I’ve written about my thrifty ways enough for you to probably think I am a cheapskate. I am not. I spend more than I should and have a frequent chat with myself about wants vs. needs.
I started working retail when the kids were little because the schedule was flexible. While employed at small businesses, I always saw the cost of an item from the manufacturer on the purchase order. Typically, if it came in at $20.00 it would get doubled plus a margin of $10.00 – $12.00. That’s why even when something is marked half off there is still some money being made. Not much, and no business can survive on that, but hopefully enough is being sold at full price to make up for the markdowns.
The Mayor of Crazy Town took that formula and threw it out the window, buying denim jackets for $15.00 and selling them for $89.00. Cotton warm-up jackets came in at less than five dollars. Cheap goods marked incredibly high, and because it was a boutique customers thought they were something special.
They were not.
You cannot buy the material to make a jacket for $4.50 let alone pay someone else to do it and ship it across the world. And therein lies the problem, as this is likely coming from a sweat shop and participating in that has become a constant moral dilemma for me.
I fail frequently. I pass a rack of shirts at Target and throw one in my cart. Do I need it? Where did it come from? What did the earth choke up in resources to get it to me? But if it’s only $19.99 how can I pass it up?
I’m trying and listening to my conscience……….which has become very loud this last year.
