping service providers is not only more extreme Stress for suppliers, but also one high rise in CO2. Delivery to your door always requires extra work and CO2.

In addition to the stressed suppliers, one should also remember the workers in the rest of the supply chain think when you're about to fall for a deal. Also ask yourself whether you actually want to actively support the working conditions, e.g. in the fast fashion industry, with your money.

Now you're wondering what's the best thing to do today? Here's our suggestion: If you discover something in the sale today that you've been saving for a long time and you really need and want, then take the opportunity! Otherwise don't get carried away by discounts and red numbers and don't buy anything you didn't know you needed beforehand. So:

Buy less and more thoughtfully.

Boycott unethical companies.

Make sure your things stay with you for a long time.

Prefer to support charitable causes that work for social justice.

Continue to campaign for climate justice and climate action.

For us, this Friday is just as beautiful as any other before the weekend. That said, since we reject Black Friday and everything behind it and don't want to support it any further, you won't find any crazy deals with us today.

Better think twice before you click buy and today you save the most if you don't buy anything at all.