[imagesource:flickr]

Cotton On, the South African retailer with Australian origins, has been on the receiving end of a Twitter hissy fit after advertising their pastel-coloured blikbekers (metal cups) at R199 a pop.

These cups can be bought nearly everywhere for as little as R9.99, and they’re as part of South African culture as vetkoek. In fact, I doubt there is a single household in this country, for once regardless of colour, that doesn’t have one of these indestructible metal mugs in their cupboard. Hell, even the soldiers in WW2 used them.

But tweeps have now accused the company of trying to “scam” shoppers, while other tweeps have defended the store, saying that those who think the price is too high should simply shop elsewhere. We tend to agree with both sentiments.

Cotton On has every right to sell the cups, along with their boring pastel clothing, at any price they choose. Nobody is forcing you to buy your koppies there.

But their shoppers must surely be a little annoyed at having to pay a premium price for what is likely the cheapest crockery on the planet. Even if it comes in pastel pink, pastel green, or pastel blue.

Makro is missing a klap-back marketing trick here as its website has a twelve-pack of enamel cups at R 239 (you’re welcome Makro), which they also stock it in Constantia Pastel Boring. In fact, News24 reports that the mugs can be found at R85 for a pack of 12 cups.

The retailer also sells matching bowls and plates which cost R399 a set, which obviously also caused more outrage than the mugs are worth.

You gotta love South Africans and our ability to balk at anything that is out of our comfort pricing. Even my diss at pastel colours is a idiotic attempt to convince you that “I don’t like it, therefore it’s bad”.

If you want to buy an almost-colourful mug at 200 bucks, go for it. It’s probably a great investment and it will last much longer than Eskom will. When we eventually all have to sit around campfires for some warmth after the Great Grid Failure, at least you will have a pretty cup from which to drink your coffee.

So let this latest storm in a teacup rage itself out. Soon we’ll have another expropriated overpriced piece of tin to argue about.

But seriously, what’s with pastel colours? Are you a stained white, or a faded colour?

[source:news24]