Circular Monday returns to challenge what a “better deal” really means

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Put the U Back in Value: Circular Monday returns to challenge what a “better deal” really means

As Black Friday breaks a new record year after year, the world’s largest movement for circular consumption makes its case: the smartest purchase isn’t always the cheapest one. This Circular Monday – 23 November, the Monday before Black Friday – the global movement invites people to look past the price tag and reclaim what value actually means.

Last year’s Black Friday and Cyber Week hit an all-time high, with global Cyber Week sales reaching a record $336.6 billion. The headline looks like a spending spree. The reality underneath is more interesting: people aren’t buying more for the fun of it – they’re hunting value while budgets stay tight, and they’ve grown far more deliberate about where it comes from.

Circular Monday’s argument is that the definition of “a better deal” has narrowed to a single number – the price – and that this is a poor measure of what something is actually worth. A repaired phone, a pre-loved jacket, a drill borrowed for an afternoon: none of these is a compromise, but each is the smarter choice.

“A better deal shouldn’t just mean a cheaper one,” says Alexandra Davidsson, Co-Founder & Global Lead of Circular Monday. “The U in value is you. The decision about what your money is worth belongs in your hands, not on a retailer’s markdown calendar. That’s what we mean when we say: put the U back in value.”

The resourceful consumer is already here

Circular Monday isn’t inventing this behaviour – it’s naming and reframing it. In its State of the Consumer 2026 research, McKinsey identifies the rise of the “resourceful consumer”: people who keep products longer, repair instead of replacing, buy secondhand, and weigh durability, usefulness and total value over time rather than the sticker price alone. Crucially, this is no longer confined to tighter household budgets. Making things last has become mainstream – a choice people make with pride.

That shift is exactly the opening Circular Monday was built for. When the resourceful instinct is already there, the movement’s job is to make the circular option the easy, visible, obvious one.

Four powers, one platform

Circular Monday organises circular consumption into four simple moves: buy better, keep longer, trade smarter, and borrow what you need. Behind them sits a growing global database of circular businesses and changemakers – searchable all year round, not just for one day – that turns good intentions into a concrete next step.

“People are telling us, through what they buy, that value and price have come apart,” says Evelina Lundqvist, Spokesperson Austria. “Our role is to meet that instinct with somewhere to act on it.”

A movement, not a moment

Founded in Sweden in 2017 as a positive counterpart to Black Friday, Circular Monday has grown into an independent global movement spanning almost 60 countries, connecting volunteers, brands and changemakers who champion repair, reuse and mindful consumption. Its tenth edition opens a new era and a new brand identity to match.

On November 23, and every day after, Circular Monday asks one question in return for Black Friday’s: not how much you can save, but how much value you can keep.