Pitched as the antidote to the annual shopping frenzy, the initiative has caught the imagination of independent book sellers

While bargain hunters across the country stand in queues and brace for crashing websites on Black Friday, independent bookstores are preparing for something a little milder. Pitched as the antidote to Black Friday, bookshops are preparing for Civilised Saturday, which returns on 26 November. Featuring in-store events and book signings, it follows a successful inaugural year in which thousands of bibliophiles flocked to their local bookshop to support independent businesses.

The initiative is the brainchild of Books Are My Bag (Bamb), a campaign launched by the Booksellers’ Association to celebrate bookshops. “The Bamb campaign is all about the relationship between books, bookshops and book-lovers – so it’s the opposite of discount frenzy,” says Alan Staton from Books Are My Bag.

“Civilised Saturday isn’t an alternative for Black Friday; it’s for people who would relish a restful, relaxing and different shopping experience on the Saturday – something that bookshops offer all year round, but which they really celebrate on Civilised Saturday,” says Staton. “We know that booksellers had really good [sales] days with the first Civilised Saturday last year.”

Bookshops launch Civilised Saturday as antidote to Black Friday Read more

Alastair Lynn from Cambridge University Press Bookshops says the day “celebrates everything that bookshops do so well – a welcoming environment; knowledgeable staff; and a step back from the shopping frenzy that takes hold each Christmas”.

In this way, Civilised Saturday differs from Cyber Monday and other shopping days. It doesn’t claim to offer any special offers for customers, rather it is an appeal to a growing consumer base frustrated by Black Friday to revisit their bookstores.

Last year, Sheffield-based bookstore La Biblioteka tried to participate in Black Friday. “It didn’t quite have the impact we hoped for,” says Alex Maxwell. “But I think small brands of all kinds can’t really compete with the sales culture of Black Friday and Cyber Monday – focusing on quality is all we can do.”

Meanwhile Sasha Drennan from Lindum Books, a small independent bookshop in Lincoln, says it has never participated in Black Friday. “In fact, we don’t discount our stock at all, as we just can’t afford to do so.” However, the shop does participate in Civilised Saturday, “because we and our customers believe that there is more to buying than pure consumerism, and that there is value to be had in more than just the purchase price.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Wenlock Books will have a hygge theme with cake and warm blankets. Photograph: David Sillitoe/The Guardian

In Shropshire, Wenlock Books will be hosting a hygge-themed Civilised Saturday complete with cake and warm blankets, while in Herefordshire, Mary Berry will be signing copies of her new book, Mary Berry’s Family Sunday Lunches at the Chorleywood Bookshop. At Dulwich Books in south London, children can hunt for their favourite book characters, while adults at Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights in Bath can hunt for pressed flowers hidden in the pages of the books.



To many bookstore owners, Black Friday simply is a trend that is on the way out of favour. “Having seen the images of Black Friday from previous years, we wouldn’t chose to sell books that way, no matter the increase in sales,” says John Junk, director of Belfast Books.

“We’re a genteel people, preferring Homer to Homer Simpson,” Junk adds. “To show that independent booksellers are alive and can compete with the big boys, we’ve had labels printed and use the hashtag #cheaperthanthatsouthamericanriver.”

“Anecdotally I can tell you that fewer businesses local to us have said they are engaging in Black Friday this year,” says Lynn, “and while I doubt that Civilised Saturday will create many more regulars, hopefully it will remind people what’s good about bookshops.”

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