Why not join Black Friday?

On the last Friday of November, just after Thanksgiving, shops all over the world launch promotions and discounts, giving rise to what we all know as Black Friday.

Although the origin of this holiday is unclear, there are several theories. Some say that the term originated in Philadelphia to describe the traffic of vehicles and people that thronged the city on the day after Thanksgiving. Another theory tells us that, after the days of red numbers, this day finally saw the beginning of profits and therefore "black" numbers. Be that as it may, what we do know clearly today is that Black Friday kicks off the Christmas campaign, and with it, the great offers, the movement of people in the big shopping streets and, of course, consumption.

What are the consequences of Black Friday?

With great bargains, we often fall into buying without giving much thought to whether it is something we really need or whether we are just buying for the reduced price. As a result, our pocket is one of the most affected. However, this goes far beyond that. Mass production generates a lot of waste, causes more pollution in logistics and transport, and as if all this were not enough, it favours production methods that are much less conscious of the planet, and also of working conditions.

But beyond the environmental reasons, there is much more to it. Black Friday only benefits large companies, those that operate with a high margin and have the possibility of lowering their prices to sell their stock. On the contrary, small retailers who do not work with the same production model are penalised. Small brands cannot afford to discount because they would be devaluing their product. When we fall for the big Black Friday deals, we are not only playing against the planet, but also against local shops or local entrepreneurs.

For these reasons, every year, more and more brands decide not to join Black Friday. This is the case of Naan. Many times, our customers ask us, are you going to have a sale and our answer is always the same. Our work philosophy does not allow us to do so.

Why don't we join in?

Naan is a young and small company, we do not have large infrastructures or mass production. Each and every piece of our furniture is handmade by our craftsmen in Valencia (Spain). Each piece that leaves our workshop must have an exceptional finish, therefore, we do not skimp on wood, nor on the workmanship.

We cannot afford to undersell, but neither do we undersell any of our designs.

With this post we do not intend to demonise Black Friday, we know it is a great time to take advantage and buy that product you have been waiting for so long. But we want to defend conscious and responsible shopping, because only in this way we can achieve a much more sustainable production model for us and for the environment.