Black Friday Guide: Shop Calm, Shop Well This Sale Season

A calm, practical approach to sale Friday shopping. No hype, just rules you can follow today.

Start 3 days before the sale

Do not open the sale page first. Sit down with pen and paper 3 evenings before the sale goes live. Write down every thing you already need, have been meaning to buy for over 4 weeks. Not things you might want. If you have not thought about this item at least twice on an ordinary Tuesday, it does not go on the list. Cross off anything you already own something that does the same job. It is fine to own something that is slightly worn, that still works. You do not replace items just because there is a discount. You can load everything you already own into the Virtual Closet to check before you add anything new. This takes 10 minutes, and will save you hours of regret later.

Calculate cost per use before you click

For any clothing or home item, estimate how many times you will use it. A €60 coat worn 60 times costs €1 per wear. A €15 top worn twice costs €7.50 per wear. The lower priced one is almost always the more expensive choice. This is not a trick. It is just simple arithmetic that almost no one does during sales. Do this sum on every single item before you add it to basket. If the number comes out over €2 per use, pause. Walk away for one hour. You can also use the Mix & Match Studio to test if this new item works with at least 3 things you already own. If it does not, do not buy it.

One in, one out for every purchase

For every single item you buy on this day, decide now what you will pass on. Not later. Before you complete checkout. If you buy a new jumper, pick one jumper you already own to give on. If you buy a new lamp, pick one lamp from your home to pass to someone who will use it. This rule prevents your cupboards and shelves slowly filling up with things you do not use. It also means you never buy something just because it is cheap. It forces you to be honest about how much you actually want the new item. You can browse Lucy's Picks for items selected to work well with existing wardrobes and homes.

Ignore the countdown timers

Sale pages are built to make you hurry. Countdown timers, stock warnings, flash banners. All of these exist for one reason: to stop you thinking. You do not have to buy right now. Almost every item on sale on Friday will be available again, at similar price, within 30 days. Nothing on an online shop is so urgent that you cannot go make a cup of tea, come back, and decide again. Close the tab if you feel your heart racing. That feeling is not excitement. That is the page design working on you. Step away. When you do buy something, read the Fabric care guide to learn how to keep it in good shape for longer.

Buy for people first, not for deals

When buying gifts, write down the person first. What do they actually use? What do they enjoy doing? Do not buy someone a gift just because it is marked down. A discounted item that does not fit the person is not a good gift. It is always better to buy one small thing someone will actually use, than three discounted things they will put in a drawer and forget. You do not need to fill a bag. You just need to get one thing right. Browse Curated Gifts for simple, useful options that work for many people.

Stop when your list is done

When you have bought every single item on your original pre-written list, close the shop. Do not browse. Do not check 'just one more' category. There will always be another sale. There will always be another nice thing. That is how shops work. You do not have to catch them all. You only have to buy the things you came for. At the end of the day, you will not remember the good deals you missed. You will remember the quiet evening you had instead of scrolling until midnight. 5% of each sale goes to a cause you choose.

Where to start in the store: Housewarming Gifts and Gifts for Her.

How giving works when you shop with us

5% of each sale goes to a cause you choose. After your order you pick one of three causes: CARE International, Cool Earth or Project Zero. The donation is paid out through PayPal Giving Fund UK. Those three causes, together with how we run our own store (honest product data, fair prices), are matched to 11 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

That is the heart of the 1% Movement: small choices × millions of us = change. It is a giving promise we can show you, and it is the only promise we make on this page.