Shop with a conscience

by VISI ONLINE EDITOR Carine Visagie

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Merci in Paris was all I expected it to be: a concept store with rail upon rail of fine design items, slotted into smartly demarcated areas for fashion, homeware, furniture, body products and stationery. I felt at home in the coffee shop, with its neat rows of books, and I could have spent hours discovering each well-priced homeware product and Annick Goutal perfume scent.

What I didn’t realise before my maiden voyage to The City of Love, however, was that this brainchild of creatives Marie-France and Bernard Cohen donates all its proceeds to a group of underprivileged women in Madagascar.

So impressed was I that my brain immediately went tick-tick: Could there be a way of doing something similar in South Africa? I imagined a pared-down, Scandi-style space filled with work by up-and-coming designers where ALL proceeds (after breakeven point, of course) are donated to a worthy cause.

Back on home ground, a reality check dampened my spirits. One of the keys to Merci’s winning recipe is the fact that many of the participating designers have lowered their profit margins significantly. In South Africa, with its relatively small market for designer goods (which already makes it difficult for designers to make a living), this could be tough to replicate.

But I realised that there are already plenty of ways in which you can do good while getting a dose of retail therapy. For instance, how many times have you answered “no” when the cashier at Woolies asked whether you have a MySchool card? It’s time to fill in that form and get on with it.

There are also smart, do-good ways to shop for international brands online. Check out www.goodsearch.com. This search engine donates 50% of its sponsored search revenue to the charities and schools designated by its users. Its second arm, GoodShop, is an online shopping mall of world-class merchants dedicated to helping fund worthy causes.

The trip to Merci encouraged me to make an effort to support the stores and initiatives that donate generously to charity. Now, more than ever, I’m also keen to support retailers that make it their aim to create jobs in less privileged communities. Are you making the effort?

Use the comment box below to tell us of companies who get it right.

Merci, 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais - 3rd
Tel: 00 33 1 42 77 00 33
Open daily, Monday to Saturday, 10am-8pm
Metro: Saint Sébastien Froissard 

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