I’ve embarked on a rather ambitious gift giving program this year, instead of going to the big stores and malls for presents I’ve decided that 2006 will be a fair trade xmas, with the exception of a few presents for kids, which will be bought from mom & pop stores or small independent retailers.

It’s a tougher gig than I imagined it would be, but so far I have managed to stay out of places like WalMart, Best Buy, and Zellers, and stay within budget.

I had assumed that the biggest problem with my plan would be cost, buying fair trade goods is always more expensive than buying the sweat shop or mass produced stuff, I was wrong, it turns out that before you can take cost into consideration you have to actually find fair trade goods - something that (at least in Ottawa) isn’t all that easy.

There’s a lot of inexpensive, and somewhat cool, stuff to be found in the big box stores, and as the clock ticks towards xmas those prices will fall even further in attempts to get as big a slice of the last xmas dollar in your pocket as possible. Unfortunately a big part of the economics of offering large volumes of very economical, and somewhat cool, stuff is that someone has been exploited - I’m trying very hard not to be a part of that.

By way of example, I purchased (what I think is) a nice little gift for my sons girlfriend that was made at a womans co-op in India. I’ve seen similar items in larger retail outlets so on the way home I stopped off at a mall to see what the big box versions were priced like - I could have bought another 5 of them, and had enough change left over for coffee….. I wonder what those workers took home to feed their families with?

Speaking of coffee I had to grab some of that on the way home as well, for those who are interested fair trade coffee is running at $10 a pound these days, it’s one of the reasons I limit myself to two cups per day :-)

So as you’re wandering around these last few shopping days think about where you are and the price you’re paying, look at the sticker on the product, see if it was made in a developing or 3rd world country, and ask yourself if the workers there likely received a fair days wages for their day of work. If you can’t honestly answer yes, then think about the corporate practice you are supporting with your purchase.

The people I’m buying for this year aren’t getting anything big, and they’re certainly not getting anything flashy (although some of their presents are unique), but I’m going to sleep knowing that my purchases are not supporting the exploitation of the people in developing and 3rd world countries who made them.

Call it my little attempt to ensure a better season for more people than just my family and friends.

[Cross posted @ Stageleft:. Life on the left side]