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Original poster

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

183 replies

Davespecifico · 15/06/2020 16:09

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

OP posts:
squiglet111 · 15/06/2020 18:51

I haven't been to queue but have been wanting to go to Primark. Mainly because its summer and my daughter has very few summer dresses. All the ones she has from last year are too short on her. I like the Primark dresses as they are cheap and good enough while she is growing. So i, like many others have had to make do with growing children and being unable to get them clothes

FourPlasticRings · 15/06/2020 19:00

DH mentioned that on his way home from work he saw the Sports Direct queue going right the way out the shopping centre and up the street. I did wonder who needs sporting goods that desperately.

GabsAlot · 15/06/2020 19:01

this is the thing ive nothing against getting clothes from primark wish i could fit in most but there was no need to queue overnight was therelike in some places

thats just ridiculous

also people saying they fancy a browse youre not even supposed to be touching clothes u cant get or wandering round so whats the point unless you got for someething specific

Molocosh · 15/06/2020 19:03

Low prices. DC grow out of clothes so quickly, they need cheap items that only last the summer. My son has been playing out in the garden in his slippers for weeks because he’d grown out of all his shoes and the shops were closed!

Hopingtobeamum · 15/06/2020 19:03

My DH has said to DSC they need new summer clothes and he'll take them to Primark at the weekend to buy some. I think he was waiting for me to offer to take them (I didn't!). I literally cannot wait for the shit that will come out of his mouth after having to queue and go through the motions in the store etc. I can literally hear him now!
The kids do need summer clothes though and that's his job as a parent to make sure they have them!

Sandybval · 15/06/2020 19:07

Sports direct had 50% off in-store for NHS staff, probably quite a big incentive to go in. Primark doesn't sell online (the over priced stuff on Amazon doesn't count), and there isn't much at a similar pricepoint elsewhere. Probably though just because they wanted to.

annabel85 · 15/06/2020 19:10

@Davespecifico

Just interested as I couldn’t bear it. There are cheap clothes from companies online. What was the attraction?
Maybe to save our economy so we still have an NHS.
BestOption · 15/06/2020 19:11

@Davespecifico

I didn't think it was a goady question either.

The genuine replies are interesting and varied.

The snarky 'because they wanted to' or 'goady' are tedious.

Given 'Primark' queues were on the news from very early as there were queues starting at 4am its hardly surprising you asked about that and Sports Direct. Had the news shown Diamonds Forever and Harrods, you'd probably have asked about those.

I'd be MORE. Curious to know why people queued for John Lewis or M&S as you can order online.

Don't be put off asking genuine questions, anything other than question about schools is welcome quite frankly!

I didn't queue. I hate shopping at the best of times, I'm still lockdown hard & there's nothing I need that I can't get online.

Each to their own. But the only thing that would have driven me to queue for ANY shop today was if I had a child with SN that basically would not wear anything else from an online shop and even then they'd have to be down to their very last garment!

I'd be curios to know how people felt afterwards, especially if they just went for a mooch about.

Sandybval · 15/06/2020 19:13

I am intrigued why all Nike stores had huge queues though, seems random?!

IDSNeighbour · 15/06/2020 19:16

Because people enjoy shopping?

Because people are bored?

Or maybe because lockdown has been emotionally shit and as a consequence everyone's either gained or lost a load of weight and their clothes don't fit?!

Bestoption · 15/06/2020 19:17

Maybe to save our economy so we still have an NHS

Oh right, your £10 in Primark is SO going to do that. Ordering online supports the economy too.

Shopping in small, local shops is even better.

jamandtonic · 15/06/2020 19:26

@Eckhart

I agree, Jamandtonic Seems like it's been biased towards reporting a younger, less affluent section of society, but has in fact been happening across the board.
Yes. Bicester Shopping Village anyone?

(To coin a phrase), there are expensive clothes from companies online. What was the attraction?

Jaxhog · 15/06/2020 19:27

Why would any sane person join in this scrummage during a pandemic, when we're supposed to be socially distancing? I can understand people being keen to go out for non-essential shopping, but this?

itsgettingweird · 15/06/2020 19:28

I didn't.

Because I was at work!

