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.

香蕉视频直播淪ome people see it as an expression of the individualistic anti-social attitudes that consumerism cultivates,香蕉视频直播� said Hanser. 香蕉视频直播淚 think sometimes it香蕉视频直播檚 the context, it gets revved up and I think there香蕉视频直播檚 only so much at a certain price and it makes people feel like they香蕉视频直播檙e going to miss out. We香蕉视频直播檝e seen this actually in the context of the gas restrictions in B.C. Some people rush to get as much as they can.

香蕉视频直播淚n some ways I feel like it香蕉视频直播檚 not a behaviour that香蕉视频直播檚 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. There香蕉视频直播檚 a feeling of scarcity that underlies the desperation that some people approach Black Friday with.香蕉视频直播�

Kai Chan, a professor with UBC香蕉视频直播檚 Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, said people will need to buy things, but should consider need.

香蕉视频直播淭here香蕉视频直播檚 no harm in buying it on Black Friday, despite the fact that some [non-governmental organizations] have labelled it 香蕉视频直播楤uy Nothing Day香蕉视频直播� and I hope that people don香蕉视频直播檛 get wrought in guilt by thinking that they香蕉视频直播檙e bad people if they buy those things that they need on Black Friday,香蕉视频直播� said Chan. 香蕉视频直播淭here香蕉视频直播檚 no harm in that. Take advantage of the sales when they香蕉视频直播檙e available.

香蕉视频直播淭he key is [ask yourself],香蕉视频直播橧s this going to be something that I will use for a long time?香蕉视频直播� Or is it going to be something they use for a couple of months and likely don香蕉视频直播檛 use again and it香蕉视频直播檚 going to sit around and clutter my house?香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈��

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 香蕉视频直播渆mitting microfibers from synthetic textiles such as nylon and polyester into the marine coastal areas and oceans,香蕉视频直播� and the electronics industry, 香蕉视频直播渨hich generates plastic waste from electric and electronic equipment, or e-waste,香蕉视频直播� 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.

香蕉视频直播淪ometimes they even plot out the store and where stuff is ahead of time and then when it actually happens it香蕉视频直播檚 like, one scholar called it, 香蕉视频直播楾he Great Race,香蕉视频直播� this big challenge and then there香蕉视频直播檚 a sense afterwards of mission accomplished, that they achieved what they were seeking to do.香蕉视频直播�

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