Black Friday / Buy Nothing Day

By now, you’re probably stuffed with turkey (or tofurkey), mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie.  I know I am!  In addition to being a day of widespread food hangovers, today is also Black Friday and/or Buy Nothing Day.  The day after Thanksgiving has been known as the start of the holiday shopping season since the late 19^th century.  Department stores would sponsor Thanksgiving and Santa Claus parades, using these events as a time to launch their huge advertising pushes before Christmas.  Eventually, this date became the official start of holiday shopping, with large retailers nervous to break with tradition.

Though the term ‘Black Friday’ originally had a negative connotation (referring to the horrible traffic jams created by the massive shopping day), now retailers have taken it to mean the time of the year when business profits are in the black, or no longer negative (in the red).

In recent years, there has been a pushback against the consumerism promoted by many large retailers.  There have also been instances of violence as shoppers vie for the best deals.  In 2008, a Wal-Mart employee was knocked over and killed as shoppers stormed the front doors.  From these concerns has emerged the Buy Nothing Day movement of actively abstaining from purchasing.  Others advocate Small Business Saturday as a way to buy local and support smaller businesses.

What are your plans on this controversial day (besides eating Thanksgiving leftovers, of course!)?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Amy, CLP-Lawrenceville

Black Friday, Every Friday

I dig.  I’m usually off on Fridays, so I dig then.  Heaps of discarded rubble and junk are, to me, familiar friends.  Other diggers are the ENEMY.  I’m talking about the battlefield that is thrift store excavation, where the competition is usually high and supply of any particular item is drastically limited and exceptionally unique.  Trust me, I’ve seen things get primal in ‘House Wares’ – we diggers are not to be denied our precious.

Luckily (and luck is the crucial element in the realm of second-hand shopping), the Pittsburgh area is blessed with a wealth of bargain-based institutions:  Goodwill(s), Red/White/Blue(s), Salvation Armies, and various independent establishments – all of which keep me well-stocked with trinkets high up on the random/bizarre spectrum and, I guess more importantly, keep me clothed.

Some favorite finds:

surgical clamp

First edition of ‘Confessions of an English Opium-Eater’ by Thomas De Quincey. Published in 1822. It’s a little beat-up, but the spine is intact.

iron vampire fangs

original Rubik’s Cube + box

pensive gargoyle

Black glass. The gold label reads: Glass from the Franklin Glass Factory where Lighthouse Single Parent Townhouses now stand.

So if you’ve never dug (?!) or you think you might get SARS or something (you won’t), you should definitely try unearthing some buried treasure to marvel at or to redesign into something else – I give my stamp of recommendation for a little thrift store hopping.  Come be my new enemy!

Redesign/Redefine:

            

Jon : Carrick

Shop Responsibly This Season – Buy Local, Buy Handmade!

Thanks to Michael for the post about the history of Black Friday, and the movements that oppose it.  I, myself, practice Buy Nothing Day on Black Friday, however I’m not as radical as some.  For example, take activist Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping.  Reverend Billy’s team of activists battle consumer culture and the fact that now, for many, consumerism is the point of the holiday season, and he has worked tirelessly against this “shopocalypse,” for 14 years.  Below you can see him perform a credit card exorcism.

While his mission makes sense to me, I still do like to give gifts for the holidays.  How do I accomplish this and still maintain my beliefs in sustainable shopping practices?

I buy local. I buy handmade.  I don’t only do so on Small Business Saturday – the day after Black Friday – but all year long.  I also *try* to be crafty myself.  While it doesn’t always turn out so great, like the 1/2 knitted baby blanket that was supposed to be for my niece’s 1st birthday (we just celebrated her 2nd) or the cookie batter I made a few years ago that was supposed to yield 2 dozen, yet only yielded 6 (and tasted quite funky), I still have a really good time in the attempts.

(Image courtesy of ningmilo)

If you’re interested in following suit, here are some resources to justify your choice, and to help you find your way to shopping responsibly this holiday season!

Check out this ABC article on gift ideas for items made in America.




Branded: The Buying and Selling of Teenagers By Melissa Quart

This book will prove to you the that there is more to participating in this world than to “turn oneself into a corporate product”.










The Power of Half: One Family’s Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back By Kevin Salwen and Hannah Salwen

It all started when a 15 year old teen was struck by the image of a homeless man standing by a Mercedes coupe.  It continued when her family decided to sell their mansion, move to a house 1/2 as big, and donate 1/2 the profit to a charity.  Inspiration will surely follow, if you check this book out.







Etsy is a community of artists and those who love their work and are able to support it.  You can purchase most anything here – from handcrafted wallets to greeting cards to teddy bears.




Visit the I Made it Market’s Nomadic Indie Crafts Marketplace events this month to find the perfect handcrafted gift for that special someone!










To get crafty yourself, take a look back at some of these blog posts – or check out the craft section at the library!




Toys!

Artsy Shoes!

Altoid Tin Speakers!

Altered Books!

-LeeAnn Anna


Black Friday.

Happy Black Friday!

Today, millions of Americans will work off their turkey (or tofurky) hangovers with some credit card cardio. Black Friday is the day that signifies the kick off of the holiday shopping season. Since the holiday season is when retailers generally turn the biggest profits, the term “black” refers to when balance sheets go from the red (negative) to the black (positive). I also just read that the current usage of the term “Black Friday” started in Philadelphia in the 1960s in reference to the traffic congestion that would plague Center City when shoppers would flock to the city’s department stores!

In recent years, Black Friday has become not only the busiest shopping day of the year but an outright cultural phenomena. Stories of people camping out for rock bottom prices, scams, violence, traffic, greed, and violations of worker rights have all become staples of this holiday of conspicuous consumption.

So it is no surprise that push back against Black Friday has started to take shape from people of all walks of life. For years, some Christian groups have argued that the emphasis on consumption devalues the Christmas holiday. This year, there are a variety of campaigns focusing on the lack of ethics of big box retailers and shoppers. Change.org has had multiple petitions calling for retailers to stop pushing back store openings to Thanksgiving evening because they interfere with worker’s family celebrations. Surprisingly, resistance is nothing new. Buy Nothing Day is now in its 20th year as a movement to avoid shopping immediately after Thanksgiving.

Black Friday has even inspired smaller, often local businesses to try to get in on the action. Small Business Saturday urges people to buy goods and services from small business like hair salons, boutiques, and restaurants in your community instead of from multi-national corporations. The term Cyber Monday was invented to describe the Monday after Thanksgiving when online retailers see the first bump in holiday ordering.

What do you think about Black Friday drama?

Poll: Will you brave “Black Friday”?

It’s only one week away–will you wake up at the crack of dawn, filled with stuffing and pumpkin pie, only to face the bloodthirsty crowds for your shot at scoring a bargain or two? Let us know.