SHOPPERS are being urged to ditch Black Friday and forget online shopping and flashy offers in favour of supporting small and independent businesses in the lead up to Christmas. 

South Essex is blessed to boast countless independent businesses offering everything from handmade and bespoke gifts to items from big name brands, but many of those businesses fear they can be forgotten at this time of year. 

Black Friday, which falls today, presents shoppers with countless online discounts and offers from High Street retailers but residents are being urged to “not believe the hype”. 

David Elcock, 48, is a volunteer organise for Totally Locally Leigh, a group aiming to support independent shops, restaurants, and businesses in Leigh and in the wider Southend area.

He said that, while he’d be a hypocrite to tell people to totally cut out multinational stores, even spending five pounds would go far.

Echo: Shop Local - Gemma Simpson from Other Kids, who is helping organise the late night shopping eventShop Local - Gemma Simpson from Other Kids, who is helping organise the late night shopping event (Image: David Elcock)

“A recent study by Which found that just one out of 50 offers from online giants were at their cheapest during Black Friday, they were cheaper at other times of the year,” David said.

“Most independent businesses don’t like black Friday because it makes them feel like they have to discount early to make the money they need to.

The group has organised a Leigh Road Christmas shopping event on Thursday, November 30.

Taking to Facebook, the group said: “Before you jump at the chance of buying a Black Friday online deal, do a bit of research first and see its available locally, it’s often the same price and sometimes even cheaper.

“A recent study by Which found that just one out of 50 offers from online giants were at their cheapest during Black Friday, they were cheaper at other times of the year 

“Either way, buying locally will benefit your local area more.”

Thomas Wohl, 19, from Westcliff independent toy store Argosy Toys, added: “Shopping local means a lot to us, a lot of toy shops have closed around the area, and we need the support from the community this Christmas.

“Being seasonal we do all our trade in the last couple months of the year, so it is very important to us, we have a lot of the human element in here and a lot of personality, when you go to a big toy shop, you are going into an empty warehouse with shelves of toys, there is not much life there.”