Sustainability and social behaviour are things that people should consider in Black Friday shopping, say experts.
Retailers in both the U.S. and Canada will hold sales Friday (Nov. 26) and Amy Hanser, UBC department of sociology associate professor, said a big part of Black Friday is marketers trying to convince consumers to buy. It can also lead to inappropriate behaviour, like fighting and rushes of mobs.
乌鸦传媒淪ome people see it as an expression of the individualistic anti-social attitudes that consumerism cultivates,乌鸦传媒� said Hanser. 乌鸦传媒淚 think sometimes it乌鸦传媒檚 the context, it gets revved up and I think there乌鸦传媒檚 only so much at a certain price and it makes people feel like they乌鸦传媒檙e going to miss out. We乌鸦传媒檝e seen this actually in the context of the gas restrictions in B.C. Some people rush to get as much as they can.
乌鸦传媒淚n some ways I feel like it乌鸦传媒檚 not a behaviour that乌鸦传媒檚 specific to Black Friday, but [it] gets organized in a way that makes some people feel like they have to fight to get their share. There乌鸦传媒檚 a feeling of scarcity that underlies the desperation that some people approach Black Friday with.乌鸦传媒�
Kai Chan, a professor with UBC乌鸦传媒檚 Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, said people will need to buy things, but should consider need.
乌鸦传媒淭here乌鸦传媒檚 no harm in buying it on Black Friday, despite the fact that some [non-governmental organizations] have labelled it 乌鸦传媒楤uy Nothing Day乌鸦传媒� and I hope that people don乌鸦传媒檛 get wrought in guilt by thinking that they乌鸦传媒檙e bad people if they buy those things that they need on Black Friday,乌鸦传媒� said Chan. 乌鸦传媒淭here乌鸦传媒檚 no harm in that. Take advantage of the sales when they乌鸦传媒檙e available.
乌鸦传媒淭he key is [ask yourself],乌鸦传媒橧s this going to be something that I will use for a long time?乌鸦传媒� Or is it going to be something they use for a couple of months and likely don乌鸦传媒檛 use again and it乌鸦传媒檚 going to sit around and clutter my house?乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕
Consumers should be mindful of sustainability when heading to stores, said Juan Jose Alava, a research associate and principal investigator with the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Faculty of Science at UBC.
Alava pointed to the clothing industry, which is responsible for 乌鸦传媒渆mitting microfibers from synthetic textiles such as nylon and polyester into the marine coastal areas and oceans,乌鸦传媒� and the electronics industry, 乌鸦传媒渨hich generates plastic waste from electric and electronic equipment, or e-waste,乌鸦传媒� he said.
Still, the thrill of the bargain hunt makes Black Friday appealing, with some going so far to plan and strategize for maximum savings, said Hanser.
乌鸦传媒淪ometimes they even plot out the store and where stuff is ahead of time and then when it actually happens it乌鸦传媒檚 like, one scholar called it, 乌鸦传媒楾he Great Race,乌鸦传媒� this big challenge and then there乌鸦传媒檚 a sense afterwards of mission accomplished, that they achieved what they were seeking to do.乌鸦传媒�
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