But maybe everyone in the queues is like me and needs to get clothes as we've over washed ours during lockdown - and they've shrunk WinkGrin

Eckhart · 15/06/2020 19:37

bestoption

Nobody's £10 spent anywhere will save the economy. But anybody's £10 anywhere will help the economy.

Poor argument.

Dutchesss · 15/06/2020 19:39

Not a lot to do at the moment is there? I didn't go but for many I guess it's better than being at home bored.

PrincessBuggerPants · 15/06/2020 19:45

I understand why people were going to Primark (many families' budgets depend on it being available) and Clarke's if they have children. FWIW I have a Clarke's show fitting appointment first thing on Saturday as my child started walking on the first day of lockdown and has shoes I had to 'fit' him, with no previous fitting to go on iyswim, and it is now 12 weeks later and he may have grown out of them.

But Sports Direct????

I managed my first Lidl trip in 3 months as it was empty. It was next to Sports Direct and the queue was taking up the high street. I just don't get it. They can't all have been NHS workers Confused.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 15/06/2020 19:46

Those were the ones mentioned in the BBC news, so they were obvious reference points.

They also mentioned Zara in the same headline....

Sports Direct, it was definitely the NHS 50% off offer. I don't know why any non-NHS people would have queued today specifically rather than tomorrow, when the NHS offer won't be on. The queue was huge and very slow-moving, as it isn't a drop-in-and-grab-what-you-want kind of store. There will have been loads of people queuing for two or more hours who wouldn't have made it in before closing time. No idea why they only made the NHS offer for one day - if they genuinely did want to show their appreciation to NHS staff, surely they must realise that loads of them would actually be at work all day today?

Aside from that, it's just a case of people being glad to get back to normal and get the goods they need/want at the best prices. We went into Bodycare too - been waiting to stock up as they're far cheaper than the alternatives - and today was our first opportunity to do that. There was no queue in there or the other less high-profile shops (and without any massive one-day discounts), though.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 15/06/2020 19:49

Why would any sane person join in this scrummage during a pandemic, when we're supposed to be socially distancing?

Everybody was social distancing. It was being enforced strictly by the staff in the individual shops and also those in charge of the overall shopping centre. That's why there wasn't any scrummage and people were queuing for so long to get in....

Eckhart · 15/06/2020 19:53

if they genuinely did want to show their appreciation to NHS staff, surely they must realise that loads of them would actually be at work all day today

That's what I thought. Surely they could do an hour a day or something, for a bit, to give everybody the chance, and not push NHS workers to be in the shops on the busiest day, when it's so important that they of all people maintain social distancing.

ginghamstarfish · 15/06/2020 19:56

Slightly derailing the thread, but if you queued up to go shopping today, AND use supermarket grocery delivery slots, I assume you will no longer need these slots as you can clearly go out and buy stuff yourself, thus leaving the slots for those who can't.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 15/06/2020 19:57

I understand why people were going to Primark (many families' budgets depend on it being available) and Clarke's if they have children. FWIW I have a Clarke's show fitting appointment first thing on Saturday as my child started walking on the first day of lockdown and has shoes I had to 'fit' him, with no previous fitting to go on iyswim, and it is now 12 weeks later and he may have grown out of them.

But Sports Direct????

You do realise that SD sells a lot of clothes, including many for children, don't you? It's not just golf balls and tennis racquets. Most of their stock consists of clothes and shoes that many people - adults and children - will wear as everyday clothing. Their ethical practices may be open to question, but their goods are very well made and normally very well-priced. With 50% off on top of that for NHS workers, is it really such a surprise that people wanted to take the opportunity to kit out their families, maybe for the whole year?

IggyAce · 15/06/2020 19:59

My dh took our teen dd this morning, they arrived 45 minutes before opening. Our store opened at 8 and they were out within 30mins. We have one very happy teen who was feeling a bit down prior to this because she should have been on a school trip abroad. Plus she and ds now have some summer stuff that fits.
Everyone needs to decide what they are happy to do, within the rules in the current circumstances and stop judging others for what they choose to do.

Greggers2017 · 15/06/2020 20:02

The queues in my city were big but everybody was social distancing. Everybody acted responsibly from what I saw.

Asuitablecat · 15/06/2020 20:06

I thought everyone was going to boycott sports direct and spoonies cos of the way they treated their staff at the beginning of lockdown.