Black Friday is a shopping event that occurs annually on the last Friday in November – the day where families and friends crowd the shopping centres in-person and start rapidly scrolling online, scrambling to find the best discounts on this day and the days following it, in time for Christmas. But this event raised questions for me, such as: is it even a valuable use of your time? Is making hearty purchases at this time of year worth it?
On the surface, it appears that Black Friday is where shoppers can find the biggest discounts on products, however the advertised discounts are different to what they seem. A Which? study published on the 23rd of November 2021 looked at many products sixth months before and after the Black Friday event in 2020, and they found out that 98% were cheaper, or at the same price, during the other twelve months.
One of the worst examples found by Which? was the increase of Apple Airpods from £99 to £139 and then to £119 for the Black Friday sale.
A friend wanted to express his opinions surrounding Black Friday sales, stating he thinks that it is “unnecessary because it doesn’t give justice to the true value of something [the product].” Clearly, Black Friday is not what it seems to be, and is not what the marketing industry wants us to believe.
But is it right to then say that Black Friday should be completely avoided? Well, for many people it still is a great period to stock up on gifts before the Christmas period, and therefore despite many people realising that it might not be the best to purchase at this time, the convenience and easy marketing can outweigh the disadvantages, with offers being available online and in person. The atmosphere during this time is also brilliant, as many people free their time up to go shopping with friends and family.
So, in general, should Black Friday deserve its special name? While people can mislead by the intellect of marketing during this time, Black Friday is more than just shopping. It is a social event for many people, a chance to stock up on Christmas items, indulge in the shopping atmosphere and a time to celebrate the convenience of our modern world.
