A Rhode Island holiday ritual bucks Black Friday consumerism

In this 2015 photo, people pick free winter coats off racks on the Statehouse lawn during the annual "Buy Nothing Day" in Providence, R.I. –Associated Press

By

MICHELLE R. SMITH

AP,

11:45 AM

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — It has become a holiday ritual in Rhode Island to take time on Black Friday to donate a warm coat, or pick one up for free.

The “Buy Nothing Day Winter Coat Exchange,” held the Friday after Thanksgiving at sites around the state, is Rhode Island’s twist on the anti-consumerism movement and attracts people of all stripes.

The idea was hatched during a meeting of the state’s Green Party in 1997, when members wanted to highlight the problems with consumerism while also doing something useful for the community, organizer Greg Gerritt said. The first year, around 250 coats were collected. Gerritt estimates that 50,000 coats have passed through the group’s hands since then.

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Q: What does it say to you that it’s become a holiday tradition?

A: “It says that, one, lots of people really care about these issues. And two, (for) lots of families, going out and spending and spending the day after Thanksgiving doesn’t cut it. A lot of people would just as soon sit out Black Friday and do something useful and give back to their community rather than just spend money. We’re really glad to be able to offer such a service for people.”