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Staying in India and finding the sun unbearable, Mrs.
Coomaraswamy decided to shop for a parasol. She found
two in the town nearby. One was in the window of a
store dealing in American goods. It was reasonably
priced but unattractive. The other was in an Indian
store. It was Indian-made, desirable, but
outlandishly expensive. Mrs. Coomaraswamy went back
home without buying anything. But the weather
continued dry and hot, so that a few days later she
went again into town determined to make a purchase.
Passing by the American shop, she noticed their
parasol was still in the window, still reasonably
priced. Going into the Indian shop, she asked to see
the one she had admired a few days before. While she
was looking at it, the price was mentioned. This time
it was absurdly low. Surprised, Mrs. Coomaraswamy
said, “How can I trust you? One day your prices are up;
the next day they’re down. Perhaps your goods are
equally undependable.” “Madame,” the storekeeper
replied, “the people across the street are new in
business. They are intent on profit. Their prices are
stable. We, however, have been in business for
generations. The best things we have we keep in the
family, for we are reluctant to part with them. As for
our prices, we change them continually. That’s the
only way we’ve found in business to keep ourselves
interested.” |