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Continue ShoppingWhy Black Fox Metalcraft does not have a Black Friday sale
Ten years ago, Black Friday was something we saw on the news - Americans having punch ups over discounted tellys, it was amusing and horrifying in equal measure.
The concept crept it's way over to this side of the Atlantic, and it's now spread out well beyond it's single day of madness to completely dominate the season, lasting weeks and even months. It's a festival of over consumerism, it's all about buying mass produced stuff you don't need that for the most part will last 2 minutes anyway. Environmentally, it's completely unethical and unsustaibable. We all lead busy lives - Black Friday might be a quick and easy way to get Christmas sorted, but it's a lot more meaningful if you slow down and take the time to think of a gift that will be genuinely appreciated.
As a UK based family run business, Black Fox Metalcraft simply does not have the profit margins for big discounts. From our point of view, if a company is able to slash their prices by 50%, how much are they overcharging their customers the rest of the year? Very little of the money you pay is going to the people who make the actual product, most will be advertising fees charged by google, facebook & co, so you end up with a market that suits low quality mass produced items.
The pressure to take part in a ludicrous sale is not helped by the likes of Not on the High Street, who are supposed to be champions of small craft businesses and makers, but instead jump on the band wagon of over consumerism for the sake of profit, when they could be making a stand about an issue that is affecting the genuine makers on whom their good reputation was built.
Our emails are swamped with companies pushing their Black Friday sale, our social media feeds are overflowing with carefully targeted ads for the same - it means small businesses like ours get completely lost at this time of year as we don't have the budget to put into an agressive marketing campaign. Ten years ago the end of November was by far our busiest week of the year; right now I'm designing a few bespoke weathervanes plus a bit of playing on the forge and gilding work, but largely there is not a lot going on.
When you buy from a British craft business who genuinely makes what they sell, every penny you spend goes either back into the business, or through wages into the local economy here in the UK. Where do you think your money goes when you spend it on a 'Black Friday Deal'? Because as far as I'm concerned, sending Katy Perry back into orbit is unlikely to help revive our struggling local high streets.
Next year Black Fox Metalcraft are going to be working on more entirely hand made products that can be sold locally at craft fairs and markets - there is no point in a small family business trying to compete for attention amid a sea of flashing advertising banners and massive discounts - we just don't fit in and cannot survive there.
How to save money this Black Friday
- Pretend it's 1995 - put your phone down for the day and visit your local shops. When they're gone, they're not coming back!
- Ask yourself 'Would I be buying this if it wasn't being advertised right in my face?'
- Discuss with family or friends the idea of buying less, but better quality. You could even introduce a Secret Santa to save everyone time and money.
If you're interested in buying from a British Craft business, have a look at what Black Fox Metalcraft can offer, and contact us with any questions.