Good morning. We hope you’re all recovering from Thanksgiving. For Black Friday, I’m handing off today’s newsletter to Kailyn Rhone, a business reporter tracking a surprising trend among Gen Z shoppers. — Sam But first, here’s what’s going on today: One of the National Guard members shot in Washington has died. Our reporters are digging into the suspect’s life. And the death toll from a fire in Hong Kong has risen to at least 128 people. Plus, the pope is in Turkey on his first international trip. We’ll get to all of that, and more, below.
What Gen Z buys
Last year, Ella Henry bought all her holiday gifts secondhand. Henry, a 21-year-old student at Western Kentucky University, wanted to save money. But she ended up loving the hunt and the surprise of finding things she’d never see in a regular store. This year, her family took inspiration from her: All their Secret Santa gifts must be purchased secondhand. Today, on Black Friday, many Gen Z shoppers won’t be scouring luxury stores or big-box aisles for their gifts. Instead, they are turning to thrift stores, consignment shops and resale apps. About 86 percent of Gen Z-ers say they’re more likely to purchase a secondhand holiday gift this year than they would have been, according to a report from eBay. One reason is money. Gen Z-ers’ holiday spending this year is expected to fall 23 percent, according to recent research, so a used sweater from a big brand that costs less and lasts longer feels like a win. But it’s not just about saving cash. The shoppers in this cohort — age 13 to 28 — are after pieces with character. They grew up on social media, where influencers made thrifting look fun, stylish and deeply personal. Now they want something unique. Something with a story. Something you can’t find in a mall window. Tracking a trend
This didn’t happen overnight. Pandemic lockdowns “absolutely accelerated” the trend, said Danielle Vermeer, the head of product at ThredUp, an online secondhand marketplace. Young people scrolled TikTok and saw environmental and labor critiques of fast fashion. They missed going places, doing something tactile and finding joy offline. When infections slowed, thrifting delivered all of that: sustainability, nostalgia, community and a reason to leave the house again. Social media helped. Thrift hauls, closet clean-outs and $20 thrift store challenges rack up millions of views. The chief executives of BaseCamp Franchising, the parent company of resale firms, said teens show up in stores and film the entire outing. There’s a flood of posts tagged #Thriftmas and #ThriftHaul. No wonder Gen Z buyers have increased in the last year at Goodwill and the RealReal (a luxury resale marketplace). Sellers are there, too, offering up their own clothes for extra spending money. “I’ve been thrifting for over 20 years, and it was definitely not cool when I was a teenager,” Vermeer said. “That’s the energy Gen Z brings to secondhand.” Throwback fashion
Another impetus is the return of older styles. Jasmine Simpson, a 25-year-old social media specialist, loves discovering clothes and jewelry in Brooklyn that channel the early 2000s — think TLC, Destiny’s Child, old-school denim or anything that looks as if it could’ve been in a music video. Her favorite score? A fur coat for $40. Last Christmas, her sister gave her secondhand Chanel shoes for around $325, and this year she wants to return the favor. She’ll start her hunt online this weekend and then, if nothing turns up, shift to brick-and-mortar thrift stores. For years, Hannah Moffitt, a 25-year-old content creator in Hartford, Conn., took a dim view of thrifting. Her local Goodwill never had clothes in her size, and the store felt messy, she said. But a spontaneous trip to Savers with her fiancé, who grew up loving secondhand stores, changed her view. Now she shops mostly secondhand or from small businesses, and her gift list has shifted, too. Last year, she split her holiday shopping between thrift stores and big-box stores. This year, she wants to go fully secondhand — right down to the wrapping paper and the boxes. She and her fiancé even plan to thrift their wedding décor. “One man’s trash is another’s treasure,” she said. For more
You’re going to be bombarded with sales today. Many of them are balderdash. According to Wirecutter, most Black Friday deals are overhyped discounts on mediocre products. What gives? Well, retailers often manipulate the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, or M.S.R.P., to exaggerate discounts, especially during Black Friday. Wirecutter journalists track prices all year so they can compare today’s “deal” prices against what you would pay normally, without price manipulation. They have already scrutinized nearly 185,000 supposed Black Friday discounts, and only about 1,700 — that’s less than 1 percent — have gotten the seal of approval. You can find the deals that meet this high bar here. And no product is even considered unless it has been tested and approved by Wirecutter’s experts. They’re working today to find the best deals in their areas of expertise. Read about:
Let us help you: For an upcoming edition of The Morning, Wirecutter’s gifting editor will help readers find presents for people who are impossible to shop for. Send us your gifting conundrums here.
National Guard Shooting
Hong Kong Fire
War in Ukraine
More International News
The shooting of two National Guard members in Washington is a uniquely American tragedy. Political violence has become alarmingly regular in the U.S., the editorial board writes. Fifty years after the death of Gen. Francisco Franco, the far-right Spanish dictator, he has become punk — a sign of rebellion. Schools should do better to show who he really was, Paco Cerdà writes. Morning readers: Save on the complete Times experience. Experience all of The Times, all in one subscription — all with this introductory offer. You’ll gain unlimited access to news and analysis, plus games, recipes, product reviews and more.
Throwback: The transportation secretary is longing for the “golden age” of air travel — fewer sweats, more decorum. What did that look like? Talk it out: Six women in their 70s have been friends for decades. Read how they’ve stayed close. Still in N.Y.C.? People are gone, so it’s easier to get a restaurant booking. A debate: The Michelin Guides honored the Philly cheesesteak. But not all Philadelphians cheered. Love, again: At 90 and 83, they got married after a whirlwind romance. “Slow food”: Skye Gyngell was a London-based chef who pioneered a sustainable cooking movement and was the first Australian woman to be awarded a Michelin star. She died at 62.
$275— That’s about how much a 30-day supply of Ozempic will cost under the Trump administration’s new, lower Medicare drug prices. The current list price is about $1,000.
N.F.L.: Joe Burrow returned after an injury and led the Cincinnati Bengals to a win over the Baltimore Ravens in his first start since Week 2. In other Thanksgiving Day action, the Dallas Cowboys rallied past the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Green Bay Packers earned a huge road win in Detroit. |
