Black Friday and Designer Makers

It's Black Friday! 

You won't find any discounts here - Wooaahhh.... before you go, hang on, you may find something to think about!

I don't do Black Friday because I'm anti-American, but because like many other small scale designer makers,  I just can't compete with the 25% 50% or even 75% off deals you'll see whizzing about today. Why can't we do that, if so many businesses can?

Some Designer Makers do it...

Some designer makers do use Black Friday as a great opportunity. They may get a lot less profit, or have work extra hard, but they're willing to do it so you can get a bargain. Often they feel it's worth the effort to entice in new customers and make existing customers feel rewarded; it's a promotional tool.

Some designer makers also use Black Friday as the means to "discount" product they just want gone, so you get the warm fuzzy feeling of a bargain, and they get some less popular items shifted. Canny move!

...Many Designer Makers can't justify it...

However, many designer makers are operating on very slim profit margins, "paying" themselves very little in order to provide high quality goods you want, for an attractive price you're willing to pay.

Even products with a healthy profit margin need to be carefully handled, as people will ask "If you could sell it for £3 on this day, why is it £6 on other days?" Often it's these items with a good profit margin which help offset other more material or labour intensive designs, which are sold for a smaller profit.

...Because Big Companies sort of trick you...

Another Black Friday problem is that unlike large companies, most designer makers simply don't have a pile of stock they are willing to shift cheap just to make space for the new season. Items from designer makers are usually made to order, one-offs, or small runs, so there's no warehouse that needs emptying for the next lot of "must have" tat or tech to come into.

Likewise most designer makers ​aren't able to copy larger companies by buying cheap in bulk, building a stockpile up, and then stacking high and selling cheap. ​Often you get a great deal because a big company is expecting to sell plenty, so has bought plenty, and has therefore paid less for it to begin with.

...So what should you do?

So, by all means, take advantage of all the Black Friday offers (I will on a couple of things I've wanted for a while!) but bear in mind the difference between a big company and an individual, and perhaps use the money you have saved to get a wee something from a small independent shop or individual designer maker.

​They need your help, and will appreciate it a lot more than a business just clearing a warehouse.