A PEEBLES clothes store has decided not to take part in Black Friday, and instead encourage donating over discounts.

It is part of a nationwide move by retail chain Fat Face not to take part in the discount shopping frenzy, which has been imported from similar events in America to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Fat Face said it felt strongly that discounting was not a sustainable model for UK retailers and that it wasn’t great for customers.

As an alternative, the chain has launched the “Thanks for Giving” campaign which encourages donating rather than discounting.

When it was launched last year, the campaign raised almost £200,000, which was donated to the Fat Face Foundation and this money was distributed to charities within communities where Fat Face trades. 

The “Thanks for Giving” scheme received positive customer feedback and made a significant impact to over 200 local charities that were selected by each store.

The Peebles store has selected charity Nomad Beat, who will be playing in-store on Saturday, November 26 and Sunday, November 27.

Several musicians will perform from a variety of musical genres, so shoppers can see what they are donating to.

Jo Dean, store manager of Fat Face in Peebles, told us: “The feedback so far this year has been excellent, and our customers feel that this is a real move forward to get away from the discount and hype that surrounds Black Friday. 

“There has begun to creep in a degree of cynicism about Black Friday and the authenticity of the ‘deals, discounts and bargains!’

“We’re proud to be a part of the community and support it, and know that many people have links with Nomad Beat.”

A spokesperson from Nomad Beat said: “We are very proud that Fat Face in Peebles has selected us to be their charity partner for this year’s ‘Thanks for Giving’ campaign run by their Fat Face Foundation. 

“Our tutors, students and volunteers will be performing in the store next weekend as part of the event so please make sure you pop in to say hello and stock up on Christmas Jumpers.”

The “Thanks for Giving” campaign started on Monday and runs for a week.