It's that crazy time of the year again to brave the crowd and venture into the inevitable holiday shopping season.
Even I as an avid shopper am fazed by the holiday mob scene in San Francisco- the mix of gung-ho local bargain-hunters and tourists who think there's still gold here turn downtown into a positively chaotic mosh pit.
So I'm delighted when I found out there'll be a warehouse sale close to my house, hosted by a company called World of Good that promotes fair trade with artisans in developing countries.
Now, I don't know if every cent we spent there is really used effectively to help these artisans, nor do I believe I can't get the same thing cheaper at Walmart or some backstreet shop in Chinatown (which I probably could, but that's why we need fair trade), we were still happy to have got quite a bit of our holiday shopping done there.
Coz for one, there's no mob, and secondly, the stuff is actually pretty nice, and lastly, even the idea that we're doing something positive for humanity during this holiday that has evolved into this huge consumerism party is consoling.
So boys and girls, I'm sorry that if you're on our gift list this year, the surprise is somewhat spoiled. But do visit their website which has an online store, and feel free to pass on a good word.
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