It's high time I told you about a Malawian system that has a disproportionate impact on our lives: the crates system.
Beer, tonic & soft drinks all come in recyclable glass bottles. These bottles can be bought individually or in crates of 20. Either way, you have to pay a deposit for the bottle and/or the crate. So far, fair enough.
However, the rules around when you can pay the deposit in cash rather than the kind (i.e. by returning an empty bottle or crate) or when you can get your deposit back (e.g. by swapping three empty for two full) are actually beyond me. The most cross Malawians I have ever spoken to are the shop ladies who I'm trying to buy a bottle from without bringing an empty back; or who I'm trying to convince to deduct the MK800 deposit for the third crate I've returned from the cost of the two new, full, crates I'm trying to buy.
I mean, how are you supposed to get your first crate? (Davina lent us ours, we levered up and were then able to extend the favour to Enrico). What do you do when you lose a bottle? (You really try not to). What do you do at 10am when you need to go to the shop to get a fresh crate for the party and there is one un-drunk beer left? (you can guess.....).
This stuff is complicated and there is clearly big money it. Obviously there's money in it for Carlsberg (and its soft drinks local sub, SOBO) who happily exploit this eye watering barrier to entry. But MK800 for an empty crate is around three days wages for your average Malawian. So, crates are currency, a store of wealth and a status symbol.
We are currently a 6 crate family – even if we repay Davina her initial 1, this is too much for our bijoux hut. But I can't figure out how to downsize. It's all getting out of control. Phiri will have a windfall when we leave.
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Wow! 6 creates?! You're doing quite well :)... Don't give them away!! In particular now that it seems there's a shortage of them in Malawi: Maybe you'll not be able to get them back. Can you imagine something wrong than that?... Ok, ok, the giant spider... I mean, except that...
ReplyDeleteSounds like a lesson in capitalist theory dudes - the value of paper money always returns, eventually, to zero. Whereas beer bottles will always be worth something. Dat's great (surely "crate"? -Ed.)
ReplyDelete:-) Yay for the great crate debate! Only just seen these comment.
ReplyDeleteYou're both right. An alternative crate economy is opening up in Malawi, but it is still not as wrong as that massive, massive spider (that has finaly carped it!)
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