95 million versus 7 billion: Giving Tuesday is near, as is Black Friday
2/5/2023
Donate to a good cause or buy a bunch of discounted products? Giving Tuesday, a global day of generosity and good deeds, is held every year as a counterpoint to the Black Friday shopping frenzy. The Association of Social Responsibility therefore presents a comparison of how much Czechs donate on average to charitable projects, and how much they spend on products they often don't even need.
According to estimates, a Czech customer will spend approximately five to six thousand Czech crowns during Black Friday. In contrast, the average annual donation to charitable projects is around 500 Czech crowns. This was shown in a new research by the Ipsos agency for the Association of Social Responsibility, which has held the international day of good deeds, globally known as Giving Tuesday, in the Czech Republic since 2016. “Czechs have the opportunity to think about where they send their finances, as evidenced by the amount of 95 million that was collected for charity projects during last year’s Giving Tuesday. This number is opposed by up to 7 billion, which are estimated to be spent by Czechs on Black Friday this year,” Lucie Mádlová, founder of the Association of Social Responsibility, explained, referring to ČTK findings.
Over the years, one day full of discounts has turned into a week, a month even, dedicated to shopping and consumption. People buy goods that end up thrown away in the basement, in the back of a closet or even in a landfill, in many cases bought with a so-called false discount. Fake discounts are typical for Black Friday and the media warns against them every year.
“According to sales people, the discounts go up to 80%, but in the Czech market, the actual discounts reach only about 19%. Merchants inflate the price of the goods and calculate the discount from this new, higher amount. On the other hand, Giving Tuesday is a place where everyone can find a natural form of help with non-profit organizations or companies, which then communicate the use of financial contributions or material assistance transparently,” Lucie Mádlová added.
Czechs most often buy clothes, then donate them to charity
In addition to electronics, shopping carts are filled mostly with clothing on Black Friday. According to a survey by e-shop Glami, 55% of Czechs plan to buy clothes at a discount. Ipsos research, on the other hand, showed that 45% of Czechs donated clothes to charity in the past year. “The positive news is that 86% of Czechs participated in some kind of charitable activity in the previous year. It is therefore clear that Czechs are not indifferent to charity even in difficult times,” Markéta Kneblíková, Ipsos communications manager, added. And this is the only indicator by which Giving Tuesday surpasses Black Friday, because, on the other hand, only around 60% of the Czech public engages in shopping during Black Friday.
For many people, Black Friday is an opportunity to buy essential products for which they normally do not have the funds. And in the current difficult situation, this will probably be the case more and more often. However, many of us have the option of donating money, as well as time otherwise spent at window displays, to a good cause. How many Czechs will become part of this year’s global donation movement and which charitable activities will be supported? The public will find out on November the 29th. The date of Giving Tuesday is flexible, since 2012 it has always been celebrated on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving and the first Tuesday after Black Friday. And since 2016, thanks to the Association of Social Responsibility, it takes place in the Czech Republic as well.
