I’m sick of the sight of the words ‘Black Friday’. My inbox was full of it. I’m going to log off early and I’m looking forward to tomorrow when it’s all over!
It is extremely difficult for Folksy admin to find a balance though, whatever they did would be wrong for some, but I can understand why they made the decision they did (I just don’t want to be part of all the hype, so I’m determined not to buy anything at all today!)
Join in and get sales from browsers who might otherwise go elsewhere?
sorry but I will not be reducing my prices especially now as Christmas is the main selling point of the year. Having a ‘American Black Friday Sale’ would mean under valving my handmade skills and be selling myself cheap.
This bandwagon might be ok for large retail companies with mass produced items but that is not my kind of business.
Like I said in my previous post I’m not taking part in BF or CM this year, I don’t think it would of made much difference as I’m not doing an awful lot of promoting or networking for my shop at the moment.
If I was able to spend more time networking during the last week or so then I certainly would of considered a small discount for a couple of days.
I don’t think having a small sale or discount undervalues or cheapens my items. I have sold items to the US, Canada and Australia so I don’t see following other countries customs can be detrimental. Surely it can be a good way to get peeps to visit your shop.
Also I have bought 3 items online today and 1 item in a b&m store, all have been sale bargains. 
I don’t mean to be harsh, but If you want to stay British, maybe the solution is to stop selling internationally. You do have the ability to do so.
I must admit I am disappointed in the tenor of the comments here, being North American. In fact, I am quite insulted.
If you don’t want to participate in something that has become a world wide event, then don’t. Although, I think you are missing a trick. If you cannot afford to give a 10% (the average for BM/CM discounts) reduction then maybe you need to look at your pricing strategy. Given the state of the economy and the amount of posts crying about low sales, I would think that we could all use a few more sales this Christmas.
Further, all of us will benefit from this Folksy promotion to get buyers to the site. If you do not want to offer a discount, then don’t. But Folksy has given us the ability to increase “footfall” this season. And that cannot be a bad thing.
I realise that I am probably flogging a dead horse but I don’t understand the attitude. My products are upcycled and crafted with my blood (I work with glass), sweat and tears. No one on here can be more connected to the handmade ethos than I but I do recognise that I am operating a business and must make decisions that hopefully will impact positively on the income I derive from these efforts.
Wishing you a Happy and Rewarding holiday season,
Leslie
Leslie the holiday season here is in the summer.
This time of the year is Christmas
Why must we become mini Americans it’s our choice and after seeing the news I say lets get back to being British. Because after watching the news to day it really was a Very Black Friday.
Sorry, Eileen I think your response is rubbish. Not everyone celebrates Christmas so the polite term is “Holiday Season”. And frankly, I am thankful that most of the British that I have known over the past 15 years I have lived in this country don’t share your views. I would appreciate if you don’t direct your comments to me in the future.
Kind regards,
Leslie
I don’t celebrate Christmas, and I don’t call it “Holiday Season” either, but then maybe I’m not polite enough. You will find that there is a definite shift in British thinking at the moment that being British is not such a bad thing (we used to all be very shy about being proud of who we are) and we don’t need to adopt everyone else’s cultures and practices.
I would hate to see people being trampled on just to get to one of my items. That appears to be what this Black Friday has come to mean.
Folksy is an enterprise based in the UK, not the US. I absolutely applaud Folksy’s move to ask its members what we would prefer to happen, rather than just jumping on the BF-train.
It’s not about disliking people, it’s about collectively deciding that we don’t want to be part of something.
In Britian its the Christmas period sorry Leslie but its not called the holiday period and if you’d lived in the UK for 15years you would be aware of that fact.
Even those who don’t celebrate Christmas call it Christmas in the UK, we don’t refer to this as the, “Holiday season” Brits when talking about the holiday season are referring to the summer holidays.
As this is a open forum board all are able to post, that what a forum is about it’s a forum for discussion free to all to discuss.
And please refrain from being rude and calling someone’s post “Rubbish”, simply because you do not agree with their post. Learn to discuss and accept we all have different points of view.
