What is Black Friday?

Black Friday is an annual shopping event, signifying the start of the Christmas shopping season. In the retail sense it’s known for today, Black Friday was first noted in the American journal Factory Management and Maintenance, referring to the practice of workers calling in sick on the day after Thanksgiving in order to have a four-day weekend.

Black Friday in Australia

The term “Black Friday” in Australia was first used for the devastating bushfires during the 1939-1940 bushfire season, affecting Victoria and parts of New South Wales, South Australia and the ACT. 71 people died in the Black Friday bushfires, which was caused by extreme heat after two decades of drought.

Before the 2010s, Boxing Day sales were the prominent retail date in Australia, as a way of selling stock leftover from Christmas. With the Australian launch of American online retailers during this decade (such as Amazon in 2017), the tradition of Black Friday has carried across to our nation, as well as Cyber Monday.

Why Does it Matter?

With the cost of living, we’re all looking for ways to reduce our spending. There is a strong allure to finding great deals ahead of the most financially stressful time of the year, on average.

However, Black Friday does have a negative environmental impact:

• In 2022 The European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E) published a report stating that 1.2 million tons of CO2 would be emitted by trucks transporting Black Friday packages to warehouses and stores around Europe; an increase of 94% from an average week.
• According to retail reports, 1 in 3 customers return items they purchased on Black Friday, creating a +143% increase in returns on December 3rd alone. These returned packages require transportation and additional packaging and processing – and that’s if your returned item doesn’t just go straight to landfill.

Black Friday also heavily favours big business over small local businesses, who do not have the ability to mass-produce their items or compete with the discounts that large businesses can offer.

Sparing Your Savings and the Environment

Ways to mindfully navigate the Black Friday sales:

• Use this opportunity to clean your e-mailing list – unsubscribing from the companies spamming your inbox about your Black Friday sales actually reduces the amount of energy used to process and store your emails.
• Develop a list of items you need before you set off for Black Friday sales to avoid overconsuming (and use a pricing comparison tool like JB Buddy to find out if you’re actually getting a good deal, or if you’re still better off waiting!)
• Explore our Sustainable Communities SA Events page for local markets, featuring local artists, farmers and creators to scratch the shopping itch.