According to TIME Magazine by way of ShopperTrak, 2015 Black Friday sales were down by $1.2 billion. The growing “Blackout” movement, that began in 2014, coupled with the call to action from Min. Louis Farrakhan at the Justice or Else march have had a direct effect on these numbers! African-Americans across the board are now beginning to recognize the power we have with our spending.
Now if you allow mainstream media to control the narrative, they blame the fall on an increase in online shopping (which was up by 14%). If you do the math on that, it means that online sales increased by just over $300 million. That doesn’t account for the other $900 million in lost earnings. Early shopping on Thanksgiving, also dropped.
Last year, Black Friday weekend sales were down by 12% and reports blamed the weather. The last thing they want to do is admit publicly that “Black Dollars Matter”, although privately they know how much they need African-Americans for their livelihood.
Keep it going, Black America. However, remember that even more important than boycotting is spending your money with Black Owned Businesses to build up our communities. If you struggle to find businesses to support in your area, shop with Black businesses online!