We’ve all been keeping an eye on those Black Friday deals that seem too good to be true. But surely “selling” items for free (yes, that’s £0) must come with a catch?
Fast fashion retailer Pretty Little Thing have been advertising their Black Friday Sale using many tag lines, one of them being “it doesn’t make sense” and that’s one thing that rings true.
They’ve even released a discount code titled “bonkers” with people on social media starting to question how such a huge discount can even be possible.
Laura Young, a climate crisis campaigner who fights for less waste to end up in landfill, has described the sale as “the bottom of the barrel” when it comes to the fast fashion industry.
“How is this possible without the exploitation of both workers and the planet?”
“Only a matter of time before this is landfilled or dumped in charity shops,” she wrote in an Instagram caption.
Pretty Little Thing have been releasing new items every hour throughout the day with a clause that £0 items are limited to one per shopper.
Venetia La Manna, fast fashion campaigner, also noticed the trend taking off on social media.
“Clothing costs. It costs resources. It costs labour. It costs shipping. It costs packaging. It costs energy. It costs time.
“Giving away clothing for mere pennies - or in this case for free - demonstrates how much PLT are overproducing and how little they value their clothes.”
Both campaigners have seen their posts reach thousands of people with many outraged over how a brand could make this possible.
It’s not the first time Pretty Little Thing has come under fire.
An 8p dress that went on sale during Black Friday in 2020 also sparked anger over what the environmental cost of a fast fashion item sold so cheaply.
Its parent brand Boohoo have also faced allegations of unsafe working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic when conditions at its Leicester factory came into question.
A spokesperson for Pretty Little Thing said:
“Unique black Friday offers are much anticipated by our customers and a planned part of our marketing strategy. The items on sale are carefully selected. It does not in any way impact the cost price we pay to suppliers, or the way we value the work that goes into creating the garments. We use our discounting strategies to give our customers access to on trend items no matter what their budget”