It’s
a strange thing, the psychology of purchase decision making. Fair Trade
retailers carry hundreds of pieces of beautiful work from artisans all over the
world. Their mission is to bring these works of art to a wealthy market, and
allow impoverished people to make a living where there is a terrible quality of
life. For many consumers, the quality of the handmade product or the ethics
behind their purchase is reason enough to buy these Fair Trade goods. What’s
strange is that not everyone knows or cares about that stuff; young people
often feel like they don’t have the money to decorate a home with baskets and
wall hangings, and some people couldn’t be bothered to think about where the
stuff they love comes from. We still want these people to buy Fair Trade. We
want market share. We will do whatever it takes to make them want to spend
their money on ethical products, even if it means appealing to some previously
unexplored customer needs.
I have been working as a retail
sales analyst with Ten Thousand Villages for a while now, and in that time I’ve
explored some of the products we sell, and theorized about why people are
buying what they do. I’ll even admit, when I started here, I didn’t make much
of an effort to buy products from ethical sources, and so I have first-hand
experience in the field of buying Fair Trade for reasons you wouldn’t expect.
When you start to see some of these products lined up and shown together, maybe
you can start to see what I’ve been seeing.
1.
Unique
Gaming Accessories
Not many people outside the gaming community
know this, but there are a ton of popular games on the market right now that
require players to bring their own set of dice. Roleplaying games like Dungeons
& Dragons, Pathfinder, Savage Worlds, Warhammer, and Magic: The Gathering
are all examples of globally popular games in which players much purchase
gaming accessories, which are sold separately, and bring them together to
compete. The competitive nature of these games coupled with the customizability
of self-sourced equipment means that many gamers are looking for new ways to
stand out. Sure, you can go to a hobby shop and spend $5 on the red plastic
dice that are typically associated with the game, but why would you do
something so typical, so ordinary,
when what you really want is for all of your opponents to remember you well
after your victory? Enter Fair Trade Sheesham
Wood Dice.
Ten Thousand Villages carries two sets of
hand carved wooden dice among their Toy & Games selection of products.
These dice are smooth, balanced, and completely unique. When gamers think about
the dice they want to buy for using thousands of times on a wide variety of surfaces,
they want something lightweight, easy to transport, and strong. These
beautiful, unique set of dice are the perfect choice, and are currently
marketed to children! I’m not sure who else is buying this product, as the dice
don’t come with rules to any game; they’re just six-sided dice. I imagine a
child getting these would roll them a couple times and promptly lose them,
forgetting about them just as quickly. But gamers? Gamers will keep the dice
inside the hand carved box, take them to friends’ houses and tournaments alike,
being able to brag not only about their victory in the game, but that their
dice purchase was made ethically. As their opponent looks to the little red
plastic dice in their hand, the wooden dice will have made the win twice as
sweet.
2.
Steampunk
Culture and Décor
Another lesser known type of style and fandom
is Steampunk, an alternate history sub-genre of Science Fiction. The settings
of the Steampunk stories often feature steam-powered machinery and technology,
and modernized versions of old inventions. It is not uncommon to find
fantastical armoured battle trains, impenetrable flying blimp fortresses, or crazy
goggle-wearing scientists. One of the features of Steampunk style is having
things made out of glass, wood, or brass that normally aren’t. It will also
have a sort of Steampunk feel if things look almost robotic. These style
features of Steampunk are what compel me to show you this.
So apparently there are a lot of artisans who
specialize in making unique products out of actual brass and wood. A compass?
How many people need a tiny brass compass as an accent to an otherwise completed
decorating scheme? Every single Steampunk fan, that’s who. I wondered who would
want to buy an intricately designed metal champagne flute, until I realized
that it’s the PERFECT accessory for someone in Steampunk attire to bring with
them to a convention. This stuff has the benefit of being made from the actual
materials true to the genre, as well as being a source of desperately needed
income for people around the world. That necklace
pictured above is actually made of recycled
bomb shells. This little fact adds a world of value to
an already excellent Steampunk jewelry piece. I’m going to be honest, one of
those brass owls is going to be sitting on my bookshelf beside William Gibson,
Philip K. Dick, and Issac Asimov, in the very near future.