I disagree completely.
It is often referred to as the holiday season rather than just ‘‘Christmas’’, both in the media and on the streets.
I feel like this ;
https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10676251_10153293699935130_1476346701451246266_n.jpg?oh=6e3efa50b517791a17c894ff605868ea&oe=551850DB
As it was so called Black Friday yesterday I kept checking the viewing tally on the unsigned in front page and viewing figures were no different to previous days. (hovering around 300-450)
Eileen, I was not rude - just honest. I’m sorry you cannot appreciate the difference. Your comments are extremely patronising. You are welcome to your own point of view and to express it as am I.
@silvapagan The pictures on the telly the past couple of days have been difficult to watch. What is interesting is that the people that were behaving in that manner were primarily in Manchester. So, my guess is British??
I think Buy British is a commendable idea and one I actively support but it doesn’t mean the buyer is British in this time of internet sales. So either we restrict our selling to the UK or we go with the flow. Personally, I don’t mind where my sales go as long as they are appreciated.
If I have offended anyone in my posts, I do apologise. That was not my intention. That said, I’m not one to be backward in coming forward especially when it is a subject in which I am passionate.
Regards,
Leslie
I think I need Thanksgiving explained to understand Black Friday better. Is it the North American equivalent to Xmas? Do you buy most presents for Thanksgiving, and very little is given at Xmas? Or do you buy gifts for both in equal amounts?
@JoSara - Thanksgiving is a holiday where people give thanks for all they have - family and health primarily. It has traditionally been the time that Christmas selling is launched. It has no religious connotation. It is interesting to note that the first Thanksgiving was actually celebrated by the English who came to the US. It was to celebrate their first crops and the friendships that were forged with the Native Americans. There is traditionally no gift exchange at Thanksgiving.
When this current trend started, Black Friday was the day after Thanksgiving (always on the 3rd Thursday in November) and then as internet shopping became more prevalent they established Cyber Monday.
I hope this helps you to understand the meaning of Thanksgiving!
Kind regards,
Leslie
Thanks for the explanation Leslie. I thought everything had been hijacked by the retail trade, but no gift giving at Thanksgiving is a refreshing change. So looking at it with a retail eye Black Friday is basically the official start to the run in to Xmas in the US. I guess you don’t really want Xmas preparations overshadowing Thanksgiving, and shoppers know where they stand there and don’t have to keep watching for flash sales beforehand. On the other hand it’s quite late in the season too. Only a few weeks left, and for handmade item sellers like us that’s a lot of pressure to make in quite a short amount of time if everyone starts hanging on waiting for a guaranteed sale on BF. I’ve been urging my customers to get in early if they can just so there’s a more even spread and I can keep on top of orders. I can see how the high street shops here might get in on the Black Friday act though. Just to get people through their doors and not the competitor that’s selling basically the same stuff.
Jo
Jo, that is spot on. The only thing I would add is that this coming (“cyber”) Monday is actually the one that most internet sellers promote. It is the single busiest day for online sales all over the world. Black Friday was always for B & M shops but I think they saw that they may lose internet sales on that day so they also now boost Black Friday.
Regards,
Leslie
Cyber Monday does seem to be the one that Folksy should be heavily promoting for. Not a discounted items thing, just a general come here and buy unique items from the comfort of your armchair. Putting the name in front of people on the biggest internet buying day of the year.
With respect, I think you’re missing the point. No one that I can see has said they would not sell their items on that day, or that they would not sell to anyone who was not British. What people are saying is, we do not want to reduce our prices on a random day that has, up to now, had no meaning in the UK at all, just on the off-chance that someone in the US might stumble upon the item after doing a search for “Black Friday Sale” and buy it.
Yes the media images have been from places in the UK where shoppers were crushed in their attempts to purchase, sorry, buy cheap tellies. But if the Black Friday hype hadn’t been there, neither would the shoppers.
There are reasons why the US and the UK are different, some deliberate and some accidental. But those differences are just as important to uphold and respect than the things we might thing make us all the same.
I’d be more comfortable with that.