On London’s Oxford Street last weekend, you could almost forget we were in the midst of a retail apocalypse. Christmas lights and a slew of special offers marking an ever earlier start to the imported bargain frenzy, Black Friday, brought out the crowds. Similar holiday cheer and promotions have spread elsewhere in Europe too.

But European retailers face a new worry: shoppers deliberately staying away in order to safeguard the planet.

— From a UK-oriented opinion piece at The Washington Post, Boycott Black Friday and Save the World.