If you queued for Primark or Sports Direct today, why did you do it?

[Davespecifico]

Just interested as I couldn’t bear it. There are cheap clothes from companies online. What was the attraction?

Surely the answer is "because they wanted to" I'm sure there are things you enjoy that others couldn't bear.

There are so many other snidely threads like this anyway - couldn't you have just used one of those?

I havent queued for either but I imagine people have queued for primark becasue there is no comparable online company, especially for childrens clothes. My son wears lots of the £1.80 primark tshirts, they last ages, wash well and I dont worry if they get messy at nursery. I've yet to find another company that offers the same level of value and choice online.

As for sports direct... I imagine the 50% off for nhs staff has something to do with it. Many of my colleagues posted photos of themselves in over hour long queue this morning. If I was single I may have gone, i need new trainers for work.

I suspect it's down to boredom, people have been stuck at home for weeks on end. I couldn't be arsed to do it myself.

Also, primark doesn't sell online so maybe people who prefer (or by necessity) cheaper clothing, have been waiting for it to open so they can kit their kids out?

If you started a snide goady thread on Mumsnet today, why did you do it?

Just interested as I can't see the attraction.

Soupdragon - that was unnecessarily mean to me. I would like to know why and I don’t care either way or have a moral judgement. I’m just very nosey about motivations I don’t have. I just want to hear the reasons, not get sneered at.

Because they can?

My dds are dying to go to Primark, or Pennys here in Ireland. We are going tomorrow, i prefer online shopping but quite fancy a poke around myself, so hoping the queues won't be too bad.

Cannoncaboodle- you’re applying motivations I don’t have, simply because you imagine I have them. Don’t be unkind.

Good point re: children’s clothes. My daughter buys from Romwe, Shein etc but obviously they don’t do kids sizes.

I hate the sneering online that’s come about from the queues.

Many families on low incomes are unable to get debit or credit cards to shop online. In addition although you say “cheap clothing” is available online, Primark really is a special price point. Especially with the lack of open charity shops at the moment.

Children grow, they wear out clothing. Yes there will be some just going for a mooch around but lots will actually be in desperate need of new, cheap clothing.

It’s like the “OMG stupid people queuing for IKEA” crowd, seemingly unaware that many people will have been working uncomfortably from home and will have wanted to buy desks and proper chairs to save their backs from permanent damage.

I've been in school all day, but I have 3 kids myself who have been growing like crazy ... I can totally understand why some people will need to get some affordable summer clothes, shoes, swimsuits etc for growing children.

I also think people just want to get back to some sort of normality, or something they have been denied the chance to do for quite a while.
I couldn’t face it myself but I understand why some people just want to walk around in actual shops again.

OP, you may not have meant to be snide, but by picking on these specific stores, you are making a judgement. You didn't ask about the (far more expensive) nike store in oxford street, for example?

To clarify further, the implication is that queues for other shops is okay, but not these ones.

I didn't queue for Primark but if I had it would have been to buy well made affordable clothes. It's a myth that all their stuff is shoddy. DC live in their jeans and chinos which are better cut and finished than some designer ones they've had for ten times the price. Lots of people can only afford to buy cheap clothes after months of lockdown. DC grow, or people have no summer clothes if they have put on or lost weight or hang on until stuff is threadbare and old fashioned before buying new. Clothes aren't a luxury.

@Davespecifico

What's up with you? Leave people alone.

I'll be going on Saturday with dd who is 13. She also buys stuff from Shein, but fancies a browse and to spend some birthday money in Primark. And considering the kid has been in the house for 13 weeks, I'm happy to take her.

HTH.

I imagine it's because they need clothes for themselves and kids who have grown since last summer and are not able or willing to shop online?

I have been v lucky to be able to afford to spend more than double what I would have spent in primark by getting H&M and M&S deliveries but many families wouldn't be able to afford this.

I presume that they wanted to buy clothes that they can try on first? I haven't gone to any shops but I'm pregnant and online shopping isn't quite the same when you don't know how you will feel about a garment while growing.

Goady fecker. Theres a massive queue at John Lewis and Waitrose. But we don't mind people waiting in those lines, do we?

People go to primark because they want clothes. I am about to shopping, and wait in a queue, because I want clothes. I hate online shopping.

I went this afternoon and the queue was only 15mins.

My eldest teenager has outgrown everything. I brought short, T-shirt's,leggings, jumpers and knickers.

It's not just about children's clothes. Most adults' weights fluctuate. A woman who was a size 16 last year might be a size 12 this year and have no summer clothes that fit. Primark offers cheap clothes, you can't buy that cheap online.

I didn’t read the op as being snide at all but look at the pile on. Same old.

@Davespecifico

I've got the same question which I raised on another thread and have had similar responses about my supposed negative motivations. If somebody asked me why I preferred to shop online, I'd be happy to give them a few reasons without judging them for asking the question. I'd have thought people who prefer not to shop online would be able to do the same.

And I meant to say, the reason I reference specific shops was because I'd just seen them mentioned on the news, rather than the judgemental reasons hinted at by PPs.