'Why one price fits all' does not work.

'Why one price fits all' does not work.

In a village like Paalaguttapalle, the electricity is erratic. They women spent a day getting the things ready for the making the screen for screen printing and then the current failed. They tried to expose in sunlight, but the sun also played truant, and it was a failed process. The whole coat needed to be scrubbed away, and the screen, and the day put away.

I realized that if the voltage is erratic, the high power lamp can blow up, and then there may be no way to get it repaired even in Tirupathi, 70 km away, and it may halt the work till a replacement is got from Chennai. The costs will rise exponentially.

When the women went to Tirupathi to get the stencil and paints, the paints were not available, and there were asked to come again. Every trip means a day and the cost of the journey, with a 4km walk to the busstop thrown in.

When they need to collect the cloth or to post the bags, it is again a trip to Pakala, and as the busstop is 4km away, luggage will mean an auto overhead.

When one is a village, and a slightly remote village, life is all about overheads. When they link into the wider economics.

And a moral economics needs to factor all that in, top ensure some reasonable returns for the women. Not 'may the cheapest producer win'. This holds on every front, and in every narattive.

Charmaine D'Souza Campbell What you do is break down the value of the bag. You justify the price by saying this is what it costs to ensure that these human being has a decent living wage to continue to do this work. Anything less is slave labor.

Manage

Like

 · Reply · 52w

Aparna Krishnan People simply choose the 'lowest cost'. Even when the additional 10/- is hardly an issue to them, given their expense profile.

Manage

Like

 · Reply · 52w

Aparna Krishnan They cannot relate - the distance from the producer and his stories is too much.And insensitivity gets entrenched.

Manage

Like

 · Reply · 52w

Charmaine D'Souza Campbell Well it may be a loosing battle but dont allow their work to be turned into slave labor.

Manage

Like

 · Reply · 52w

Aparna Krishnan i will not. But is desperation makes them choose lowest rates, I cannot preach to them. The well off need to polish their sense of right and wrong.

Manage

Like

 · Reply · 52w

Charmaine D'Souza Campbell Well the truth is that if people are not aware then they dont care. Your buyer is not connected to your village, its people or work. Because you are more knowledgeable about markets you know its about the sales pitch.

Manage

Like

 · Reply · 52w

Aparna Krishnan true. its a structural problem. of dis-association of producer and consumer.

Manage

Like

 · Reply · 52w

Write a reply...

Charmaine D'Souza Campbell I dont know quite what socially sensitive means but please explain. Thanks.

Manage

Like

 · Reply · 52w

Aparna Krishnan Well, caring about poverty ?

Manage

Like

 · Reply · 52w

Charmaine D'Souza Campbell How can they claim to care about poverty and try to drive the price down?

Manage

Like

 · Reply · 52w

Aparna Krishnan their buyers will not want to pay higher than minimum they say. thats also true.

Manage

Like

 · Reply · 52w

Charmaine D'Souza Campbell Well obviously they dont have an sales or marketing skills. Buyers will pay if they understand how they are refucing poverty through their purchase. I have seen tags on products i have bought because they explain this like fairtrade products. Buyers are willing if the message is conveyed.

2

Manage

Like

 · Reply · 52w

Write a reply...

Ashok Urs Every bag should carry a small printed message as to why buy this bag, I'm sure it will increase the sale. Make sure that no one duplicate.