Winter coats, handbags, tools – everything can be rented. Nevertheless, many people prefer to go shopping on Black Friday. Why?
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Article from DIE ZEIT
Published in DIE ZEIT No. 50/2024
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Article summary
The buying frenzy surrounding the Black Week deals and pre-Christmas discount campaigns is generating expected sales of almost six billion euros in online retail. But the often sobering realization only comes after the holidays, when it becomes clear that many purchased items are hardly used. In Hamburg-Eimsbüttel, Leoni Lojenburg’s clothes shop offers an alternative to owning clothes: clothes can be rented here instead of bought. The concept of sharing and lending has become established in the sharing economy, even if consumption remains trendy. Critics warn against profit-oriented platform capitalism, which further fuels consumption.
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Choose, wear, bring back: Leoni Lojenburg, the owner of the clothing store in Hamburg, in her shop © Alexandra Polina for DIE ZEIT
Buying is fun. The new party top in the shopping cart creates anticipation, the raclette grill on special offer for an unbeatable 14.99 euros creates euphoria. With every purchase, the body releases the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is also known as the happiness hormone.
It’s particularly easy these days to go on a shopping spree. Black Week deals and pre-Christmas discount campaigns are being advertised everywhere. Despite the tense economic situation, the German Trade Association expects that at least as many purchases will be made around Black Friday as in previous years. Online retail in this country expects sales of almost six billion euros – which would correspond to a quarter of the usual Christmas business.
