: Reveal your hidden Black Friday discount: Enter ***** at the checkout

: Are you ready? Shop an EXTRA 50% OFF

: FLASH SALE: 25% OFF SITE WIDE

: 30-40% OFF TOP SELLING STYLES

These were just some of the many text messages that I received in the first week of November.

Not to mention the emails!

My email inbox has begun to flood with automated messages from a wide range of online stores and I notice that it has begun: BLACK FRIDAY.

As a 21 year old Gen Z female I love to shop!

Whilst I don’t refer to myself as a ‘fashionista’, clothes is where my money is spent.

I prefer to shop in stores as I have a unique body type (tall and slender) however, Townsville doesn’t have many options so I’m always looking online. I’m a serial “add to cart” and never check out, type of girl.

I’m constantly on IG and Tiktok watching influencers and other people who have a similar body shape to snag my next bag.

Weeks before Black Friday my social media feeds transformed into an endless stream of marketing campaigns. From “must-have deals” and “exclusive drops.” Although the actual date of black Friday isn’t until the 29th of November, retail stores from across the world are beginning to roll out their Black Friday sales content.

I did a bit of research and Black Friday was originated in America and takes place on the day after thanksgiving. It marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season and has become a wild wide event that has also led to other shopping events of similar style including Cyber Monday.

For me personally I have always found a certain pressure and stress around this time of year. Brands compete heavily to produce the best sales and best marketing, and this can be very overwhelming for consumers. Even now on the 12th of November, I’m beginning to feel the pressures of Black Friday despite it being a few weeks away.

Although this form of marketing is proven to work on a large audience, to me it has always been annoying. Personally, I typically only buy things after making a calculated decision and I’m also not a massive online shopper, and once these sales begin it puts me off more as it is so overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong I feel a certain pressure to participate in these sales as the sales almost sound too good to be true. Well typically they are. It is well known that many companies inflate the original prices of stock before big sales only to put them back to the regular price and claiming they are 30% off.

I believe Gen Z, particularly myself, struggles financially around this time of the year. I’m currently trying to save money to take time off over the holidays as well as trying to save money to spend on family’s gifts. Which means I don’t really have the time to be making impulse purchases for myself.

Sustainability has become another highly discussed issue when referring to Black Friday Sales. When thinking about sustainability and online shopping I immediately think of the amount of packaging being received for each item, as business are selling so much more stock there is an increase in the amount of plastic packaging, bags and boxes that are turning straight into waste. Companies that participate in these sales need to start making conscious efforts to implement sustainable practices to reduce environmental impacts, and in turn, gen Z customers like myself will take more of an interest in sales.

One way that I discovered to help deal with the pressure and stress of Black Friday is following @twobrokechicks_ on tiktok. The account is run by two Australian girls and is focused around promoting cheaper shopping alternatives, additionally the girls have started a podcast and talk about all thing’s girls. Every year they release a Black Friday Sale cheat sheet where they create a spreadsheet detailing hundreds of brands sale offers, start and end dates and discount codes if needed. This was created by girls for girls like me who get overwhelmed and don’t know how to approach Black Friday Sales.

There are currently 33 messages waiting for me to open, all of them saying the same thing: our Black Friday Sale is here .

Instead of opening them to find out how much I will ‘save’ I delete, then unsubscribe.

I have made one purchase this black friday period. It was an outfit that appeared on an instagram ad, just an average reel with absolutely no mention of a sale. I go to the website and realise at the checkout it’s 30% off. To me it’s just an added bonus, it wasn’t the outrageous marketing screaming in my face, it was a normal quiet campaign.

Black Friday marketing makes me feel like I’m being targeted, I feel overwhelmed and as a result I ignore it all. If I’m being completely honest I can’t wait for it all to be over.

This article was written by Lily Bradshaw who is completing her internship with Boost Marketing Services. The internship is the final subject as part of a Bachelor of Business at James Cook University. She is majoring in Events Management and Marketing.

She is looking forward to some travel time once she has completed her degree and spending time with her family before embarking on a career in events and marketing.