It’s that time of year again - Black Friday is upon us. 

You’ll not be surprised to know that given our passion for sustainability at STIX, we are not fans. It sucks for our Planet and we think for Consumers too. 

2023 was the largest ever. 2024 will be close, maybe even bigger. 

But despite its size, we won’t be participating at STIX. Who we are and what we stand for are the polar opposites of what Black Friday represents. 

Here’s why it’s bad for you, your health and the Planet, and why it does not need to be this way! 

Does It Make You Happy?

The whole philosophy behind Black Friday sucks. 

We don’t have an issue with buying stuff at STIX. We sell clothes after all. We are part of the economy. If you are after something very specific, that is fitting a real need, then that's fine. If you can get it on Black Friday for a little less (and it’s sustainable!), we get it. 

No, it's the frenzied emotions that are created by it that seem to suspend all rational emotions and detach us from what we need from what we are told we have to have. 

Black Friday says your happiness is dependent on buying (lots) of things. If you don’t buy (lots) of things, you won’t be happy, you won’t be complete, you won’t fit in. 

Then there’s the FOMO. 

What if I don’t buy stuff today? What if I miss a deal? What if, what if……

It’s a horrible mix. It encourages us to buy way too much stuff that you don’t need out of a mixture of chasing some sort of temporary high and desperate fear that if you don’t you’ve missed a huge opportunity! 

And the thing is, have you ever come out of Black Friday truly happy? Did that purchase change your life? 

I’m guessing for a lot of people, the answer is no. The dopamine hit disappears, fast. Your life has not changed in a real way. If you had not bought that thing, you wouldn’t be worse off. 

Nothing changes, other than companies have managed to extract more cash out of you. Until next year comes around…..

Bad for Our Planet

And obviously all this consuming, at the stupendous levels that Black Friday creates, is bad for our planet. 

I could go on and on about this! But here’s two headline figures that sum it up:

1. In the UK alone (JUST the UK), returns from Black Friday purchases led to 429,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions (and that was in 2020 - it will be way worse now!) - that's 435 RETURN flights from New York to London. 
2. Up to 80% of stuff bought on Black Friday ends up in Landfill - yep you read that right!

The Earth can’t support this level of consumption. Black Friday cannot go hand in hand with a healthy planet. 

Slow Consumption

STIX is not against buying things. We need things at times. We sell clothes!

What we are against is buying a high volume of things and buying things that we don’t need. 

We want people to buy quality items, and less of them, when they really need them. We are part of a movement who see that slow consumption, or slow fashion, as the antidote to Black Friday and overconsumption. 

It’s better for our planet. 

And it's better for you and your wallet. Buying less things that are better quality, and thus last longer = better value for you! 

And rather than chasing meaningless dopamine hits that don’t really make you happy, by pursuing controlled buying, your purchases will be more special and you can focus your time on the stuff that really makes us happy - family, friends, life!

Healthy You, Healthy Planet

We didn’t set up STIX in response to Black Friday specifically, but the ethos behind it is a representation of what we are trying to change. 

Overconsumption of poor quality stuff. 

At STIX, we work with brands making quality items built to last and made with our planet in mind. 

And we believe in slow fashion, not fast fashion. We all need to buy less. 

It's better for our planet and better for us mentally and financially. It’s why we will never participate in Black Friday at STIX. 

Which would you rather support?