3.
Novelty
Gifts
Every year I host an “Ugly Christmas Sweater”
Christmas party, in which guests wear the ugliest sweater they can find. Prizes
are awarded to first, second, and third places after a vote is taken. Needless
to say this is a lot of fun, and to keep with the theme, each year the prize
has been an unusual Christmas ornament. Though I have previously given a pickle
ornament (based on a German tradition of hiding a pickle in the tree), this
year I decided to gift something from Ten Thousand Villages.
That bearded man on the left is an ornament
that is meant to be part of a set, depicting the three wise men that came to
visit baby Jesus. It is made from porcelain and is excellent quality, and together
they look wonderful. What I did was just buy the one ornament so that as a
gift, the winner of the sweater contest got a bearded man in a gown holding a
baby. It’s not that the items that come from other countries are naturally
weird, but it certainly is the case that used in the wrong context, they can be
hilarious. Many pieces that are part of a set, or fit a theme for decorating,
are just completely out of place on their own. Why not get someone a gift that
will seem strange upon first glance (for the novelty factor) but then surprise
them with the story of an ethical purchase.
See that angel
ornament above? These are handmade out of recycled paper, and
involve a lot of skill to make each individual one by hand. Earlier this year
we found that some of the recycled paper may have come from some medical
publication, and a few of the angels had words on them that were, ah, less than
festive. These angels were scoured by customers for these unexpected errors,
since the artisans themselves do not necessarily understand the language. They
have no reason not to send it as is, and of course this feature only adds to
the unique nature of the craft.
4.
All
the Cool Kids Are Doing It
Fair Trade has become increasingly popular,
and its necessity is becoming apparent to more and more people. I’m not just
talking about us regular people either, I’m talking about the celebs; there’s a
bunch of very important people that are throwing in their purchasing votes with
ethical consumerism. It’s getting to a point where people that don’t know the
first thing about Fair Trade are going to be loyally buying products associated
with the stars they love, and making good choices in the process. Coffee
drinkers got a pleasant surprise when they found out actor Hugh Jackman started
his own line of Fair Trade coffee, Laughing Man. Increased popularity of Fair
Trade beverages has also led to major chains to carry products that have been
sourced ethically. Starbucks, Second Cup, and Timothy’s have all gotten on
board, not
to mention us, so why haven’t you? Sometimes peer pressure
is exactly what people need to start caring.
It doesn’t just stop at coffee either. Fair Trade
clothing has seen an increase in popularity since actress Emma Watson
collaborated with People Tree, an ethical clothing line that focuses on
sustainable, eco-friendly clothing production that workers get paid a living
wage for. Many of the high end fashion brands pay millions of dollars to get a
celebrity endorsement, just getting them to wear their clothes. This strategy
works; customers love to buy products that their favourite celebrities believe
in! Literally the only reason I wear Gentlemen Only cologne is because I assume
it makes me smell just like Simon Baker. So even if you don’t know the artisan
story behind what’s being made, or how the company is making a real effort to
better the lives of their suppliers, at the very least you can be just like the
coolest celebs in Hollywood!
5.
Thrifty
Gifts Packed with Gifty Value
Most people that think about
Fair Trade products think that they will automatically be overpriced, and that
it will mean paying a premium to buy ethically. This isn’t true though, and
retailers will have a wide variety of products that are inexpensive and still
beautiful. The awesome thing is that it’s kind of easy to basically present
anything you could possibly buy as being an amazing gift on multiple levels.
You can literally spend a few dollars, and get away with making claims to its
multi-dimensional significance. Here’s what I mean by Fair Trade gifts being
packed with “gifty” value.
Look at each one of these
products. Each of these gifts is under $10, which to be honest, they really
should be. Just looking at them you see a bracelet, a bar of soap, and a metal
snake; nothing to get excited about. This is the difference between a regular
gift, and a Fair Trade gift, because once the recipient of your thoughtful,
thrifty gift has revealed the treasure you have bestowed upon them, the sharing
of extra value begins! Time for everyone to feel good about giving and
receiving!
