Across Catalonia, local shops choose to stand apart from Black Friday, highlighting the value of buying close to home and the important role of fair pricing, trustworthy service, and lasting relationships. A recent city-wide campaign, led by Pimec Comerç with support from the Generalitat’s Consorci de Comerç, Artesania i Moda, featured a life-sized heart strolling the streets of Mollerussa in Pla d’Urgell, handing out lollipops. The gesture and the date were deliberate. The campaign, titled Listen to the heartbeat of your trade, aims to remind the public that many stores cannot or do not want to participate in a spiral of perpetual discounts. This year, nineteen thousand shops across Catalonia joined, emphasizing that the local retail sector prefers sustainability over constant price slashes. Three retailers who refused to join Black Friday share their reasons.
“We work with fair margins to earn a living.”
Mònica Masramon and her sister Amparo took charge of their family business during the financial crisis in 2008. They run two multimarca clothing stores in Mataró, Maresme, under the Masley & Leymans banner. They operate in the segment that thrives during Black Friday, yet they have chosen not to participate.
“We work with fair margins to earn a living, to pay workers, the store, electricity, bags, and gift wrap, which we sometimes give away,” explains Mònica. “There are services we do not charge customers for, which lowers our margins. That’s why I can’t offer 40% discounts when I am still selling the product. If I did, I would have to raise the price and then cut it, which would mislead customers.”
That’s the turning point that makes them resist Black Friday. “We are adopting habits from other countries that have nothing to do with our traditions,” she says. “I swim against the current, I know, but today you have to be very coherent, sincere, or authentic, or we would not survive. Our goal is to build loyal, high-quality customers, and offering discounts when they don’t reflect real value would harm that objective.”
“Our customers don’t come for discounts; they come because they trust you.”
A former student of physics and optics from Portugal, Susana Pinho Ferreira moved to Barcelona for her final degree, learned the language, and built a life there. She later joined Òptica Vallpi in Granollers, a neighborhood shop where she has led the business for nearly twenty years after a succession of changes. The shop has likewise chosen not to participate in Black Friday.
“We want to be honest with the customer and cannot provide guarantees, warranties, or ongoing service if I offer a 40 or 50% discount,” she explains. “This is not an option for us.”
“We only run occasional campaigns when discounts are provided by the lab or when it makes sense; otherwise, you risk pushing customers away. Our customer doesn’t come for discounts, they come because they trust you.” The line is bold: “It is deceitful when large chains raise prices days before and then offer a discount.”
In Mollerrusa, Lidia Vilaltella has spent nearly four decades behind the counter at Esser Roba, a clothing store serving men and women in the town. She has never participated in Black Friday and believes outside pressures harm the Christmas campaign. Her philosophy focuses on what makes her shop different: service, advice, quality, and a personal touch. She argues that price manipulation by big retailers erodes confidence and marks a deliberate misdirection for shoppers.
“Not participating is part of my stance,” she says. “Customers know I won’t mislead them; they want quality, good guidance, and the right product. If you need a black coat, you won’t be sold a red one just because it has a discount.”
“I have fought hard for this,” she adds. “I never sell products at a steep discount. Even during sales, I rarely drop the price by more than twenty percent. That has been my policy from the start.”
The retailers who spoke about these choices argue that discounts should be strategic and honest, not used as a default tactic to attract customers. They emphasize that loyalty built on trust, authentic service, and consistent pricing ultimately sustains a business longer than a single season of aggressive markdowns. In their view, campaigns that erase the value proposition by discounting across the board can undermine Christmas campaigns, the core period when local stores rely on robust sales, community support, and the sense that shoppers are buying from people they know.
The broader message from these shop owners echoes a simple truth: customers visit local shops for more than price cuts. They seek reliability, expertise, and a human touch that large chains often cannot match. These retailers stress that genuine value includes personalized advice, after-sales care, and a sense that each purchase supports people who live and work in the same community. That is their commitment, and they intend to keep it, even as the market grows more competitive.