The worry about Amazon is sparking a backlash on Black Friday in France

The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, circulated Online petition Titled “Noel Bla Amazon” (“Free Amazon Birthday”). Addressed to Santa Claus, signatories are obligated to “#ChristmasWithoutAmazon”, which touted as the Grinch tax evasion that devastates small businesses, jobs and the environment in France.

However, the hypothetical call to arms soon fell victim to an online hack that overloaded the site with fake signatures sent from over 200 different servers, including hundreds in the name of Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, with the caption “Sorry, I’m not sorry Jeff.” . “

The scramble of French politicians to calm the anger of small businesses has reopened the broader debate about Black Friday itself, which was not even an event in Europe until a few years ago, when it basically launched Amazon, which began promoting massive sales in full swing with those in the states. United.

While American Thanksgiving is just another Thursday in Europe, Black Friday has blossomed. In Britain, Spain, and other countries, Amazon and other major retailers began offering Black Friday discounts online earlier this month.

France has been slower than other European countries to join the trend, and politicians have discouraged shoppers from participating, warning of a “consumption frenzy” as people are encouraged to buy products they don’t need. The fact that Amazon is not a French company also didn’t help.

Nevertheless, Black Friday was an important tool for retailers to increase sales. Last year, retailers in France generated an estimated € 6 billion in revenue in the Black Friday border.

These sales are more important than ever this year as retailers faced unprecedented losses from closures linked to the coronavirus pandemic. Although stores reopened from June to September, that wasn’t enough to fully compensate for France’s first shutdown: Sales are still, on average, 10 percent below their 2019 levels, according to a bank analysis. German Allianz.