"Americans are expected to fork over some $45 billion to retailers this holiday season. But what if instead of hitting the stores this Black Friday, we put our money to a different use? One that is more in the spirit of Thanksgiving. What if we gave back instead?" Here's an infographic that shows what's possible, designed by Jess Bachman.

  • http://mychemicaljourney.blogspot.com The Chemist

    I have zero sympathy for large retailers these days. I’m more than happy not to participate in Black Friday.

    (This is the part where someone informs me that it’s somehow my civic duty to shop and help them create jobs or somesuch blithering idiocy.)

  • tylerkaraszewski

    You should have to apply for a license to use the term “infographic”. Your license should not be granted for anything that is a list of bullet points set over visual noise. It’s like trying to read a transparency slide that’s sitting on top of a pile of old newspapers.

  • franklinsmith

    Amen, well thought and said.  Similarly, here’s an amazing effort, with a unique approach and values, where your contribution of an animal(s) to a village (for sustenance and income) endures via subsequent permaculture education and villagers “gifting” the animal offspring to neighboring villages.  We donated an assortment of animals, in honor a birth – easy, but also quite healthy & sustainable, me thinks:

    https://secure1.heifer.org/gift-catalog/?msource=kw2792&gclid=CIC1mt7uz6wCFQFx4Aod8lN2Mw

  • rabidpotatochip

    This is what I try to do for Christmas.  Three years running I’ve told everyone to donate to a list of charities I like instead of giving me gifts and I still get stuff… though to their credit, it is shifting towards donations only a little more each year.

    But as for Black Friday, I buy stuff I was going to buy anyway so I can truly say I saved money.

  • http://www.zhrodague.net/ Drew from Zhrodague

    I like green Friday – where people, instead of buying xmas gifsts from big-box stores, buy a giant bag of weed, and get friggin’ baked. -_-

  • http://twitter.com/givewhitefriday White Friday

    I was moved by this infographic and the concept in general so I made this:

    http://givewhitefriday.us

    Let’s see how much we can all give!

    -Sage