As UK shoppers are forecast to spend £10bn in Black Friday sales this week, we’re encouraging people to ‘give stories, not stuff’ with a Positive News gift subscription. Here are 10 other inspiring alternatives to the Black Friday frenzy
1) Revamp your wardrobe without going shopping
Bright Friday
The #BrightFriday campaign aims to raise awareness of textiles waste and encourages people to get value from clothes they already have by swapping, restyling and refashioning instead of buying new this Black Friday.
In the UK, a third of the clothes in a typical wardrobe haven’t been worn in the past year, and 300,000 tonnes of clothing ends up in the bin each year, according to WRAP. #BrightFriday has been organised by sustainability charity Hubbub.Get involved: Join #BrightFriday and hold a clothes swap with friends, or join one of Hubbub’s swaps in London
2) Quell the mania by reading a book in peace
Saturday Sanctuary
A campaign to celebrate bookshops and the joy of reading is suggesting you make Saturday #SaturdaySanctuary. The advice from the Books Are My Bag team reads: “Mark Saturday 25 November as ‘busy’ in your diaries, write a Christmas shopping list (with some room for recommendations), plan which bookshops you’ll be visiting, invite all your friends, treat yourself to some #Bibliotherapy.”
Get involved: Visit booksaremybag.com and use the hashtags #SaturdaySanctuary and #Bibliotherapy
3) Get outdoors and enjoy nature
Opt Outside
“BYO adrenaline” says US-based outdoor clothing retailer – and co-operative – REI. For the third year in a row, the company is closing all of its shops on Black Friday and is instead urging people to #OptOutside and spend time in nature with friends and family.
It will pay its 12,000 employees but shut all 151 shops and process no online sales either. “We are doing this again to unite people and to find common ground in the outdoors,” said REI CEO Jerry Stritzke. “Right now, I think people are looking for a moment to take a breath, reground themselves and come together.”Get involved: Share your #OptOutside experiences here
Give stories, not stuff
4) Support ethical businesses instead
Shop Ethical Instead
Black Friday encourages us to shop for things that we don’t really need or want, points out Sian Conway, the driving force behind Ethical Hour – an online community for ethical and sustainable businesses. “This Black Friday we’re bringing together ethical brands from around the world for our #ShopEthicalInstead campaign – encouraging people to spend their money with small businesses and social enterprises and make a positive impact instead,” said Conway. According to Social Enterprise UK, there are nearly 80,000 social enterprises in the UK, employing more than a million people and contributing more than £24bn to the economy.
Get involved: Visit #EthicalHour and @EthicalHour on social media
5) Buy secondhand – and make a difference at the same time
Buy Nothing New Day
Dispelling the myth that secondhand means second best, the Furniture Re-use Network will hold Buy Nothing New Day on Friday (24 November). The team is urging people to support their…
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