Black Friday is upon us.
Howls of outrage chime alongside rabid excitement in equal measure at the "savings" on offer. Did you know you can buy a Finlux 55 Inch Ultra HD Smart Netflix 4K LED TV for £499? Apparently that's a saving of 44 per cent – of course, it's only a saving if you were going to buy it anyway, but still.
A third of Brits would like to see the pre-Christmas shopping gorge come to an end altogether, according to a recent survey.
Horror seems to go hand in hand with fascination at the craze which has swept Britain to claim a key moment in the UK's calendar. Church leaders are certainly very disdainful of the phenomenon.
Resist the rhetoric of "Black Friday". Don't waste money on stuff you don't need. Our value is not in what we own, but who we are. Imago Dei
— Pete Broadbent (@petespurs) November 24, 2016 " data-caption="null" data-credit="null">One day we celebrate everything we have.
The next day we trample each other trying to get more.
Don't do it.#BlackFriday#BuyNothingDay
But maybe Christians should be more open-minded at this capitalist, consumnerist binge.
Here are three ways you can redeem, celebrate and enjoy Black Friday:
1. Stock up on supplies for your local foodbank or charity shop.
Trussell Trust foodbanks don't just stock food. They also serve as shops and recycling centres helping to raise money for the charity's work.
They and dozens of other charity shops within your local area will be looking for DVDs, CDs, TVs, clothes, toys etc for the run up to Christmas.
Why not make the most of Black Friday's offers to help your local store stock up?
2. Sign up to the Living Wage campaign.
Shop workers will be run into the ground, harassed, abused and shouted at today as people fight (literally) to get what they want.
Not enough of them are paid a living wage which is the rate calculated to be able to provide for your family and enjoy simple pleasures such as a small UK holiday once a year.
Why not write to your local store and ask whether they pay all their staff, including cleaners, a living wage. If not, why not?
And if most shop workers will be badly treated, why not break the mould? Smile, ask them how they are doing, or even buy them a drink.
3. Buy ethically.
If you're one of the 69 per cent who don't want to see the end of Black Friday, choose to support ethical products. Traidcraft is running their "Just Friday" campaign for the third year running to encourage people towards ethical gifts.
"Last year we saw over one million people engage with our Just Friday campaign and we also recorded our best ever weekend for online sales of ethical gifts and products which goes to show that there's growing support for a positive alternative to the mindless shopping frenzy of Black Friday," said marketing director Larry Bush.
You can find out more on the Traidcraft shop here.
