I have received so many messages today about Black Friday. Black Friday landed on retailers in 2010, when gangs of shoppers absconded on the supermarkets clambering over cheap televisions. It has grown over the past 12 years and now Black Friday seems to last the whole of November, with deals and discounts.
Are the deals really genuine? If retailers can afford such massive discounts surely they are selling them for too much in the first place? It's also well known that retailers purchase inferior products especially for Black Friday, just to slash the prices.
As a small retailer the last few years have been mega tough, materials, manufacturing, packaging and running costs have all increased. Yet I have never increased our prices because I go back to my initial business aspiration... to provide beautiful and affordable jewellery for the horse lover.
So, after sleepless nights worrying about what I should do, we won't be doing anything from Black Friday. It's tough as a retailer not to feel pressured into these events. However, I feel I would rather offer loyalty deals like I do throughout the year to my valuable customers and continue to provide all year value for money and free postage.
I'd love to hear your feedback on Black Friday.