[Pushpa]

Originally Posted by shadha

AsSalamu' Alaykum,

If it's one thing about Muslim owned businesses that I just can't stand, it would have to be how over-priced everything is. They are totally taking advantage of the situation. From them charging outrageous prices for a single pound of Halal meat to them charging outrageous prices for simple nothing to it but cotton clothing, ahem...and ahem...these two are the biggest offenders of this that I have come across.

You do have a few sites, ahem, who generally don't over-price but sometimes they are damn close to it [a regular, probably Hanes, cotton long-sleeved shirt with a tiny design on the side rockin in at 20 bucks? Are you serious?].

Sometimes you are lucky and find a fair-priced store,
ahem and ahem, and you get really happy and warm inside and end up blowing most of your check on it.


shadha-

I'm so with you. Personally I never buy from 'Islamic clothing' stores if I can help it, when I can find perfectly acceptable items on the high street for half the price.

And about the halal meat - the halal chicken here is more expensive than the supermarket chicken, but I'm positive it is inferior in quality; it is tasteless and watery and just doesn't look very healthy. Now the UK is going free-range or at least upgrading the standard of their indoor farms, I think that's great, but I think halal butchers will continue to buy dead, diseased chickens from Allah knows where. And continue to charge us the same price it would cost us to get a better chicken from Tesco's. [/VENT]

[ChotooMotoo]

you want overpricing? I went to a shop in Dubai catering to western tourists, and they were charging the equivalent of US $15 for it! THAT is overpricing, especially when I know that you can get the same hijab for US $2 from a street vendor in Saudi Arabia.

I don't think shukr is overpriced, their stuff is really nice. The other places you mentioned, yeah pretty much.

[IbnMardhiyah]

Shukr is a bit pricey for their stuff, but where they really hit you is with shipping charges.

[infamousbrown]

If you want to go at it economically, it all has to with scale.

The the less you produce, the higher your unit cost of production is. In turn, to survive, these businesses have to pass those costs on to the consumer.

The market just isn't that big yet.

[Macaca]

Originally Posted by shadha

AsSalamu' Alaykum,

If it's one thing about Muslim owned businesses that I just can't stand, it would have to be how over-priced everything is. They are totally taking advantage of the situation. From them charging outrageous prices for a single pound of Halal meat to them charging outrageous prices for simple nothing to it but cotton clothing, ahem...and ahem...these two are the biggest offenders of this that I have come across.

You do have a few sites, ahem, who generally don't over-price but sometimes they are damn close to it [a regular, probably Hanes, cotton long-sleeved shirt with a tiny design on the side rockin in at 20 bucks? Are you serious?].

Sometimes you are lucky and find a fair-priced store, ahem and ahem, and you get really happy and warm inside and end up blowing most of your check on it.


shadha-

WHat I hate even more than over-pricing is that if you go to a Pakistani store (sometimes) if you're Pakistani you'll get served BEFORE someone in front of you, or get a discount,etc.

[Macaca]

Originally Posted by ChotooMotoo

you want overpricing? I went to a shop in Dubai catering to western tourists, and they were charging the equivalent of US $15 for it! THAT is overpricing, especially when I know that you can get the same hijab for US $2 from a street vendor in Saudi Arabia.

I don't think shukr is overpriced, their stuff is really nice. The other places you mentioned, yeah pretty much.

LOL! Are you serious? $50.00 for a jalabiyyah? You gotta be joking.
$20.00 for a kufi?! Aaaah!!
I'll just have my friend send me the stuff for a fraction of the price from Misr.

[Sugarberry]

Originally Posted by shadha

AsSalamu' Alaykum,

If it's one thing about Muslim owned businesses that I just can't stand, it would have to be how over-priced everything is. They are totally taking advantage of the situation. From them charging outrageous prices for a single pound of Halal meat to them charging outrageous prices for simple nothing to it but cotton clothing, ahem...and ahem...these two are the biggest offenders of this that I have come across.

hahahaha I know where your coming from, but usually its more expensive because it takes more time to produce in a halal manner than its western cohorts.

For example Halal meat is more expensive, because their are certain requirements in making the meat halal, where as in america its not uncommon to for Perdue to feed its cows and chickens....ground up cows and chickens or their own manure.

