Today’s Black Friday promises to be a record-breaking one, with a shopping ‘fever’ that will lead to turnover exceeding the 4 billion euro mark. That is 15% more than in 2022, Codacons estimates for all ten days of the offer, which this year began on November 17 and will last until November 27. A race for discounts in which 60% of Italians will go to stores or online in order not to miss an offer, and 57% of them will decide to buy clothes, according to a survey by Confcommercia. And consumers are warned about possible cyber scams and fake discounts and offer valuable advice.
But Black Friday is not only about shopping: the shopping of Italians affects the environment with up to 500 thousand tons of CO2 released into the atmosphere during all ten days, according to the experts of the Italian Society for Environmental Medicine (Sima), especially considering the transport that can be and intercontinental. According to the Confcommercio study, mainly women will flock to stores and use the Internet (63.2%), young people up to 34 years old and those living in the northwestern and southern regions. Every second Italian – emphasizes the trade association – will use the opportunity to buy Christmas gifts in advance (53.7%), which is a growing trend compared to last year (52.8%). According to tradition, at the top of the list of purchases will be clothes, followed by 44.7% for electronics or household appliances, with 35% for shoes and cosmetic products. Codacons, however, estimates that the most popular products on Black Friday will be electronics and hi-tech, with approximately 65% of consumers intending to make at least one purchase, while the health and beauty sector will have 30% of customer interest. . 92.4% will spend up to 500 euros per person, with an average spend of around 236 euros, according to the Confcommercio study, according to which almost everyone will buy with immediate payment, mainly through ATMs (36.3%) and credit cards (34.7%). , 10% will use cash, the rest will use other payment methods.
55% will shop online, while 40% will go to local stores and shopping centers. And it is the consumer associations – Codacons and Udicon – that take measures to warn of possible frauds by compiling manuals that warn to buy only on safe and secure websites, check if they are safe sellers, always compare prices, pay attention to discounts that are too high, check the delivery date and check where the product was shipped from, save a copy of the order and check if it can be canceled without paying a penalty. On the web, it’s better to pay via PayPal or prepaid cards and never give out personal information. By law, goods can be returned if purchased outside brick-and-mortar stores within 14 days, and if the product or service is non-compliant or manufacturing, you are entitled to an exchange or refund. From the WWF comes a call against waste and damage to nature because often “behind many cheap purchases there is a very high price for the environment”. Every year in Europe, according to the non-governmental organization, about 12 kilograms of clothes are thrown away per person for a total of 5 million, but only 1% is recycled because the rest ends up in incinerators and landfills, inside and outside Europe. Among the damages to the environment, WWF lists the use of raw materials and chemical additives of poor quality, high emissions of greenhouse gases, waste of soil and water, and pollution of aquifers and aquatic ecosystems.
Vademecum for safe shopping on Black Friday
On the occasion of Black Friday, Udicon (Consumer Protection Union) has put together some tips for “safe shopping, defending against online fraud, recognizing phishing attempts that arrive via email, phone, text messages, spam on social platforms”.
1. Be wary of those who contact us via email or text to request personal information with a sense of danger or immediate urgency, creating ad hoc fictional stories, with the aim of tricking us into falling into the trap of cybercriminals; many of these messages could appear on a smartphone to steal data, credentials, passwords to access a bank account. It is important to protect yourself by not replying to any messages or clicking on links attached to messages.
2. Check the number or address from which the requests come and the content of the emails, which often have grammatical and formatting errors, and company logos are blurred and altered.
3. Never share any personal information over the phone even when the person on the other end seems trustworthy. Hang up on automated calls.
4. If we are buying something for the first time at the point of sale of the product, we check the reliability of the seller by looking for feedback, reviews or other comments left by other consumers in various discussion forums.
5. Give priority to certified websites that have a padlock displayed next to the visited page link and an Https certificate. Check the existence of a physical store, VAT number or tax code of the registered office. Often this information can be found in the final section of the website and can be verified by searching online on the website of the Chamber of Commerce.
6. Follow the method of payment and delivery of the product you bought or want to buy. The delivery period must not exceed 30 days.
7. Never use public Wifi connections for payment, even on secure circuits.
8. Keep up to date with major cyber scams through newspapers and institutional websites (eg the Postal Police) which contain useful defense tips.
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