“Black Friday frenzy goes global – and not everyone’s happy”

“The U.S sales phenomenon has spread across the world with such force that it’s prompting backlash from activists, politicians and even consumers.”

“The U.S. sales phenomenon [Black Friday] has spread to retailers across the world in recent years with such force that it’s prompting a backlash from some activists, politicians and even consumers.”

“Globalized commerce has brought U.S. consumer tastes to shoppers around the world, from Halloween candy to breakfast cereal and peanut butter, sometimes even supplanting local traditions.

“To French activists, Black Friday is the epitome of this shift, a purely commercial event designed to boost U.S. retailers ahead of the Christmas holidays, the symbol of capitalism run amok.

“‘The planet burns, oceans die, and we still want to consume, consume, and therefore produce, produce – until we eradicate all living things? … We will not betray our children for a 30% discount!’ reads a manifesto by groups holding “Block Friday” protests around Paris.”

“The respected [UK] weekly Mail & Guardian newspaper decried in a scathing editorial how Black Friday is used to enrich big retailers.

“‘Like no other day, this Friday shows how broken the world we have built is,’ it said.

“Among other concerns is that Black Friday could hurt small businesses that do not have the vast marketing budgets and online sales presence of big retail chains or multinationals,” by Angela Charlton and Claire Parker, Associated Press. Read more