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ARD’s ‘Hart aber fair’ Tackles the True Cost of Black Friday Bargains

The panel probes hidden costs of discount shopping with discussion of tighter rules for new Chinese e-commerce platforms.

Overview

  • The episode aired Monday, November 24, at 21:00 on ARD and is available to stream in the ARD Mediathek.
  • Host Louis Klamroth convened politicians, a consumer advocate, an industry representative, an academic and an influencer to dissect the bargain economy.
  • Topics included how reliable advertised discounts really are, common sales tactics and potential price traps during the peak shopping period.
  • The discussion examined labor conditions in logistics and the environmental toll of fast shipping, returns and growing packaging waste.
  • Participants debated whether policymakers should impose stricter consumer protections, including measures aimed at rapidly expanding platforms from China.