Archive for October, 2007
Shame on you, Pret
I spent a frustrating 10 mins today around Chancery Lane trying to find a cup of Fair Trade coffee. I didn’t bother with Starbucks etc, and avoided the big Illy sign after Andrea Illi’s recent comments. But, remembering a sign at the local Pret a Manger, I thought that they’d be able to help.
My request for a fair trade cappuccino was met with a kind of far off gaze. The type of expression you’d give if someone asked you to remember your earliest memory. A few shrugs and mumbles with a colleague later, I was told I could have a filter fair trade if I wanted, but they didn’t seem happy with it.
I really can’t believe that asking for fair trade is still such an obscure thing, and what sickens me is that the likes of Pret and Starbucks are actually making themselves look good by saying that customers ‘can’ ask for fair trade. The opposite of fair trade is unfair, and I won’t be buying anything from Pret or any of their ilk (AMT, for example) until things improve. Hmmpff.