Pantagonia took out a black friday ad encouraging buyers to repair their items before going out and buying new stuff. They did this knowing that it would affect their sales on the day when many businesses finally see a profit.
While it may have affected their short term sales I feel that in the long run they will be remembered as the first company to make such a bold move in my generation (GenY). I’m aware there have been others in the past, though not in my lifetime.
Their ad got me thinking about a few things. One I had already been thinking about and have voiced for over a decade. Why don’t we fix things more instead of buying new stuff. One of the answers is because the media tells us that we need new stuff, bling, and the hottest fashions to be presentable and succesful. A sucesful look attracts more success. I disagree. I’ve made plenty of money in sweats and pjs. Buy a car and house cash money, and offshore account money.
I understand not everyone is this blessed with business matters in the way that I have been but as soon as I started seeing large sums of money, I wanted to buy less and less stuff. I grew up poor and realized at a young age that material things don’t bring hapiness but they are necessary to survive and as some put it … to enjoy creature comforts or… to have a little something for the pocket book ;).
Well, food, shelter, and water are necessary. Maslow’s law says when these needs are fulfilled we start to fulfill our wants, this can quickly turn to hedonism where we are obsessed with fulfulling all of our desires or worse fullfil our desires with blatant disregard for the suffering of those around us.
I appluad Pantogonia for their ad. They are saying you don’t need new threads to look cool, mend your sweater, and winter gear and come buy some stuff when you actually need it. This is the type of corporate culture other companies should try to emulate. I’ve known of drug dealers that wont sell to anyone under 18 and will even commit violence against other dealers that do. It’s nice to see a company that isn’t selling drugs that has those same morals.
This recesion gives the United States a chance to emerge once again as a world leader but it wont do so by continuing in its old ways. Pantogonia sets a great example for a new economy that is needs oriented and does away with consumerism. I’m sure I’m not the only one that has noticed cars (bombs and hotrods) that are decades old and run great. Lets mod them and put in an engine that is driven by renewable energy. What about vintage clothing that is decades old?