If you have been following me for a while, you might know what I feel about this week and especially Black Friday. For many many years, I’ve been feeling sick about this time of year. To make everything all about buying as much as possible for as cheap as possible. It goes against everything that is important to me. To think longterm and sustainable. To buy quality, to last longer. To think local, and support the local business community. To rather save up and invest in something a bit more expensive, but something that really means something to you and makes your everyday shine a little bit brighter when you use it.
So, no. I will not do any Black Friday deals. And my challenge to you is to not buy things just because they are on sale. Don’t get caught up in all the hustle and bustle. By all means, do shop, but choose to put your money with local business, small shops and small businesses. They are struggling, much more than the big retail chains, and every little order means a great deal to everyone. If you want the small shops, restaurants and cafes in you city to stay around, now is the time to support them. And please, buy high quality things. That will last for years, and that you will love for as long. Both you, the maker and the planet will be happier for it.
And yes. If you have been following me for some time, you might recognize parts of this text. These are important questions to me, and have been through all of my career (even pre-pottery career), and these values will not go away. And Black Friday/Week/Month whatever is a good time to talk about it and remind everyone about it. Because it is still true and still needed, I’m sorry to say.