Buy Nothing Day – November 27, 2026

Expected Buy Nothing Day Deals

Buy Nothing Day, a powerful counterpoint to Black Friday’s commercial frenzy, shifts focus from deals to mindful consumption. Instead of promoting sales, organizations like Adbusters, the movement’s founder, encourage participation through local events like ‘zombie walks’ through malls or community skill-sharing workshops. Brands like Patagonia and REI (with its ‘Opt Outside’ campaign) champion similar values, advocating for conscious choices and experiences over material goods. Consider donating to environmental non-profits or supporting local repair shops. We will update this page with confirmed community events as November 27 approaches.

History of Buy Nothing Day

This day is sort of an anti-holiday in that it found its legs in response to a preexisting celebration: Black Friday. Black Friday earned its name from retailers who, after spending the year ‘in the red,’ i.e. operating at a loss or breaking even, would skyrocket sales into the ‘black,’ or a state of positive income after Thanksgiving. This shopping rush traditionally occurs on the day after Thanksgiving as many stores advertise unmissable sales to draw early Christmas-gift shoppers to the market.

As Black Friday became embedded in American culture, Canadian artist Ted Dave found the drastic shift from a day meant for gratitude to a day meant for chaos and greed to be quite off-putting. As a result, he established National Buy Nothing Day in 1992 to counteract the madness of the nation’s materialistic behavior.

Today, Americans practice National Buy Nothing Day in an effort to mediate the exorbitant amounts of waste and auxiliary spending that can often occur in the weeks surrounding Thanksgiving and Christmas. The idea is that, after spending on food, decor, travel, and lodging for Thanksgiving, the nation should go on a spending detox by enjoying the day at home or in nature. 

This fourth Friday of November, you may spot Buy Nothing protestors walking aimlessly through your local mall with a blank facial expression, put some money into your retirement savings, or simply sitting on retailers’ floors and dressing rooms. This happens as a result of the yearly group activity called ‘zombie walk,’ during which participators engage in peculiar behavior as a means of attracting attention and raising awareness about the idea behind the day: anti-consumerism. 

Whether you participate this year by relaxing at home with your television or engaging in performance art at the mall, we hope you’ll take the time to consider the merits of this national anti-shopping day.