Heard about the £5,000 handbags

and their rationing?

Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash

A friend just told me that a luxury brand, which shall remain nameless, has had to ration its handbag sales. “Customers can’t buy more than one every two months,” my friend said, “and they have to show identification for each purchase.”

I asked about the rationing. Surely, I asked, the brand must want to sell as many as possible?

“Yes, but there just aren’t enough handbags being made right now,” my friend explained, “they’re mostly made by hand, you see, and they’re definitely not made in China”.

I nodded and expressed surprise that the demand for handbags should be so high at this point, when the pandemic hasn’t fully receded and most people — wealthy or not — have had a chance to reappraise their lives and think about what really matters.

My friend, who works at the brand, expressed shock at the mindless spending. The word “obscene” came to mind, my friend said, describing the long queues at the iconic store of the iconic brand. “I couldn’t believe it,…