Global Connections- Sojourns Fair trade Store

Last week I had a chance to visit Sojourns, a fair trade store in downtown Birmingham. On my way there, I began to think about what the term “fair trade” actually means. Fair trade deals with ensuring that those who produce goods are paid a just amount for their time and effort.
In our society, we constantly want to get more for less, no matter what the cost may be to other people. In many developing countries, people are taken advantage of and forced to work in terrible conditions, for long hours, and paid very little. People in these situations really have no other option because they are desperate for the money in order to survive.
This type of store exhibits the key factors of a market exchange, where goods and services are bought and sold through standardized currency. Due to our world becoming smaller and smaller, globalization has occurred and we are all becoming interconnected. This creates a bigger gap between those who have, and those who do not.
Another thing that I noticed while in the trade store was that so many things were intricately made and it was obvious that hard work and time had been invested to make one item. Now that machines and factories are frequently used for everything, something this delicate and time consuming can be replicated and duplicated so quickly that the price is driven down due supply and demand rules. We lose appreciation for tokens from a culture as they become just another trinket in a chain souvenir shop.
I believe that the mission of the fair trade store is to remember that every product we use can be traced back to an actual human being, and we often lose that point. It really helps to be able to put a face to a story, and have a tangible item as proof of their work. In the store, there are stories posted of people who make the products, where they are from, and how fair trade has impacted their lives.
It was very encouraging to see actual benefits that come from more people in America being aware that their choices as consumers can influence how businesses treat their employees. While we often focus on making the next dollar, and have profit as the main goal, we cannot overlook the lives of those involved in the process.