Indeterminacy 151

ph: Lewis Carroll

Staying in India and finding the sun unbearable,
Mrs. Coomaraswamy decided to shop for a parasol. She
found two in the town nearby. One was in the window
of a store dealing in American goods. It was
reasonably priced but unattractive. The other was
in an Indian store. It was Indian-made, desirable,
but outlandishly expensive. Mrs. Coomaraswamy went
back home without buying anything. But the weather
continued dry and hot, so that a few days later she
went again into town determined to make a purchase.
Passing by the American shop, she noticed their
parasol was still in the window, still reasonably
priced. Going into the Indian shop, she asked to
see the one she had admired a few days before. While
she was looking at it, the price was mentioned. This
time it was absurdly low. Surprised, Mrs.
Coomaraswamy said, “How can I trust you? One day
your prices are up; the next day they’re down.
Perhaps your goods are equally undependable.”
“Madame,” the storekeeper replied, “the people
across the street are new in business. They are
intent on profit. Their prices are stable. We,
however, have been in business for generations. The
best things we have we keep in the family, for we
are reluctant to part with them. As for our prices,
we change them continually. That’s the only way
we’ve found in business to keep ourselves
interested.”

- John Cage