One year of 8.40
17 March 2009
A year since the som changed. For the people with dollars, nothing. For me, a bit of both: I buy in yuan, I pay in dollars, I sell in som. When the som was 5 my margin was 5 against the dollar. Now it is 8.40, and the same jacket costs 40% more in som, and the customers are the same people with the same salaries.
My suppliers do not care. My customers cry. Mairam sells rice at the old price and says it is "patriotism". It is not patriotism, it is her sister's farm.
I raised prices by 20% only, and kept the covers at the same. Nobody leaves a stall because of a cover.