The conscious consumer dilemma of Black Friday sales
Unlike a lot of people at the moment, never before have I hated shopping, or the thought of shopping, as much as I do right now.
To be fair, I have never been a huge fan of shopping. I am not an emotional shopper, I tend to buy things on an ‘as needs’ basis. If I need to buy something from a physical store, I will do the basic research online, then go and buy quickly (for example, when my blender blew up earlier this year, it took me less than fifteen minutes to drive to the store, buy my new blender and drive home).
I’ve also downsized my wardrobe by a third since Covid after realising how little I actually need. My goal is to reduce this by another third by the end of next year. Nothing goes in to my wardrobe without at least one thing coming out, in addition to the annual clearances that get donated to charity. I live and shop my values and am brand loyal (or brand lazy, depending on your point of view)….
So, you may have noticed that retail bricks and mortar and e-commerce stores have suddenly discovered how to turn an American one-day shopping event into a week/month/few months of advertising bombardment. One thing is blatantly clear: it is simply about increasing profits by increasing consumption. This is done in a number of ways including offering limited time offers, exclusive “never to be seen again” offers, the promise of happiness (or some similar derivation) and more.
Okay, I know you are thinking that is what they are in business for. But in reality, it is about behemoths getting bigger at the expense of small business and purpose driven organisations, such as social enterprises, charities and not-for-profits. And consumers abandon their rational or critical thinking when they are subject to the unrelating advertisements plastered all over traditional and social media, which can also result in them temporarily abandoning their values.
When I set up the Greatest Good, it was to change consumer behaviour, allowing them to search by their values, find organisations aligned with those values, and then support them in a way that was meaningful to them. This means that every consumer journey is different as we offer support in a number of financial and non-financial ways. Only one of these is shopping. Other options we offer include donating, attending events and courses, finding paid and volunteer work with those organisations, or collaborating to answer the calls for help.
Similarly, we want to grow the for-purpose sector by making the for-purpose organisations less reliant on grants and donations and better able to offer alternative ways of being supported. Not only can they be found in a directory by 50+ values filters, they can choose the type of membership that suits their service offering. We also give them new ways to access opportunities they may not have the technology or other resources to currently offer.
So what is the dilemma, you may ask? Firstly, when consumers are bombarded with the levels of advertising currently going on, research suggests that they are likely to feel pressured into buying for fear of missing out (FOMO). Secondly, this blocks the values they may hold around say, the environment – despite it being estimated that around 80% of these purchases will end up in landfill relatively quickly (some even unopened and in the original plastic packaging they were sent in). And I am talking purely about landfill here, not even counting the greenhouse emissions of production, packaging, shipping, etc …. Thirdly, “stuff” doesn’t make you happy. Having meaning and purpose in your life and being fulfilled far outweighs the short term dopamine hit of retail therapy.
I don’t begrudge anyone who genuinely needs something and can’t afford to pay full price for it, especially in the current economic times. We all want to get a discount and pay less than the recommended retail price. But are you getting good value or are you simply buying at the predetermined price that still results in massive profits for the mega retailers, who put their prices up in October ahead of discounting them in November and again on Boxing Day. Psychology research tells us (and the big retailers) that words like sale, discount, etc, trigger the reward part of our brain, blocking out the rational thought of whether something is needed, rather than wanted – until the credit card bills comes in (along with a huge dose of buyer regret). It’s what the retailers are counting on.
There has to be a better way. And there is. We encourage mindful consumption and creating positive social, community and environmental impacts and change through our decision-making, behaviours and actions (we like to call it acting and transacting in line with your values). When shopping, it’s about using the money you are already planning to spend in a conscious way that considers the impact of your purchasing power. It’s also about considering alternatives that don’t cost you any money at all. Pleasingly, there is a small but powerful trend to turn Black Friday into Green Friday by making more sustainable choices.
It is unlikely that you will never see discounting on the Greatest Good ecosystem. Here’s a few of the many reasons for this: we offer consumers a range of choices to live their values and they are not coming to our ecosystem looking for discounts - they are coming to find and support purpose-driven organisations dedicated to social, environmental and community change. We are also not competing on price, so we don’t ramp up prices and drop them down to make it look like we’re having a sale. Many consumers are acting consciously to make better choices about who they want to be and the type of world they want to live in. This means making decisions and supporting organisations tackling the issues they care about. Unlike retailers, for-purpose driven organisations aren’t looking for a quick sale. They are seeking values-aligned consumers willing to join them on making positive change.
So don’t check out before your checkout. Take a handful of deep breaths before you hit the ‘add to cart’ button. This slows down your nervous system, reactivates the rational part of the brain and allows you to consider if it aligns with your values and whether you really need it. If you do, go for it. If you can, make sure it’s helping the world to be a better place by helping you, and the organisations you are buying from, to do their greatest good. It will keep you feeling fulfilled long after the dopamine levels return to normal.
Jenni Harding, Founder - Greatest Good
