Being an artist and a fan of local small businesses, I hate going to Wal-Mart or most other large corporate shopping centers. However, with the state of the economy and the less than fabulous wages I am paid,it is some times necessary for me to shop there because the prices fit my budget.
The reason I dislike going there is because the prices are so low that they disillusion people into believing that that is the price they should expect to pay for anything.
We learned in class that the price of an object is not just some random number that you pull out of the air, it is a calculated number that is fair to both the maker and buyer. When trying to price a piece of art work the equation is price of materials + (# of hours put in the the work x your hourly wage) + mark up (optional) = price of art work. For instance when making a scarf the price of a skein of yarn is generally $6, you need about 2 to make a scarf so $12, a scarf takes about 2 hours to make and I charge $10 per hour, and I don't mark up my scarves. So a custom scarf from me would cost you $32. Why would anyone want to pay that when they can go to Wal-Mart and buy one for $5?
This video makes me laugh, it reminds me of every art fair I have ever been to. Please share your comments, I would love to hear them.
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Ohhh my goodness... I was getting frustrated at that little character, "Maybe you have a blue one in the back..." he he.
ReplyDeleteI feel whatcha are saying. But, earlier this fall I bought a hand made hat for wayyyy to much money... But, when I calculated it... Hours, materials etc. It was a fair price. I'm proud totin' around my new garb knowing it was hand made and the artist was from West Bend, Wisconsin! I might be a rare bread though...