That's it, it's January, sales month. A period that many consumers appreciate for getting “good deals”. However, without wanting to spoil the atmosphere, the sales are not only positive: overconsumption, incompatible with a fair price throughout the year... We will explain our point of view to you.
In the service of overconsumption
It's completely normal to enjoy buying something at a reduced price. However, sales as we know them today have been formatted by and for fast fashion brands and mass consumption in general.
In recent years, many people have been waiting for sales twice a year to buy what they need or want. And the brands have understood this well. Their marketing strategy has therefore evolved and everything is designed so that a large part of their turnover is based on promotional periods. How ? In particular by inflating their prices the rest of the year.
As a result, in addition to encouraging overconsumption, sales are most of the time at the service of major retailers and fast fashion brands with questionable or inauthentic values...
Sales vs. the right price
Faced with this, small brands and creators often have difficulty finding their way. When you charge a fair price all year round, it is difficult to count on sales periods to keep your business going.
But what is the right price? By this we mean an ethical final price, calculated to guarantee fair remuneration for everyone involved in the design of the product. This concept also assures the consumer that the merchant applies a decent margin, between 1.5 and 3 times the manufacturing price of the product.
Note that the major fast fashion brands are between 5 and 10 times the design cost, minimum... A reality that is sometimes difficult to understand when we realize that it is precisely the companies that offer the lowest prices. There is someone who pays the price somewhere, even if it is neither the brand nor the consumer...
And why not less, but better?
We take this opportunity to remind you of our philosophy at Sample Slow Jewelry: less is more. (“Less is more”...it sounds less pretty in French, we agree.) A thought from minimalism which invites us to own, and buy, less, but better. And to encourage purchases at the right price, perhaps less numerous and regular but more thoughtful, useful and sustainable.
When we adopt this way of operating, we learn to appreciate our purchases better, for longer. Because they are generally of better quality but also because they have been made consciously.