Community Corner

Patagonia to Black Friday Shoppers: Chill

The outdoor retailer's "Celebrate What You Have" campaign takes a not-so-subtle dig at Black Friday Consumerism

With just about every retailer on the planet barraging shoppers with marketing campaigns and online coupons in the lead up to Black Friday, one company wants us all to put away our credit cards and stay home.

In a not-so-subtle dig at Black Friday consumerism run amuck, outdoor retailer Patagonia has launched a “Celebrate What You Have” campaign encouraging shoppers to buy less, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The company wants shoppers to embrace their inner thimble, encouraging would-be customers to do simple repairs on items they already own instead of buying new, said Vincent Stanley, who’s involved in Patagonia’s marketing.

Find out what's happening in San Rafaelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“There’s an environmental cost to anything that’s made, even if it’s made environmentally responsibly,” Stanley told the Times.

Patagonia paired with IFixit as part of the campaign, a website that answers questions like how to wash wool, and how to fix a broken zipper.

Find out what's happening in San Rafaelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Kyle Wiens, chief executive of iFixit, told the Times “You’d be shocked at how many people would just never consider sewing a button on themselves. It’s devastating. The idea is to get people back into the swing of things again.”

Patagonia will host IFixit representatives at its Palo Alto and Santa Cruz outlets on Black Friday to help customers with repairs.

Patagonia is promoting the campaign on Twitter with hashtags #BetterThanNew and #AntiBlackFriday.

 

   


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here