Black Friday boycott Sending a signal against overconsumption
Bonn · On Black Friday, a discount battle raged in Bonn to the delight of many consumers. The store “Love your Local” did not join in, sending a signal against mass consumption.
This year, the “Love your Local” store on Breite Strasse boycotted Black Friday for the second time. "I deactivated our online store at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday and didn't reactivate it until Friday night," manager Andrew Triebe tells GA. In doing so, he said he wanted to send a signal against overconsumption.
For sustainability and regional products
Cyber Week, Black Friday, Cyber Weekend and Cyber Monday - the trend, which originated in America, tries to ramp up consumer spending with bargain deals in the week after Thanksgiving. The custom was imported to Germany in 2013.
"We don't feel like participating in that," says the founder of "Love your Local”, which offers art and decorative items, among other things. He said he doesn't want to encourage people to make unnecessary purchases by offering low prices. "There are consumers who wait for the next Black Friday and then buy things on that day that they wouldn't have bought otherwise." That, he said, goes against his personal idea of consumption and the way his store sees itself.
He and his team stand for sustainability, local products and fair pay for the artists who make them, he said. Artist Cathrin Baum, who has a stationery label and sells her products at “Love your Local”, says the decision to boycott is fitting with the concept of the store.
Philipp Bierbaum, who supplies the store in the Old Town (Altstadt) with his products, is also in favor of the boycott: "My girlfriend and I paint tiles that are sold in Breite Strasse. We also don’t offer discounts for Black Friday, because we don't think local and sustainable things should be discounted." Important to the artist is the recognition that handmade products have some value.
On Instagram and Facebook, Andrew Triebe communicated to consumers about Black Friday: "Remember to consider the true price behind each offer." Using the theme "Anti-Black Friday Club”, no online orders were possible. "We still had the store open on Friday, but without any special discount promotions," Triebe said.
As was the case the first time, he said, the reactions to the boycott were overwhelmingly positive. "At least 15 other people or stores shared the post, underscoring our statement." In-store customers also praised the initiative, said Triebe.
Financial losses due to boycott
Despite the sympathy from others: Triebe doesn't know anyone who joined his boycott. One reason could be that the protest entails financial losses, he said. "That's the salt in the wound, which was clear to us from the start." It was something that had been consciously agreed to, he said. He could not say exactly how much he lost in earnings - and it did not play a decisive role for him.
Orig. text: Felizia Schug
Translation: ck
