It's ambivalent, isn't it, the month of January when you're an ethical consumer. In one sense, like everyone else, you want to shop the sales, and in another sense, you think (well, I personally do, so maybe I shouldn't generalize from my own case), "I want to buy something, but does that mean the price isn't fair all year round?"
We always come back to the fair price. I think there can be different degrees of interpretation; mine is quite simple: it's fair for the entire chain. Obviously, buying at a fair price has a cost. Like eating organic. Like using organic cosmetics. Taking care of the planet has a cost, but I tell myself that many small streams make a mighty river.
To get back to the sales, as you know, we won't be having a sale. We'll be offering a promotion on a range where we no longer have all sizes, one we've had for a very long time. But in short, we don't have a big sale because, as mentioned earlier, prices are fair all year round.
We could, in essence, have a sale, increase margins, and allow ourselves to sell a product at a discount for a month, only to sell it at full price again a month later. But that would mean treating the consumer like an idiot.
It's hard to change habits. It's hard to tell yourself, "I buy less, but my underwear costs €15, well, that's normal."
I won't hide the fact that, despite everything, as a good ambivalent person, I've favorited ethical shops where I couldn't buy in December (due to finances), and I tell myself that if they have a sale, all the better for me, and if not, too bad, because I need them.
