Glasgow shoppers slow down for a calmer Black Friday at The Social Hub
Glasgow shoppers embraced “slow shopping” as The Social Hub hosted its Rethink Black Friday market, offering a calm alternative that spotlighted local makers.
Article Source: The Social Hub
Last Updated: 2 December 2025 10:40
Shoppers in Glasgow swapped stressful scrolling for slow shopping last week as The Social Hub hosted its Rethink Black Friday market in the city centre as a creative alternative that supports local makers instead of promoting shopping pressure.
The event offered a calm, community-led alternative to the usual sales frenzy after new YouGov research for The Social Hub - a leading European hospitality brand – found that 71 per cent of UK adults believe Black Friday deals are “fake”, with many still feeling pressured to spend and later regretting it.
The findings highlight how emotionally charged the day has become. Across the UK, 43 per cent of people who shop on Black Friday worry the event encourages shopping addiction, while 21 per cent say they’ve regretted a purchase made on the day. Younger generations feel it most, with 42 per cent of Gen Z admitting to unnecessary splurges and 17 per cent saying Black Friday has pushed them into debt.
Instead of chasing discount codes, The Social Hub transformed its hotels across Europe into ‘makers markets,’ where guests and local residents were invited to guests browsed stalls from a line-up of independent businesses including lifestyle shop House Party, Ellis Gin, Braw Wee Craft Club, Borthwick and Magazine Appreciation Society, alongside Nook, jewellery designer Euan McWhirter and MaDa Concept Store, which curates handcrafted items from Ukraine.
Richy Edwards, founder of House Party, said: “It’s so difficult for small local makers to compete with big brands slashing prices, and their unavoidable ads. But this is a necessary platform for people to break free, enabling considerate choices during what is usually an all-out marketing blitz. It was great to see people taking their time, chatting to makers and choosing things they actually cared about rather than rushing for the sake of it.”
Visitors were also invited to take time out at a Pulse Point Wellness Workshop from Grounded, giving shoppers a chance to reset and decompress in the middle of peak sales season.
Ben McLeod, General Manager at The Social Hub Glasgow, said: “We loved welcoming people in to escape the noise of Black Friday. We are people first and it became evident to us through research that there was a real strain being caused to people’s mental health by Black Friday. The event was a huge success – you could really feel the calm the moment you walked through the door. Creating a grounding, pressure-free experience was exactly what we hoped for, and it was brilliant to see shoppers genuinely slowing down and making true connections.”
The initiative forms part of The Social Hub’s Europe-wide campaign to encourage people to step back from mass-market sales culture and reconnect with their local community.
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