Here at Start with Y Creative Marketing, we are passionate about providing support to small businesses during these difficult times, and offering affordable and experienced marketing services. Digital really is the future, and we can help you and your business be heard above the noise. Take a look at some of the work we do and please do get in touch, no job is too big or small.
It feels more pertinent this year than ever to be boycotting Black Friday and supporting our local businesses instead.
Amazon certainly don’t need anymore money, however local business struggling to make it through the toughest year for all of us, do need our support now more than ever.
Black Friday not only generates obscene profits for companies but also produces waste and unnecessary spending.
Did you know that many small businesses and charities actually partake in Black Friday as well – please support these instead.
Boycott Black Friday tomorrow, here is our useful guide of things you can do instead with plenty of links to inspire you. (All links open in a separate tab for your ease) Happy boycotting!
(Please note that this article is not part of any paid promotional partnership by any of the businesses, we are just sharing what we love.)
Avoid Amazon
There, we said it.
In one of the toughest years the UK has seen, not everyone struggled. Amazon doubled its net profit year over year to $5.2 billion* (Source: Verge.com)
Amazon DO NOT NEED more money, other independent businesses really do.
Shop small, shop local
Many small businesses will be offering ‘Black Friday’ deals, please support them instead, even if its just purchasing a small treat for yourself. Here are some of our favourites:
LykkeBok – unique gift boxes
Oklahoma – fabulous range of amazing, colourful gifts & homewares.
Western Sketch – beautiful illustrations on prints & cards.
Imagined things book shop – the best bookshop ever (in our opinion!) and they offer subscriptions too!
Louise Slater art – lovely prints & stationery.
Kim Ryan Jewellery – modern and affordable jewellery.
Charity gifts
Why not donate money that you would of spent on an unnecessary item just because it was cheap to a charity in need. Or perhaps look to see what unique gifts you could buy loved ones this Christmas such as sponsoring an animal.
Adopt an animal from WWF, perhaps a Tiger, Elephant or Penguin
Or perhaps sponsor a cat from Cats Protection.
Oxfam unwrapped have a range of guilt-free gifts.
You can visit Charity Gifts for more general charity gift ideas.
Don’t forget about gift cards
If you can’t find something that perfect gift or something to treat yourself, why not purchase a gift card to show your support.
Celebrate the arts
Most art galleries and museums have fantastic online shops with a host of unusual gifts. The funds raised from these sales will go towards directly supporting their heritage and allowing them to remain open in the future for us all to enjoy. The arts need your support now more than ever. Here are some of our favourites:
Indies first
If your really want to spend on Black Friday, then head over to sites which support indie businesses such as:
All have easy to use apps to make shopping from your sofa even easier!
Support instead of spend
If you are not in a position to spend, then why not support other businesses and organisations you love by showing them some extra love. Share their content, leave them a review and spread the word.
Use Instagram to follow and support local businesses. Be sure to follow us on Instagram as we will be sharing lots of tools.
Save those pennies
Why not give your bank a break for the day and enjoy life’s free little pleasures like: stroll to your local park, ring an old friend or take a long bath. Marvel in that feeling that you’ve saved some money for a rainy day.
Boycott Black Friday Gift Guide
We have brought together our top 6 gift ideas to help you support independent, small businesses and boycott Black Friday this year.
Links for Gift Guide items:
Christmas Eve Box – LykkeBok, via Etsy from £25.00 – Shop here
Super Seeds – Oxfam £50.00 – Shop here
Book Subscription – Imagined Things Bookshop £40.99 – Shop here
Adopt a Tiger – WWF from £5.00 per month – Shop here
David Hockney Poster – Salts Mill online £16.99 – Shop here
Mind Pause Box – MIND website £7.50 – Shop here
Start with Y creative marketing 