BLACK FRIDAY

Few days of the year bring as much debate as Black Friday . This Black Friday, where lots of goods are sold at a cheaper price both in stores and via e-commerce, is talked about for several weeks. I thought I'd tell you a little about the " black week" phenomenon and what you can think about in both the debate and when it comes to the actual purchase. In Sweden alone, SEK 6.6 billion worth of shopping was done last Black Friday , which was an increase of 20% compared to the year before. Black Friday falls shortly after the somewhat newer consumption holiday " singles day " . None of these holidays serve any additional function other than to consume goods at favorable prices. Singles' day actually beats Black Friday in terms of goods sold via e-commerce on the global market, but Black Friday takes clear first place overall and this year the day falls on November 29.

It is absolutely not impossible to find super deals on Black Friday , but it is important to know what you are looking for so that the purchase in the end actually meets expectations and not buying for the sake of buying. Overconsumption is a big problem in today's society and most of what is purchased are goods/products that the buyer could do without. In recent years, a trend has developed for a certain part of the population to boycott consumption during this hectic buying period, and it is very good as a consumer to make demands. However, it is important to think carefully and not blame someone who purchases the goods that are actually needed and for which they may have been saving for a long time. The line is fine, but make sure you debate based on your conditions and perspective and have a good conversational climate. It is the overconsumption that we must put an end to, not Black Friday itself, although this Friday in November naturally contributes to overconsumption.

So, I think there are certain things to keep in mind when it comes to black week, singles day and big sales in general . 

Rules for successful shopping with reduced prices:

• Determine a clear budget beforehand, how much will you spend?
• Buy only items you need
• Write a list of the items you want and follow it
• Decide what price a certain product should have and what quality you require of the product.
• Don't be fooled by hot tricks like "Hurry up, only a few items left" or "the offer will expire soon".

By far the most common trick when it comes to marketing is to offer a really good product at an unusually low price and then have a rather small range of that particular product. In close proximity, there is then an item for approximately the same price, but with lower pricing from the start. This means that the quality of the item you buy is probably exactly what you pay for and it is important to think about what you actually "earned".

Some argue that many prices are not reduced at all, but that it is only a matter of PR tricks. This can happen in some isolated cases, but in Sweden it is against the Consumer Purchase Act and thus punishable. SALE means that it must be extra reduced and only sold for a certain limited time. The Consumer Purchase Act protects you as a consumer, especially in stores, so be extra careful if you shop online. Use the "price hunt" service to see what different e-commerce stores are selling the product for, so the risk of being scammed is reduced.

Think about what you really need! We can reduce consumerism together!