That
bracelet is made of leather, but was painstakingly hand painted
by an artisan in Indonesia trying to make a living in extremely difficult
conditions. The bracelet was a literal source of income for someone who would
otherwise struggle to survive. Wearing that bracelet stands for something; it means so much more than just a plain
leather bracelet.
The
soap
in the middle sure sounds like a simple gift. Everyone already has soap, why
would someone need more? That’s when you hit them with the fact that THIS soap
was made by women who have escaped the sex trade. They have been trained to
make a living by creating soap, and selling it to earn the money they need to
survive without giving up a part of themselves. This soap comes with the added
“gifty” bonus of hope, a story of overcoming the odds, and is even imprinted
with the thumbprint of an actual sex trade survivor. This $7 soap will bring
them to tears, whether they get it in their eyes or not.
The
snake you see above is made of recycled bicycle chain, and is
actually a bottle opener. Did you know that other metal bottle openers are
often $15-$20? This, however, is a gift that keeps on giving, since you can
share the story of the artisan in India using old parts to create something new
and beautiful, and then the story can be shared again and again when the bottle
opener is used! Practical, and unlike anything else, spending $8 gets you a
useful tool, a beautiful story, a feeling of hope, and all sorts of other
things that aren’t immediately apparent. That’s just a smart way to spend
money.
The point of all this is that
sure these extra stories are wonderful and people want to hear them, but let’s
not forget the actual literal value it adds to a gift. For some reason when we
give something to someone, we want a sense that they’re getting a whole lot out
of it, and by making sure that your purchase is Fair Trade, you automatically
get to add in all these great ethical bonuses, without spending more. So your
$7 bar of soap carries just as much value as trying to pick out a CD or movie
for someone and spending $20 in the hopes they’ll like it. Buying gifts from a
Fair Trade place is cheap, easy, and very valuable, whether you pay attention
to the good it’s doing or not!
6.
To
Live Like a Rich Person
In what has to be one of the most
counter-intuitive ways for someone to shop at a Fair Trade retailer, this is
actually a reason that companies count on, even if it is unexpected.
Realistically not everyone coming through the door is totally familiar with
Fair Trade practices and may only have a vague idea that the products they are
looking at are ethically sourced. Actually, maybe they do know about the background of the items, and are looking to make
a difference in the world in the most luxurious way they can think of.
Regardless of the reason, it seems some people come into our stores to spend
hundreds of dollars on goblets and chess sets.
Ten Thousand Villages seems to be the exclusive Canadian
supplier of hand
carved, Fair Trade onyx goblets; stone drinking glasses
that are lovingly kept in a velvet lined box. I’m pretty sure that the only
glasses more expensive are Waterford Crystal, and really, anyone can buy
crystal. These cups come in sets of two, which seem to indicate they aren’t
even meant for special dinner parties. These goblets will make anyone feel like
a king or queen the very few times they actually get used before being hidden
away in their upscale velvet chest. We don’t specifically say it, so I can’t
even tell you if these are dishwasher safe. All I know is that taking a step
back, it can be strange to think that the skilled artisan whose livelihood
relies on the sale of these goblets, if they had the $100 that these cost,
would probably buy food, medicine, or more education for their children. I’m in
no way saying you shouldn’t buy these cups; on the contrary, it only benefits
everyone for them to be purchased. I’m just saying stone goblets are a certain
kind of first world luxury.
And now I’ll draw
your attention to the line of products only less expensive than large pieces of
furniture and exotic Pakistani rugs; chess
sets. For those customers who don’t just want to play chess, but want to
spend at least three times the cost of the stone goblets on a game. I
understand that realistically these games may not see a lot of actual play, and
they make an amazing piece of décor, we’re still talking about a wooden chess
set costing someone more than someone in a textile factory could make in a
year. I know that comparisons like that can be made about anything, but it does
seem kind of funny to think that it’s this kind of indulgent purchase that is basically
working to end our reality in which some people can’t afford really nice chess
sets. Ok, not so much funny as actually really good and ethical. Seriously, if
you want to have really nice things that cost a lot of money, this is a great
place to get them. In fact, it’s probably the best, most ethical place you can
get them.
