France announce a levy on SHEIN, TEMU and similar imports. AIBU to want the UK to do the same?

The EU been aguring for a while that China is dumping goods that orgianlly would have been sent to US on EU markets causing issue in their economies.

While with consumerism or local high streets may be playing a role with any levy- it's likely more to do with shift in global trade thanks to US tariffs.

I think the big problem UK has with shifting manufactoring back here - which would be better in many ways - is high electical costs - we have some of the highest in the world and it massively impacts manufactoring costs.

People love the culture of consumerism.
It’s the same across the globe except for the poverty stricken countries.
People buy shit to brighten their lives, and like doing it.

If you agree with the French levy, as some seem to, what’s the difference with the US tariff which many objected to

Partly - but nearby town with thriving shopping center is at same low social economic level if not slightly worse - doesn't have posh bit this city has to pull it up- what it has is free parking.

The richer part of our city tend to go to nearby cities or out of town shopping areas - we don't drive so find harder to access or expensive as bus fares for adults keep marching upwards.

Another nearby town - we've manged to get to by train - also has better shopping area but that because it's next to a tourist bit and hiking area. So people head there and can do more than just shop.

What has that go to do with my point? The 'culture' of consumerism is the import that we should have resisted a long time ago and that it is in part the cause of the death of the high street.

We buy from charity shops, we've learnt to darn and we make some of our own clothes - we also have rug mats and old clothes as dusters a house full -we also buy amazon SHEIN, TEMU as needed.

Last thing bought from Temu were LED lights for DD2 A-level art work.

There's a level of snobbery about other buying from cheap on-line sites - used to see that about aldi and Lidi shopping till last finacial crisis changed opinions.

I do think there are problems US tariff war has meant China pivoted to trying to sell more to EU - affecting manufactors in that zone - and I suspect these levy are a reponse to that - something that's been brewing for a while.

Physical shops and high streets have remained in some parts of the country but as I highlighted previously this is about income.

I actually agree that physical shops are not coming back. My point is the death of the high street is down to many more factors other than Shein etc. Opening a restaurant etc is still ridiculously expensive thanks to crippling rents ,business rates , the cost of recruiting,training and retaining staff. So many of the challenges that high street shops face are still faced by anyone wanting to replace them

The high street is thriving in some parts of the country so not everyone wants widespread detachment from civic life!

Did you agree with US tariffs on goods from China?

Few years ago I'd have agreed - now I find if I buy from actual shops it's similar poor often plastic filled garments and often very poor qualifty sewing.

I know I'm not alone in this as seen the garment you tubers going into shops and saying the same.

Price isn't an indicator of qualifty - though in person there are fewer surpises but choice can be very limited.

Shopping online is the future. If you don’t like Shein then cool, don’t use it, but the shops you do like have websites too. Buy from there. Physical shops are not coming back. And your comment about magically opening gyms and restaurants makes no sense. Opening a gym or restaurant is similar to opening a shop. You find an empty unit and rent it, and then run your business from there. It’s not magic.

Is it a sign of a high IQ to shrug and not give a crap?

The high street ain't coming back. As for a so called "Saturday" job, the only casual jobs for younger people round here are corporate fast food joints in retail parks/malls. Even the supermarkets round here are accelerating self checkouts. My older teen applied for 150 plus jobs before getting a corporate fast food one at a service station that you had to be able to drive to. He didn't get a look in at any "shops".

We shouldn’t be buying from these places full stop. We don’t need their products and they’re horrific for the environment. We should buy less but better and more environmentally friendly.

We shoule

I spent months looking through on-line sites for DD2 prom dress - the dresses in actual shops were hundreds and similar on some on-line sites.

She was being very picky about style and colour - so being able to look through when I has spare moments was useful. Ended up via amaxon buying direct from china manufacturer - later did see same dress on another on-line UK based site it was hundreds. So an on-line levy may still have made it much cheaper for same product.

If it had pushed it beyond our means - we'd have found something else probably from similar source. I don't think we'd have tried the high street given the huge prices and very limited stock and price of getting into nearby city or town with better shopping - there was nothing local.

No true at all, if it was you wouldn't have high streets that are thriving, the difference arises from income. It's not really a coincidence that many places where the high street has disappeared are deprived and suffered under the decade long austerity measures.

At a broader level the UK needs to stop it's fixation on importing an American consumer culture that doesn't care about civic spaces - non of this is 'inevitable' but it does need a complete cultural shift in attitude that promotes civic duties and resists solipsism and indifference.

Then again those tariffs were not seen to be good here, so seems a bit muddled. Not you, I mean generally.

What a self centred post. It’s not one shop by the way…..And oh the shame of being “old fashioned” .Yes I’d much rather line the pockets of the people who use unethical if not cruel methods to produce cheap crap than be old fashioned. And yes, why dont people just magically open gyms , hairdressers and restaurants so people can flock to them?!

The few clothes I tried from shein are cheap nasty electric shock filled plastic garments that bobble terribly. Prints are cheap and not done well.
pile of shit.

I can tell a shein dress now. Might as well go to the market in 1990. Horrible fabrics.

Pre covid when our DC were still in children's clothing my retired IL used to love do days out shopping cinerma and meal - but they were getting increasingly frustrated as when they asked where kids clothes were even in big city stores they were directed to look on-line.

We've been in many times to city center for specific items and ended up coming home and ordering on-line.

The nearby town with a good shopping center has free parking but bus fares for adults are steep and it's as cheap for us to go into another nearby city to us and make a day of it - for many things needed immediately easier to order on line.

I don't think the high street has helped itself and one that are doing well either have tourist stuff or free parking or both.

It’s funny you think the people who buy from Shein and temu will suddenly go to town and shop in M&S or the likes.

They won’t they will just move into the next website, B&m, Homebargains or just stop spending.

Or smuggling will make a comeback big time. All of a sudden people will be pleased for small boats.

It’s funny you think the people who buy from Shein and temu will suddenly go to town and shop in M&S or the likes.

They won’t they will just move into the next website, B&m, Homebargains or just stop spending.

I’ve not ordered from Temu for a while but the things I do it’s always because it is so so much cheaper than say b&q for an identical looking item. If I couldn’t have got it for the temu price however I wouldn’t have gone to b&q I would have just not got it and kept my cash.

Much like I don’t go to little independent diy shops because they are always more expensive than b&q.

If I can’t find it for a price I want I’ll just keep my money.

Our city centre is horrible and has been since I was a teen it’s dirty, it smells it’s full of druggys and homeless people. Every other shop is a barbershop or nail bar or vapes and American candy. I only ever visit to go to the bank.

Not necessarily. My family of three adults throws out 1 medium black bag a fortnight (and that includes cat litter). Everything else is recycled, reused or composted.

A top I have bought brand new for £5 can last years and years. I had a friend who used to buy her son’s holiday t-shirts from the high street and throw them out instead of washing them.

Cheap doesn’t automatically mean ending up in landfill.

I think that people who shop for the latest fashion and wear it for one season are far more wasteful