Black Friday – an American discount shopping festival that happens on the Friday after Thanksgiving – has been exported around the world from China to the UK, and sees Brits spend about £3bn over the weekend splurge fest. But research conducted by Keep Britain Tidy has revealed 16.6 million UK adults (31%) say they ‘hate’ Black Friday, and 14.5 million (27%) would join a boycott against it.
Half of the adults polled believe the event drives waste and unnecessary carbon emissions, and trust in the ‘deals’ available is also waning. A 2025 YouGov survey found that 63% of people felt discouraged by what they saw as misleading or confusing discounts during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Cost of living pressures are reinforcing the trend as households are becoming more selective about discretionary purchases, and November’s usual spending spike is becoming less predictable.
