By Nicola Banks

It’s everywhere. In our inboxes, through the letterbox, on billboards during the commute, and plastered across every social media feed. Black Friday is coming.

Some of us approach it like a military operation, determined to get all the Christmas shopping done in one go.

But many of us also recognise that uneasy feeling that comes with the frenzy — that sense, as Lily Allen sings in The Fear, of becoming a “weapon of massive consumption.”

For me, stepping back starts with understanding the real cost behind Black Friday. There’s the waste that often comes from “bagging a bargain” we didn’t actually need.

Research suggests around 80% of Black Friday purchases end up unused or thrown away after one use, and more than half of shoppers regret what they bought.

And it’s no wonder. The whole event is built on aggressive marketing and psychological pricing tricks that make it difficult to think clearly in the moment.

Consumer group Which? even found that 98% of Black Friday “deals” were the same price or cheaper at other times of the year.

The environmental side is just as striking: carbon emissions from deliveries rise by almost 94% compared with a typical week, and waste increases by around 25%.

The second part is remembering that most of us want something a bit more meaningful than another........

© LBC