This year Black Friday lands on Friday 25th November. Cyber Monday is three days later.

But we won’t be having a sale on either day – not this year or next.

At this point, we want to make it clear that no one should feel bad about participating in Black Friday. We’re all consumers and in today’s society, are naturally drawn to bargains and deals.

That might explain why in 2019, total retail spending during Black Friday equaled 8.6 billion British pounds, the highest among many other countries in Europe.

Hearing this, you may be thinking we are shooting ourselves in the foot on one of the biggest shopping days of the year.

Here are just five reasons why we’re confident in our decision to buck the trend.

1) We’re a values-based company

We believe in the value and worth of every child in care – and Madlug exists to help them move through the system with dignity. That’s why we operate under a ‘buy one, give one’ initiative where for every time you purchase a bag, we gift a pack-away travel bag to a child in need. Find out more here.

2) We believe our products are worth it

We won’t put out an inferior product, even if that means increasing sales in the short term. Why? Because our hope in this is that when your bag does need to be replaced you will return to us for another quality product. That is also why we offer the giving bag as a separate item to purchase. We know that you may not need another bag, but you may wish to give another bag to a young person in need.

3) We’re worried about societal trends and pressures

It’s no secret that coronavirus has had a huge impact on government debt in the UK, reaching over 2.2 trillion British pounds in August 2021, compared with 1.86 trillion pounds in April 2020. The constant rise of consumerism and pressure to have the latest trend is only adding to the problem. We don’t want you to feel pressured into buying. We only want you to buy from us (or anyone else) when you need it and can afford it.

4) We want to build a sustainable business

An estimated 90 children enter the UK care system each day – that’s the equivalent of a primary school each week. Our priority is to meet the needs of these children, something that requires a long-term vision and strategy over short-term frantic sales. The environmental impact of Black Friday is also, of course, a huge concern. In the UK alone, Black Friday 2020 emitted 429,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions – that’s the equivalent of 435 return flights from London to New York.

5) We believe in the value of our staff and volunteers

With Black Friday being one of the busiest shopping events of the year, retail staff are put under immense stress and pressure to reach targets (not least because of the sustainability issues highlighted above). At Madlug, we pride ourselves on building a work environment that encourages staff and volunteers to thrive, and we refuse to put them through this. We believe this will better serve you and children in care.

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While we won’t be offering flash sale prices on Black Friday, our commitment to you is twofold: the best quality products year-round, with a pack-away bag donated for each bag purchased. Not just on Black Friday, but on every day of the year.

We should finish this article by emphasising that as s a retail brand, we accept the benefit to our business and to you of having occasional discounts, as those who follow us will have seen. But when this is the case, we ensure that it doesn’t detract from our ability to fulfil our commitments to you and to young people in care.

#ValueWorthDignity