A few weeks ago, I had an hour or two to kill and I visited a charity shop in the vicinity to see whether I would find anything to assuage my magpie-like tendencies.

I was rummaging through the tiny shop when I inadvertently stumbled upon a conversation between the volunteer shopkeeper and a woman who must have been around my age. From what I could gather, there was a pile of bags which were all priced at €5 and the customer had asked the shopkeeper for advice on which one to get. And this is where the situation got decidedly sticky.

The English shopkeeper was proffering a vintage, cognac leather bag which was in immaculate condition, while the lady, who had seemingly called her over for the pleasure of antagonising her, kept insisting she wanted a cheap, plastic, coral-coloured bag which still had the tags on it.

Education seems to have failed this country, with many only caring about the here and now and how they are able to save or make more money regardless of what price it comes at

The debate had become heated because the customer was insisting that the shopkeeper was trying to sell her old, used things, while the shopkeeper was simply saying that the leather bag, while definitely older, was made of real leather and was of far superior quality. Ultimately, the customer left with the coral monstrosity and the shopkeeper was left muttering how Maltese people don’t appreciate quality and will pointedly choose the cheaper-looking option even if the price is exactly the same.

I was reminded of this episode again this week when I read about multiple cases of flats, showrooms, malls and skyscrapers being built on either pristine ODZ land or even worse, on lands which have possible historical significance and to be honest, I can’t understand it.

I have tried time and time again throughout the last 20 years to understand what motivates people to constantly choose the cheaper, newer and many times naffer option when it comes to clothes, shoes, buildings and, well, everything else in between, and I am at a loss.

Despite our best intentions, education seems to have failed this country, with many only caring about the here and now and how they are able to save or make more money regardless of what price it comes at. Indeed, the situation appears to be so dire that even if one is faced with the choice between quality at the same price and something which is decidedly inferior, many people are no longer able to tell the difference.

Maybe the customer’s last words to the shopkeeper encapsulated the Maltese spirit best of all. She bluntly told her: “Newer is always better.” Is it though?