Is It Fair Trade?

We are placing orders with a small group of workers in Morocco.

Having supplied the designs and advised some new techniques, we hope we can give them regular work and a reasonable price for the goods.

It's a personal relationship, and we will do everything to make it a success.

However, when checking round, we were dismayed that "Fair Trade" is not all it seems.

Quite simply, the large organisations who have encouraged tea and coffee farmers to supply them in the West, do not really control the production properly.

"Mr. Big" still moves in and takes a cut, or says he's paying the minimum wage...but is lying.

Be assured, if we say that an item has been bought directly on a "Fair Trade" basis, that is the absolute truth ! We want our customers to have an excellent product, and to improve the working conditions of our suppliers.

Did the Courier Call?

A customer has cancelled an order...we didn't deliver.

In fact our courier's tracking shows that they called at the correct numbered house on the day after the order was placed at 11:59, and left a calling card...and noted the house had a brown door.

The customer told us she has a brown door, was out for two hours at that time...and never received the courier's card.

[ Which means she never saw it, amongst the other mail / circulars. ]

She was indignant... we must take the blame for incompetent couriers etc !!

Her husband weighed in from his office later in the day...and was a bit quiet when we asked if we could re-deliver there?

Anyway, the point is that couriers do leave cards, a work address is usually easier to find and deliver to, and thankfully most customers are wonderfully intelligent with superb taste in leather products....

Happy shopping!

J.

First step...

As a late arrival to computing, my first challenge was to get the internet mail order bizz to buzz.

SEE :-
The Leather Briefcase Company
The Leather Travel Bag Company
The Italian Briefcase Company

That done, the best way of developing the successful future of a business, is listening to & talking with customers.

These pages are open to everyone to say how it can be done better...what they think of the goods, the service, anything at all...hopefully constructive.

I'll also enjoy the opportunity to express the joys and frustrations that come our way.

For example:-
Last week a customer sent back a briefcase - "unfortunately the case is far too small"...

Our standard reply...[ as this happens far too often! ]

"We make every effort to convey the size with a picture gallery for every item, supported by a full description. This always gives external dimensions, and the maximum size laptop that can be accommodated."

Pictures can be misleading - so we use a passport or 'phone in our pix to give a straightforward scale - plus our blurbs give both cms and inches.

After 50 years in retailing, you know nothing will change...people skim over things...see what they want to see.
I was taught "retail is detail" - but then that's my problem from this side of the counter!