Black Friday once marked one of the most dependable spikes in the retail calendar. This year, it's landed with less force
Black Friday – an American discount shopping festival that happens on the Friday after Thanksgiving – has been exported around the world from China to the UK, and sees Brits spend about £3bn over the weekend splurge fest. But research conducted by Keep Britain Tidy has revealed 16.6 million UK adults (31%) say they ‘hate’ Black Friday, and 14.5 million (27%) would join a boycott against it.
Half of the adults polled believe the event drives waste and unnecessary carbon emissions, and trust in the ‘deals’ available is also waning. A 2025 YouGov survey found that 63% of people felt discouraged by what they saw as misleading or confusing discounts during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Cost of living pressures are reinforcing the trend as households are becoming more selective about discretionary purchases, and November’s usual spending spike is becoming less predictable.
“The waste our nation generates is a huge issue all year round, but is exacerbated at this time of year, as seemingly large discounts persuade people to buy items they don’t need and can’t always afford,” said Allison Ogden-Newton, Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive. “The public are awakening to the idea that this level of consumerism is environmentally and economically unsustainable.”
The same change in mindset is shaping expectations for Christmas. New research from the financial wellbeing company Loqbox shows that four in 10 people plan to buy fewer gifts this year. Only 7% say presents are the highlight of the season, with 63% saying that spending time with loved ones is the main appeal.
The public are awakening to the idea that this level of consumerism is unsustainable
“The best gift you can give someone might be not putting them under financial pressure in the first place,” said Tom Eyre, CEO and co-founder of Loqbox, which conducted the survey. The findings follow comments from Martin Lewis, a leading consumer finance expert, who recently suggested that families should “ban unnecessary Christmas gifts” to ease financial pressure.
Households are responding in practical ways such as making gifts rather than buying them, or skipping presents altogether in favour of shared activities.
Main image: Markus Spiske
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