THE adage that cheap is expensive has turned out to be real nowadays in Zambia when many consumers want to buy sub-standard items or secondhand materials just for the sake of making a saving.
It is simply because our markets have lately been flooded with secondhand materials that people opt to buy cheaply on the streets as opposed to going for quality in the shops.
When one goes to the markets, he/she will find cheap secondhand clothes, shoes, cars, furniture and so on and so forth.
But little do consumers realise that it is these cheap products that compromise the standards of the quality of goods that are bought sooner or later which turn out to be expensive.
It is a fact that whether one likes it or not, secondhand materials would require replacement soon, compared to high-quality ones.
A secondhand shirt or dress, of course with the wear and tear that goes with the garment, will soon require replacement.
This is what makes it expensive. But if one bought a brand new shirt or dress, it would surely last longer because of its quality standard.
The flooding of secondhand materials on the country’s markets has indoctrinated many people into thinking that they can make a saving when actually they are compromising quality or lowering the standards.
It is for this reason that we welcome the announcement that the Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) intends to partner with the education system so that people can start embracing quality at an early stage.
ZABS would implement this by partnering with the Curriculum Development Centre in incorporating the teaching of standards.
Executive director Manuel Mutale revealed this in an interview, saying that the partnership would involve integrating the teaching of standards in Zambia’s education system.
Mr Mutale said this would allow companies and other individuals to start manufacturing quality products as most people would chose to buy quality products.
“We want our people to start embracing quality at an early stage. If they grow with this culture, then as a country we are assured of a quality conscious nation. These are the long-term interventions we are making,” Mr Mutale said.
Mr Mutale further urged consumers to start embracing quality by choosing products that were certified by the ZABS.
He said the authority would continue sweeping away products that were not conforming to standards on the market.
It is high time that order was restored with the raising of standards for the products that should be imported into the country.
He said ZABS would continue carrying out inspections on imported products that were under mandatory regulation as well as remove products from the market that did not adhere to the standards.
We concur with Mr Mutale’s sentiments on this move or else Zambia will end up becoming a dumping ground for substandard materials.
The country currently has 3,000 standards of which only 70 are regulated by ZABS.  OPINION