Free Effect. A new ice cream company in India has set up free ice cream vending machines on the streets to promote its brand. Result? People lined up at a very long distance in front of the vending machine. It was raining then, and the people in line went to a convenience store to buy umbrellas, then lined up again. Umbrellas cost much more than ice cream. However, people kept lining up. Cheap and free are two completely different concepts. When the price is low, sales increase slightly, but when it is free, an extraordinary dimension of the problem arises. It’s a privilege, so consumers are willing to pay a higher price to get something for free. Free is not a matter of reason; it is a matter of emotion. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
Eco bags are not eco-friendly. In 2007, the eco-bags, which British designer Anya Hindmarch printed, “I’m Not a Plastic Bag” on canvas, sold out 20,000 copies in 30 minutes at a limited edition price of 5 pounds. The project reduced the use of plastic bags by 58% over the next two years in Britain. However, a survey by the British Environment Agency found that consumers used paper bags at least 3 times more to have less environmental impact than plastic bags and used eco bags 131 times more to help protect the environment. In 2018, Denmark also announced a study that indicated people used plastic bags at least 37 times, paper bags 43 times, and eco bags 7,100 times before being discarded to recover from pollution. Yes, the facts that people believe have cheated us all. Materials and consumption are necessary, but people belatedly realized that environmental protection should also consider product use cycles and production. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”