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This week we dive into the psychology of holiday shopping – how will Black Friday be impacted by the pandemic? Elise tells us which companies to avoid based on their bad behavior at the start of the pandemic, and Olivia recounts the history of Buy Nothing Day, the funny ways it has been celebrated, and the local groups taking it year-round. We also talk about buying things as a way to look forward to something, the tie between overconsumption and the breakdown of community, and how to get new stuff and make friends without buying anything.
Story #1: Cancelled Orders, Levi’s, and #PayUp (Elise)
Sources:
Workers Rights Consortium, Covid-19 Tracker
Business Insider, October 19 2020, Fashion Brands Cancelled $16.2 Billion In orders
Green America, Guest Q&A – The Impacts of Covid-19 on The Garment Industry
NPR, October 11 2020, Covid-19 Is Turning The Fashion Industry On Its Head
Washington Post, June 15 2020, Fashion Was Broken Even Before The Pandemic. A Re boot Could Be Just What It Needs.
Forbes, April 28 2020, Help For Coronavirus – Disrupted Fashion Retailers To Get Assortments And Prices Right Upon Opening
Forbes, July 6 2020, Levi’s Agrees To #PayUp, As Advocates Demand More For Garment Workers
Levi Strauss & Co, July 2 2020, Working With Our Suppliers In The Time Of Covid-19
Company News HQ, April 2 2020, LS&Co. Commits $3 Million To Covid-19 Response
If you enjoyed this episode, definitely give Clotheshorse a listen for an inside look into the fashion industry and the current state of consumerism!
Going into a season of sales, check out camelcamelcamel, the free Amazon price tracker. Even if you don’t plan on purchasing items from Amazon, it’s cool to see the range in price of products you might buy elsewhere. If you’re in NYC, check out Cinch Market to buy local this holiday season. Remember our favorite Clotheshorse rule: Don’t Give Your Money to Assholes 🙂
Story #2: Buy Nothing Day (Olivia)
Sources:
Days of the Year, Buy Nothing Day
Grist, November 23 2011, Occupy Black Friday
Adbusters, Buy Nothing Day 2019
The Georgia Straight, November 27 1997, Vancouver artist who created Buy Nothing Day disagrees with its move to Black Friday
Wikipedia, Buy Nothing Day
Buy Nothing Project website
Practical(ly) Zero Waste, Episode 40 – Buy Nothing Project
Practical(ly) Zero Waste, Episode 59 – Buy Nothing Day
If you need a Buy Nothing Day anthem, check out Buy Nothing Day by The Go! Team on our World Is Burning Spotify playlist.
Olivia mentioned No Impact Man as an interesting documentary to watch to understand the connection between consumption and the breakdown of community.
The Buy Nothing Project relies heavily on Facebook groups, but there’s also an app called Soop that keeps the gift economy going without Zuckerburg. To find the group that might already exist near you, check out their Find a Group page.
The Dump
It’s not available right now, but we’re obsessed with Phoebe Bridgers and Maggie Rogers’ take on ‘Iris’ cover.
Elise finally finished Superman Isn’t Coming by Erin Brockovich, which we’ll be diving into next season if you want to read it too!
We’re watching Murder on Middle Beach, The Undoing, and I Am Greta!
And remember:
We’ll be sharing some recipes in next week’s food episode, and on our social media this week. If you’re reading from the future, you can find the Episode 12 extended notes in our episode log (Also, how’s the future going? Pretty good? No? Okay.)
Our World is Burning themed playlist is on Spotify.
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Thanks for listening!
