There is a very significant thing happening right now, with regards to how humans behave and engage. Vinyl sales are on the rise, as is mindfulness, the search for meaningful experiences, and, like, actual physical relationships.

It’s quite clear that we are desperately seeking tangibility and authenticity in this increasingly automated, online existence we have plunged ourselves into. Hipsters, the benchmark of all things authentic, shun mainstream, and would rather pay double for non-traumatised carrots sold at a ‘nude’ organic food seller, than walk into a mainstream retail chain.

Or is it more about being SEEN doing so? That’s a debate for another day. For now, though, I want to talk about household appliances.

Why do we place such importance on authentic experiences when it comes to hospitality, clothing and food shopping, but when we’re buying things like household appliances, we go straight to the big outlets.

Is it because they’re the most affordable? Because they’re not. The petrol you spend just to get to a so-called ‘megastore’ cancels out any apparent ‘saving’.

It’s a pointless exercise, and even when you shop online, they’re more expensive than A&A Furnishers on Kloof Street. You know, the owner-run beds and appliance shop between Mabu Vinyl and Vida – they’ve been around since your parents were kids. They’ve also just launched an online shop, so the big guys can be taken to task at the click of a mouse.

Let’s take this Bosch 13 Place Super Silence Dishwasher Inox as an example. It uses just 6,5 litres of water a wash, and costs R 9 750 at A&A. At some other big stores, it’s coming in at a criminal R10 499!

On the topic of online shopping, have you actually seen how much some companies charge for delivery?

What do A&A charge for delivery to Claremont? I’ll tell you – they charge R100. So you save R1 000 on the product the delivery is a steal.

Do you know many free-range egg omelettes and soy milk coffees you can buy at Cafe du Cap with that? A lot.

By the way, if you think that R9 000 or so is a little rich for your veins, you’ll find another ecowash option, the Bosch 14 Place Silence Plus Dishwasher White, comes in at just R6 900.

Please tell me how it is even possible that big companies, with all their bulk buying power and expert logistics systems, aren’t able to beat the price of a small operation on Kloof Street?

This brings us back to the very reason why we are desperately looking for genuine experiences and real people in this increasingly streamlined, single-brand world. We start believing the hype. We take it for granted that the giants will leverage economies of scale to get us the best deal. Well, we’ve just proved they don’t.

Uncle Willie is the owner of A&A Furnishers. He is very proud of his new online shop, and so he should be. If you don’t buy online and you decide to go into the store, he’ll probably give you a hug hello. Please enjoy his laptop while you’re there – he uses the screen as a surface for post-it notes. That’s the kind of real deal experience we’re missing in retail these days.

Rest assured, he’s got someone else running the online shop – but once you place that order you’ll be in the same safe, non-greedy hands that have kept him held in high esteem by generations of faithful consumers.