Business & Tech

Black Friday? Patagonia Urges "Celebrate The Stuff You Already Own"

The outdoor retailer unveils a new website that allows customers to fix their own gear rather than buy new.

By Dave Colby

Patagonia has joined a growing list of shopping malls and retailers that are fighting back against the growing hype of Black Friday.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Patagonia  is asking shoppers to extend the lives of older, possibly damaged goods by fixing them up rather than buying heavily advertised door busters and other specials the day after Thanksgiving. 

“There’s an environmental cost to anything that’s made, even if it’s made environmentally responsibly,” said Vincent Stanley to the Times. Stanley helps run marketing at Patagonia.

Patagonia paired with IFixit as part of the campaign, a website that answers questions like how to wash wool, and how to fix a broken zipper.

Kyle Wiens, chief executive of iFixit, told the Times “You’d be shocked at how many people would just never consider sewing a button on themselves. It’s devastating. The idea is to get people back into the swing of things again.”

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Patagonia will host IFixit representatives at its Palo Alto and Santa Cruz outlets on Black Friday to help customers with repairs.

Patagonia is promoting the campaign on Twitter with hashtags #BetterThanNew and #AntiBlackFriday.

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