Sustainability and social behaviour are things that people should consider in Black Friday shopping, say experts.

Retailers in both the U.S. and Canada will hold sales Friday (Nov. 26) and Amy Hanser, UBC department of sociology associate professor, said a big part of Black Friday is marketers trying to convince consumers to buy. It can also lead to inappropriate behaviour, like fighting and rushes of mobs.

B次元官网网址淪ome people see it as an expression of the individualistic anti-social attitudes that consumerism cultivates,B次元官网网址� said Hanser. B次元官网网址淚 think sometimes itB次元官网网址檚 the context, it gets revved up and I think thereB次元官网网址檚 only so much at a certain price and it makes people feel like theyB次元官网网址檙e going to miss out. WeB次元官网网址檝e seen this actually in the context of the gas restrictions in B.C. Some people rush to get as much as they can.

B次元官网网址淚n some ways I feel like itB次元官网网址檚 not a behaviour thatB次元官网网址檚 specific to Black Friday, but [it] gets organized in a way that makes some people feel like they have to fight to get their share. ThereB次元官网网址檚 a feeling of scarcity that underlies the desperation that some people approach Black Friday with.B次元官网网址�

Kai Chan, a professor with UBCB次元官网网址檚 Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, said people will need to buy things, but should consider need.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no harm in buying it on Black Friday, despite the fact that some [non-governmental organizations] have labelled it B次元官网网址楤uy Nothing DayB次元官网网址� and I hope that people donB次元官网网址檛 get wrought in guilt by thinking that theyB次元官网网址檙e bad people if they buy those things that they need on Black Friday,B次元官网网址� said Chan. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no harm in that. Take advantage of the sales when theyB次元官网网址檙e available.

B次元官网网址淭he key is [ask yourself],B次元官网网址橧s this going to be something that I will use for a long time?B次元官网网址� Or is it going to be something they use for a couple of months and likely donB次元官网网址檛 use again and itB次元官网网址檚 going to sit around and clutter my house?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

Consumers should be mindful of sustainability when heading to stores, said Juan Jose Alava, a research associate and principal investigator with the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Faculty of Science at UBC.

Alava pointed to the clothing industry, which is responsible for B次元官网网址渆mitting microfibers from synthetic textiles such as nylon and polyester into the marine coastal areas and oceans,B次元官网网址� and the electronics industry, B次元官网网址渨hich generates plastic waste from electric and electronic equipment, or e-waste,B次元官网网址� he said.

Still, the thrill of the bargain hunt makes Black Friday appealing, with some going so far to plan and strategize for maximum savings, said Hanser.

B次元官网网址淪ometimes they even plot out the store and where stuff is ahead of time and then when it actually happens itB次元官网网址檚 like, one scholar called it, B次元官网网址楾he Great Race,B次元官网网址� this big challenge and then thereB次元官网网址檚 a sense afterwards of mission accomplished, that they achieved what they were seeking to do.B次元官网网址�

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