Let’s talk! What is “Buy Nothing Day”? (key stage 4)

Every year in November, people look for bargains on Black Friday. But did you know that the same day is also Buy Nothing Day? Many of us love to get a bargain, but some feel that events like Black Friday encourage people to buy things that they don’t really need and can’t afford. (…) It is also argued that Black Friday is bad for small shopkeepers, who cannot afford to offer the kinds of price cuts that the big companies can. 

Instead of taking the opportunity to buy as much as possible on Black Friday, you could do the opposite and buy absolutely nothing. Since 1997, Buy Nothing Day has been held on the same day as Black Friday. The rules are simple. Just don’t buy anything at all for 24 hours!
Many people are surprised how difficult this actually is. The aim is to make people think more about their spending and to make better decisions about what they buy and where they buy it from.

(…) As well as spending less and not buying unnecessary items, Buy Nothing Day aims to raise awareness of how to be a more ethical consumer. For example, you can avoid buying ‘fast fashion’, that is, very cheap clothes that are worn a few times before being thrown away.

(…) What will you do on Black Friday and Buy Nothing Day this year?
Do you agree that people buy things they don’t need and can’t afford?

(Adapted from https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org for educational purposes only)