The annual shopping spree, Black Friday, which opens on Friday, November 18 at some retailers, should not be affected by French spending power eager to take advantage of good deals amid inflation. institutes and distributors. In front of Galeries Lafayette, already decked out in their Christmas decorations, Marie Bois explains that she was losing 200 euros a month in purchasing power, namely: “Thank you (growth) charges such as heating”. This is how a 24-year-old young woman who works as a windowsill counts “Take advantage of promotions” on Friday, Nov. 25 to complete its year-end giveaway.
“The intention to participate in Black Friday is comparable to last year (…) and the reason for this participation is the crisis.”, explains Nadine Porg, vice president of services at Harris Interactive, to AFP. According to an institute survey of cyber shoppers released Thursday, 70% will shop online for good Black Friday deals, and 55% will. “affordability reasons”.
Black Friday can now last for more than a week, not just Friday. Despite inflation, distributors are already wringing their hands, convinced that they are making money. “We’re in a particular year where there’s even more pronounced bargain hunting in the context of declining purchasing power.”judge Ugo Larik, director of commerce at Cdiscount, an online shopping site that expects 10 million visitors on Friday alone.
“More than one in three French people plan to spend less than in 2021”.
In 2021, Fnac-Darty recorded more than 50 million online and store visits on Black Friday. “The Biggest Climax of the Year”according to Simon Ilardi, the group’s director of commercial promotion. “In France in 2016 (…) Black Friday capitalized as much as Christmas in 2018, then became stronger than Christmas.”GFK Research Institute consultant Olymp Krima confirmed at a press conference on Thursday.
Francois Mombois, president of the Federation of Electronic Commerce and Distance Selling, however, tempered those enthusiasms. Back “huge restrictions on purchasing power, (…) the situation is still tense, very tense, much more than it has been in the last ten years”., he tempers. A study conducted by Harris Interactive tends to the same conclusion. “More than a third of French people plan to spend less on Christmas shopping than in 2021”with an average budget of 404 euros (gifts and preparations).
However, distributors are doing their best to incite firefighting, even going so far as to identify used, second-hand or “Made in France” products, which will also draw criticism from environmental protection associations. regarding this meeting of overconsumption. . “No green ads.”However, complains Tancred Girard, a member of the Ile-de-France Employment Actors Network (REFER), who qualifies as “disastrous” The Social and Environmental Impact of Black Friday.
“There are other ways to consume and live together.”
“Pollution”, “resource consumption”, “forced labor” In response to the event, a group of associations, including Emmaüs, created Green Friday, a responsible consumption awareness day, of which Tancred Girard is one of the founding members. Extinction Rebellion activist “Crocodile” (who does not want to reveal his identity) assures that it will not be. “There to stigmatize people and especially the poorest” and claims. “There are other ways to consume and live together.” Tancred Girard agrees. we can “buy only when needed, repair or reuse, promote second hand” in special schemes…
In front of the bright entrance of Galeries Lafayette, Marie Bois considers her Black Friday shopping. “It’s not about consuming, it’s about shopping, which I would do no matter what.”, he explains. 29-year-old Freddy Bara, the shopkeeper of this department store, says that. “Yes, of course there is a problem of overconsumption, but it creates jobs…”. Then he jokingly concludes. “At least I, on Black Friday, I’m not going to do it, I’m going to suffer it.”.
Source: Le Figaro
I’m Liza Grey, an experienced news writer and author at the Buna Times. I specialize in writing about economic issues, with a focus on uncovering stories that have a positive impact on society. With over seven years of experience in the news industry, I am highly knowledgeable about current events and the ways in which they affect our daily lives.