2 things that need to die

Welcome to clipboard, a weekly newsletter about hospitality, clothes and Tāmaki Makaurau, by Reilly Hodson. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram, and on the new clipboard Instagram moodboard where I post all of the best things around, and lots of events you should go to. And as always, you can send me an email. This week: takedowns of two things I think need to stop sooner rather than later.

black friday

Black Friday is a made up holiday borrowed from the US, where it is a made up holiday designed to inspire people to do early Christmas shopping the day after they celebrate genocide with a turkey (a gross meat) and a bunch of gross sides. It’s stupid.

Beyond being made up and not about anything, Black Friday sales are incredibly harmful to businesses that feel like they have to participate, which leads to a decrease in perceived value of their products. Businesses slash prices to keep up with the Joneses and get a piece of the insane consumption that happens on Black Friday, but they end up taking losses of both a financial and intangible nature.

The only time you should buy anything on Black Friday is if you’ve been saving up for some electronics or other common goods sold by big businesses who can handle making a little less. Don’t buy goods from local or small businesses on sale if you can afford it; their longevity relies upon people being willing to pay full price, and if you encourage cut price rubbish like Black Friday, they might not be around when it comes to holiday shopping next year.

For a good read about this from an actual small business's perspective, I recommend this Instagram post from Crushes, on Karangahape Road.

clips

• Some great sneaker chat from the staff at GQ.

• The first issue of the new Metro is out! It’s brilliant and features excellent writers like Reilly Hodson and up and comer Ella Yelich-O’Connor. It’s the first time my writing has been put in print so I’m pretty excited about it, you can pick up a copy at Mag Nation on Ponsonby Road, and remember to subscribe!

• A brilliant Christmas gift guide from The Spinoff to support Māori and Pasifika businesses.

• Duncan Greive breaks down whether a Trump-like thing could really happen here.

• Day one clipboard subscriber Isaac recommends going to your local library, something I wholeheartedly second! Libraries are brilliant and they provide excellent services above and beyond just lending books.

• If you’re reading this on Sunday, you can catch Jiho Store’s pop up with Klay and Walk in the Park at Penny Sage in Grey Lynn today until 4pm.

• Local menswear brand (yes!) Thom Morrison looks bloody brilliant (I love this shirt!) and they’re having an opening party at their shop on Great North Road on Wednesday from 5:30pm, with free food and drinks!

jeans and jandals

This needs to stop. Jandals are already a borderline item of clothing, if you can even call them that, but we need to stop wearing them with pants, especially skinny ones. It’s a bad look and it needs to end. Jandals are best at the beach, not the office, and if you feel the need to wear them then it’s probably not pants weather.

If you feel inclined to wear sandals and long pants, get some Birkenstocks and wider pants, it’ll cool you down just as much with better airflow, and you won’t look like a complete numpty. If it’s convenience you’re after, get some slip on shoes, or just put on shorts! Jeans and jandals has never been and never will be a good look. Kill it.

notices

• If you missed last week’s gift guide, it’s still up and still full of good stuff to tick off your present list.

• If you need someone to write good copy at a reasonable rate, hit me up!

• If you enjoy clipboard, I’d really appreciate you following the Instagram and sending the newsletter to anyone who you think would like it, it helps tons! I love making this every week and I’d love even more if more people got to see it.

That’s it for clipboard this week, see you next Sunday!