Black Friday or Buy Nothing Day

This year Black Friday will take place on Friday 24 November 2017, marking the official start date of the consumer rush for bargains in the countdown to Christmas.

The day clashes with the no-stress day in support of anti-consumerism, Buy Nothing Day.

Which will you choose?

The truth about Black Friday

The day originated in America and referred to the day after Thanksgiving where huge discounts were placed on thousands of products.

It owes its name to the Philadelphia Police Department, who, with the Christmas shopping deals causing chaos through the sheer number of people and cars, referred to the traffic as 'black spots' on the streets!

The day has since taken off in the UK, most noticeably since 2013 when American-owned firms such as Asda got involved, later joined by other British companies. But what's so good about it?

The reality

It’s chaos. With the panic around getting the best deal possible, shopping on Black Friday can be chaos. Security is high with many stores forced to get police involved to calm down riots and stop fighting between customers.

Want to keep your dignity intact? You may not think you are the argumentative type but Black Friday can bring out the worst in anyone. It may only be a pair of headphones but it’s the last pair and two of you have eyes on it…

Queues, and lots of them. Whether it's to get in a shop or waiting for one to open, you've got to be there first and get in quick to get the deals - did we mention it's almost winter?

Not such a great deal after all... Just because you're getting a bit of money off doesn't mean you're getting the best deal

Don’t get sucked into the hype. Really, if you don’t need it, you don’t need it.

Ditch the whole darn thing. Don’t feel guilty if you have better things to do. We’ve seen in recent years a whole multitude of deals leading all the way up to Christmas, some of them as good or even better than Black Friday.

Explore your options…

Remember, the internet exists.

Either do your shopping online or pre-empt what you want to buy, then get in and get out.

or the ULTIMATE alternative is...

Buy Nothing Day

Lock up your wallets and purses, cut up your credit cards and dump the love of your life - shopping! It’s time to celebrate Buy Nothing Day!

The rules are simple, for 24 hours you will detox from buying stuff - anyone can take part provided they spend a day without spending!

Buy Nothing Day is about questioning the products we buy and the consumers who produce them, and shows us the environmental and ethical consequences of consumerism.

Researchers have found that only 20% of the world's population are consuming over 80% of the earth's natural resources, causing a disproportionate level of damage on the environment.

Can you resist the urge to splurge? Or will Black Friday bully you into buying things you probably don’t need?