Remember the Carpets

If you are a regular reader of Darren's blog, then you know about the Turkish carpets we brought home from our recent travels. If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you know about the discussions Darren and I have been having lately about reducing our consumption (especially in relation to Christmas, but also more generally). And if you're a thoughtful reader of both of these blogs, then you've probably noted the incongruence between these two things.

It begs the question: What makes two people who are trying to be conscientious consumers, and who had absolutely no intention of purchasing floor coverings (and who even said that to each other as they walked into the shop), spend an embarrassing amount of money on rugs?

A friend in our building suggested that maybe we had let our guard down since we'd been doing so well at buying less. Darren thinks it has something to do with my dislike for disappointing people, even pushy carpet salesmen who have spent an hour showing us rug after rug. I think we might simply have gotten caught up in the moment and not allowed our rational selves to operate in full.

We're usually very good at seeing through advertisers' schemes. We are well aware of the tacit claims made by our culture that our lives will be much improved if only we buy this or that product. But what we weren't familiar with was the Turkish "make friends with the potential customer before trying to sell them a rug" method. I think it caught us off guard. And we were sitting ducks.

Both Darren and I had trouble sleeping the night we bought the rugs, suffering from buyer's remorse. When we got back to Qatar, Darren made a few phone calls to see about cancelling the order. However, the rugs had already been shipped, and the very next day they arrived at our apartment.

Please understand me: I love our new carpets. They are beautiful and make our apartment - which has an institutional quality about it with the high ceilings, concrete floors and drab cement walls - feel more like a home. The one in the living room particularly is so soft and feels wonderful under my feet. It also gives our home a bit of a classy, grown up look, something which is quite appropriate for a couple in their 30s.

The problem is not that we don't like the products themselves. The problem is that:

1. We paid much more than we should have. I expect to be taken advantage of while on vacation, but I wish we had done some more research into carpets before making the purchase. By the end of the trip we felt much more prepared to decide on rugs that would be both functional and good investments. Unfortunately, the purchase had already been made.


2. We acted against our better judgment. This is the point I can't get over. It scares me how easily I can be persuaded.

But at the end of the day, we have two lovely handmade (maybe) Turkish carpets and a very good experience under our belts. Darren and I have vowed to use this as a reminder for the future. When we're in a place where we're being sold something we don't need or can't really afford (or don't want to afford), we will look at each other and recite our new mantra, "Remember the Carpets!"