Black Friday. Love it or hate it, it seems to be a fixture in the retail calendar in the UK. Along with baby showers, gender reveals and going all-out for Halloween, it's one of the traditions that have crossed the pond in the last 20 years or so.
Some cynics say that prices are inflated ahead of Black Friday, and then dropped to create artificial savings. I know some retailers where that's common practice. But for every one of those, there are others who already operate on slim margins. To increase prices would slow sales in November, which is a critical time for small businesses. Then to drop them when everyone else, with bigger budgets, means their small sale message can get lost.
This year, we chose a different approach. For every item we sold on the 27th November we have donated a product to our local food bank. We already do a reverse advent calendar in our family, where in November we put something in a box each day, and then at the end of the month we donate it to The Peoples Pantry, which is a local food bank in our area.
So we gave a big box full of staples, and some goodies. Pasta, coffee, tea, beans, soup, peas, beans. Plus biscuits and some Christmas items. And even a toy.
The Trussell Trust's typical food parcel includes the following:
- Cereal
- Soup
- Pasta
- Rice
- Tinned tomatoes/ pasta sauce
- Lentils, beans and pulses
- Tinned meat
- Tinned vegetables
- Tea/coffee
- Tinned fruit
- Biscuits
- UHT milk
- Fruit juice
If you'd interested in giving to a food bank, it doesn't have to be lots, even a couple of items will be gratefully received. The Trussell Trust operates nationally, and has lots of ways to give.
It's nice to be nice!
What do you think about Black Friday? We'd love to hear.