Clothes are more expensive...casue they dont use slave labor from china,india,indonesia etc.. to manufacture them. their usually made by hand.

So dont think of it as paying for overpriced stuff, think of it as buying items that are guaranteed quality items that no person was getting paid 2 cents on or wasnt injected with hormones, or genetically engineered. That being said I rather put more money in muslim owned products than in the hands of corporate America

[Purple_alien]

Shukr clothes are not made any better or worse than other places. AND their clothes run small. They used to have plus sizes but now they don't really. I got one Eid outfit from there and it was nice, but I mean, seriously, they should relax with the prices. (though the men's suits are I just don't know what they would cost in a store.)

[ChotooMotoo]

Originally Posted by Purple_alien

Shukr clothes are not made any better or worse than other places. AND their clothes run small. They used to have plus sizes but now they don't really. I got one Eid outfit from there and it was nice, but I mean, seriously, they should relax with the prices. (though the men's suits are I just don't know what they would cost in a store.)

Well, I can tell you that their ladies blouses which cost $50 would cost as least that in a store, especially the plus sized ones. In a regular store, it costs around $40 to get a shirt that isn't long enough, and is cut to fit tight on the body. Of course in a regular store you can sometimes get things on sale, Shukr sales aren't that spectacular.

Yeah, I don't know who they design those clothes for either, because most muslimah's I know are not 6 feet tall (the height required to wear a Shukr skirt without hemming)

[Ameerah]

I hate it too. I KNOW you didn't pay that much for the hijabs you're selling back when you bought them from a Muslim country.

It sickens me to think these people, NAMELY Zamzam in Green Street, paid next to nothing to buy these things from abroad and sell things like simple square hijabs that really are nothing special at £10 each. Abaya prices start at like £40 and it's up from there. That's like almost $100 for something that really isn't worth that much. I have no problem with spending money, trust me but it has to be justified.

I know for a fact that the people that sat in a factory and made these things got nowhere NEAR a decent penny for their hard work.

[Jamroll]

Originally Posted by Ameerah

I hate it too. I KNOW you didn't pay that much for the hijabs you're selling back when you bought them from a Muslim country.

It sickens me to think these people, NAMELY Zamzam in Green Street, paid next to nothing to buy these things from abroad and sell things like simple square hijabs that really are nothing special at £10 each. Abaya prices start at like £40 and it's up from there. That's like almost $100 for something that really isn't worth that much. I have no problem with spending money, trust me but it has to be justified.

I know for a fact that the people that sat in a factory and made these things got nowhere NEAR a decent penny for their hard work.

I hear what you're saying, and you know we all hate paying above the odds, and love a good bargain when we can get it.

However, these kind of shops would respond by saying, sure it is much cheaper in Pakistan/India/Morocco/Algeria/wherever, but the costs of running a business in England/US/Canada are much higher. They have to import the goods, pay for delivery and distribution from ports, incur the costs of their employees, heating, electricity, phones and all other expenses, and then try and make a reasonable markup for themselves.

So even though it might only cost like 3 or 4 pounds/dollars to produce in their country of origin, by the time an independent retailer has factored in all their costs, they don't make as huge a profit as we attribute to them.

[infamousbrown]

Originally Posted by ChotooMotoo

Yeah, I don't know who they design those clothes for either, because most muslimah's I know are not 6 feet tall (the height required to wear a Shukr skirt without hemming)

Most garment makers cut in one length and then expect buyers to hem --- much more cost effective. At least that's how it works for menswear most of the time (jackets, suits, dress pants.)

[bihari]

Originally Posted by shadha

AsSalamu' Alaykum,

If it's one thing about Muslim owned businesses that I just can't stand, it would have to be how over-priced everything is. They are totally taking advantage of the situation. From them charging outrageous prices for a single pound of Halal meat to them charging outrageous prices for simple nothing to it but cotton clothing, ahem...and ahem...these two are the biggest offenders of this that I have come across.

You do have a few sites, ahem, who generally don't over-price but sometimes they are damn close to it [a regular, probably Hanes, cotton long-sleeved shirt with a tiny design on the side rockin in at 20 bucks? Are you serious?].

Sometimes you are lucky and find a fair-priced store, ahem and ahem, and you get really happy and warm inside and end up blowing most of your check on it.


shadha-

its the desiness....