I often wonder about this, though I do take advantage of them, even today at the Fairtrade shop where the question seemed especially pointed.  "Buy one get one free on all Fairtrade Easter eggs" said the sign.  I would have bought two anyway, but I was left in a bit of a quandry about the 'rightness' of it.  Someone, somewhere, has to lose out in all this. 

The shop in Leicester is staffed mainly by volunteers, and I assume it is the shop, not the suppliers, who take the hit on the reduced income.  But is even that right?

A few years back I was preaching on Fairtrade Sunday and picked up this very theme - we all love bargains but is that fair for the shop floor retail staff, most of whom are on little over minimum wage, or the suppliers, who can, even in this country, make a loss on this kind of product (my erstwhile church secretary here works as production manager in a meat factory supplying Tescos, not withstanding some naivety and incompetence on their part, they regularly sell things for less than the cost price, made worse when these offers necessitate larger quantities).  We hear regularly the effect of supermarket pressure on local suppliers and small businesses, less often about the shelf stackers and till operators on just over £5 an hour.  The two for ones and three for twos have to be paid for somehow.

I don't have any answers to this, I'm too much of a coward to insist on paying for both of my Easter eggs, and there aren't any simple answers to any of it.  I guess that for Fairtrade outlets, the pressure to conform to western, consumerist mindsets is enormous - but it is concerning that such pressures might undermine the good it does if we are not watchful.

Still, the good thing is that I have now 'booked' a big box of sale or return Fairtrade goodies for the Dibley Pentecost Party taking place on 26th May from the very helpful people at Just (if only the Christian bookshops were as helpful...)