My personal statement on Black Friday: discounts, counterarguments, deception and what it's really all about

With the ubiquity of the internet, new "traditions" are also appearing in our everyday lives. Halloween, Thanksgiving and now also Black Friday are so ubiquitous on our desktops as if they were a long-standing tradition.

Just 3 years ago, we at BIOMAZING asked ourselves as a team whether we "can and want to take part in Black Friday at all". This year, the question was: "Who can afford not to take part?".

Black Friday - Loved and hated

On the one hand, you can no longer escape the banners, offers and mutual underbidding of the major retailers that are lurking everywhere. Minus 70%? Old hat, there must be more to it! Offers only on one day? How impractical, why can't it be the whole month?
The motto is: the main thing is to buy, buy, buy, buy cheaply, quickly and a lot.

On the other hand, more and more people are speaking out against the consumer frenzy. Consumption should be sensible and well thought out. The panic buying of things you don't need would only benefit the retailers.

Is Anti-Black Friday the new Black Friday?

Clever retailers think this counter-movement is really great. Anti-Black Friday campaigns want to convince customers that their anti-Black Friday offers are more ethical, more sustainable and more sensible. But anyone who takes a closer look at these campaigns will realise: They, too, are nothing more than an invitation to shop on the cheap.

"Closed on Black Friday!"

Some brands close their shops and websites on Black Friday to prevent panic buying. Instead, they offer discounts all month long, excluded on Black Friday itself. This turns one day into a whole month! This includes the resounding slogan "Shop Slowly". This should sound sustainable and special and convey to the customer that this is not about sales at all. It could hardly be more absurd!

Discount up to the (alleged) manufacturing costs

And yet, it gets even more absurd, or rather more opaque. Some brands claim to completely waive all sales and offer their products on Black Friday at the alleged manufacturer's price. They want to prove how transparent they are. This is not transparent, but the best advertising ever! The retailer can use the alleged manufacturer's price to prove how supposedly fair their mark-up on the end customer price is. And the customer feels good because they think they are fully informed and know what they are paying.

That this cannot be the case is surely clear to everyone. And anyone who wants to believe in it should take a look at the case law: In some European countries, selling below cost price (cost price = manufacturing price + other costs such as transport, packaging, storage, etc., i.e. until the product is in the warehouse or shop) is simply prohibited. It is therefore de facto impossible to do this.

Black Friday - good or bad?

The fact is that most people in Europe now also use Black Friday to buy Christmas presents. It is also a fact that retailers can no longer afford not to take part in days like Black Friday in the current retail climate.

The problem is not that Black Friday does or does not exist. What matters is that honest and transparent is communicated. That the customer is not deceived and not fooled. That they are not manipulated with word games and clever marketing campaigns.

The vast majority of us will shop on Black Friday - or any other day of the year when there's an offer or great discount that appeals to us. Does that make us good or bad?

Neither. Because the decisive element is not whether we buy something or not, but what and by whom.

What you buy makes all the difference

What makes the biggest difference: consciously buying products that are sustainable and sustainably produced all year round, regardless of offers. Products that support people and the environment during production create added value for them that cannot be adequately measured with money. Brands that provide valuable help and support with their sales, but also with their production and sourcing methods, do so with every product sold. Regardless of whether it's Black Friday or any other day. So if you know that you are buying a sustainable product that is ideally also produced sustainably and supports people and the environment in the process, you are already doing the majority of things right.

BIOMAZING is organising a Black Weekend

The free market makes it necessary for retailers to remain competitive. If you are no longer competitive, you don't have enough customers to survive. BIOMAZING is no different, which is why we are organising a Black Weekend this year. We have decided to do this for several reasons: Because we are also dependent on being able to pay our employees from our turnover. Because we are asked for it and many of our customers expect it. And because we also like it when we can make our customers happy*.

For us, Black Weekend is also an opportunity to say thank you to our customers. And we say a special thank you to our newsletter subscribers by offering them something special. We're giving them something they can enjoy.

And the most important thing is: we stand behind our products 365 days a year. We know that our brands and products do good and that this effect increases with every sale. Bringing joy and doing good at the same time so I personally think Black Friday is a good thing.

* I myself will also be buying on Black Weekend. For products that I use myself and the ones I give away