Why You Should Shop Small and Shop Ethically On Black Friday And Christmas
Harjit Sohotey-Khan is the founder of Jewelled Buddha and is an ethical fashion advocate.
‘Tis the season for giving, or so they say. Yet behind those red sale signs and cheap prices leading up to Black Friday and Christmas, there’s a dark hidden cost. There’s not much giving going on except for the discounts of course. Instead, people in supply chains are being exploited, workers are paid well below a living wage and the planet is also paying the price. The Black Friday sales are just too irresistible it seems, resulting in a mass consumption frenzy. As consumers we’re constantly bombarded with sales messages enticing us to spend our money and chase those deals. Then Christmas comes and it starts all over again. So it makes sense to shop small and shop ethical instead during Black Friday and Christmas.
Shopping during the festive season is now a social norm. There’s a lot of emotion that surrounds shopping for loved ones at this time of year, so asking people to avoid Black Friday altogether is going to be tricky and isn’t going to create widespread change. We may not be able to turn down the noise on those marketing messages, but there is something we can do.
Vote with your wallet
The average UK consumer will spend around £200 this Black Friday weekend. Although the cost of living crisis will undoubtedly have an affect of peoples spending, it will also be a reason people will actively try and save money on things they need by specifically shopping for them during the Black Friday weekend.
So what if we could use that £200 per person to support our local communities and pay people a real living wage? What if we could avert some of those sales from the profit driven fast fashion brands and global corporations to small businesses, who put purpose over profit. By redirecting those sales we could help local communities weather the cost of living challenges and still get a good deal knowing it’s helping others.
What if we redirected those sales to local businesses, to help communities through the cost of living challenges? What better way to show your loved ones you care than by supporting small businesses this holiday season?
In today’s world it’s more important than ever to shop small and shop ethically. Every time you buy from a small business, you’re playing a part in helping someone’s dream come true. Many small businesses are passionate about ethical and sustainable ways, using fair supply chains and more eco-friendly business practices. What if, this holiday season, we could support them, simply by voting with our wallet and switching how we shop?
That’s the ethos behind the #ShopEthicalInstead campaign – a positive alternative to Black Friday.
Shopping ethically and local makes a big difference to small businesses
The shop ethical instead campaign
Organised by #EthicalHour – the world’s first and largest support community for people who want to live and work more ethically, #ShopEthicalInstead is now going into its 5th year and is set to be bigger and better than ever!
Having weathered the storm of the pandemic and now entering a cost-of-living crisis, it’s a challenging time for ethical SMEs. Despite all this, they are still fiercely committed to paying a living wage, creating jobs, supporting communities and treading as lightly on the planet as possible.
99% of all businesses in the UK are small businesses. We are proudly a ‘nation of shopkeepers’. For every £1 spent with a small or medium business, 63p remains in the local economy – compared to just 40p spent with larger businesses. If we want to support everyone through the cost of living crisis, if we want our local communities to stay vibrant, diverse and beautiful places to live, and if we want to live in a world where everyone is paid a fair wage for the work they do – we need to support the small businesses on our doorstep.
We need to #ShopEthicalInstead.
Shop the gift guides on Ethical Hour
Making ethical shopping easier
Throughout November and December, we spend more money on gifts than at any other time of year. This year’s campaign is about making it easy to buy good gifts from the ethical small businesses all around you
The #ShopEthicalInstead 2022 campaign runs until the last postage date - 21st December, bringing you gift guides to make it easy and convenient to find the perfect gift. Through these gift guides, you can discover beautiful, handcrafted products, made sustainably by brands that pay a living wage and treat people equally?
On social media you can meet the business owners and makers, hear the stories behind the products, and see first hand what a positive impact it makes when you buy from a small business.
Over 100 small businesses have been hand selected for inclusion in this year’s Virtual High Street – bringing them all together in one place to make your Christmas shopping more convenient.
Every brand involved has been checked for Green Claims Code compliance, so you can shop with confidence, knowing that they’re not greenwashing.
And it’ll be easy to find, recognise and support them, because they’ll all be sharing branded #ShopEthicalInstead content created by #EthicalHour’s communications team at agency 181st Street.
What impact will it make?
Powered by a leading communications agency, with a centralised approach to content creation, the campaign is giving small businesses access to marketing expertise and resources that many cannot usually afford.
With a combined audience of over 1 million people, #ShopEthicalInstead is giving small businesses a bigger voice at a crucial retail moment. Helping them achieve cut-through as a combined force, without advertising spend, in a way that simply isn’t possible otherwise for individual brands.
When you shop small, you’re more likely to find amazing gifts that you wouldn’t see on the high street. One-of-a-kind gifts that your loved ones are sure to appreciate, not to mention, handmade gifts that often come with a personal touch that mass-produced items lack.
When you buy from a small business, you can be sure that you’ll receive amazing customer service. Small businesses do what they do because they're passionate about their products, which often means they take the time to get to know their customers more. It’s more of an experience shopping with a small business and discovering the stories of their products and their personal journey too. This personal touch makes all the difference when it comes to finding the right gift. Plus, small businesses will often go the extra mile to ensure you're happy with your purchase.
When you shop small, not only are you buying unique gifts and experiencing amazing customer service — you’ll also be getting that warm and fuzzy feeling knowing that you’ve supported a small business owner during their busiest time of year. It truly is a win-win for everyone involved!
How can you get involved?
From 1st November, read the gift guides.
Sign up to be the first to hear when the Virtual High Street opens its doors.
Search the #ShopEthicalInstead hashtag on your social media platform of choice to discover the stories behind these brilliant brands.
Please do share the small businesses you find, love and buy from – it makes a big difference! Tag them on social media, tell your friends and family and follow and like their posts. Include the #ShopEthicalInstead hashtag to support the campaign!
Click here for more information about the #ShopEthicalInstead Campaign