to want to shout at Primark shoppers?

[baiyu]

I mean really, just how many shoppers without a conscience are there? There really is no justification for shopping somewhere that treats its garment workers so badly and has continued to do despite years of campaigning.

Primark are thriving in the economic downturn making workers lives worse and worse as they struggle to keep up with orders. Being poor is no excuse, I can?t afford to buy new clothes but I?d rather my few quid went to Oxfam than ABF and their cruel trading practices. So tell me, why do people shop there? The quality is terrible too, how is it a bargain if an item of clothing lasts ten minutes?

I?m not just reading the Daily Mail by the way, researching things like this is my job, the working conditions have NOT improved and it?s just making me angry! AIBU to think more people should care?

OP - what do you want? A medal? Everyone to bow donw to your greatness?

baiyu - do you refuse the freecycle clothes which are made by impoverished workers? Do you only accept garments hand-knitted by Scottish grannies using the yarn spun from their organic back garden sheep?

Primark is cheap crap. Why do people have to buy the latest trends
Why dont people spend money on well made quality clothes that will last? believe it or not I have quality shirts that are nearly 20 yrs old. If you buy cheap they dont last 2 yrs
This country used to produce the best cloth in the world but now people want cheap crap that can be thrown away after 12 months

Ummm where i live you cant get ANYHTHING cheap in charity shops now its all well over £5, some people cant afford to buy things from charity shops. YABU

Since you ask, I'd like more people to be aware of organisations like War on Want and Labour Behind the Labour and if they aren't happy with what they see and the behaviour of the companies they support then tell them, ask awkward questions and don't just accept things as they are.

SkiHorse- nope, I'll let my kids wear second hand anything, keeps them out of landfil a little longer.

jasonthunderpants- you're absolutely right.

I have a cardi from Primark that is 10yrs old, still looks new. Not all of it is crap.

I used to shop a lot in M&S when everything was made in Britain so I felt the higher costs was justified. When they started out sourcing to the developing world I lost my loyalty to them as I noticed they didn't pass the savings to the customers. It is not my job to bolster their share holders' dividend.

baiyu, can you point me to the evidence on Primark, and how other companies stack up? Where should we be buying clothes? Most consumers don't have enough information, I don't at least.

Those freecycle or charity clothes might be from Primark,Asda etc. Just because things are bought from Next, M&S, Kookia, Zara does not mean that they are exempt from being made in sweatshops, most of them are.

www.waronwant.org/attachments/Fashion%20Victims%20II.pdf

This is a useful place to start, I'll try to dig out some stats on other companies.

The knicker factory I worked at made knickers for M&S.

They closed the whole place down and outsourced to China.

Notice that the knicker prices did not go down.

Plus, I know how shocking my sewing skills were, was shocked my tatty sewing could pass muster and be sold to M&S customers.

here
sorry!

Jason, I don't think DD's clothes will still fit her in 20 years.

Charity shops are terribly over priced of late, especially Heart Foundation, they are not always the cheaper alternative.

baiyu - where I live has very expensive and in my own words hufty tufty charity shops, I also find you exceptionally patronising, I have a cleaning job 20 hours a week that pays very badly, but I can get my dcs out to school/grannys, pick them up myself, make sure they have decent dinners, nice and healthy lunchboxes, so I don't incur the wrath of the lunchbox police pay for a class once a week and occasionally buy the odd top, pair of £3 pjs, a scarf etc from Primark. This is how most people live these days - month to month and an occasional treat.

Jasonthunderpants, I am not going to buy expensive stuff that my dd will grow out of in a few months, or mess up. Already did that, I bought her some Dior stuff when I was pregnant with her and she ruined them in one day when I put them on her. Oh Jason, thought that you were into saving money and cheap things, is that cheap loo paper of yours made with recycled material?

You are right about primark in principal, but really where do you draw the line?
Most widely available clothes from high street shops are manufactured in factories in third world countries with very dubious welfare standards.
Obviously its bad for the environment to buy lots of cheaply made poor quality one season clothes that are shipped from the other side of the world. But ditto using carrier bags, driving a car, going on a plane, not recycling, buying out of season air freighted fruit and veg etc.
I do my best to be environmentally friendly, but like most people, I probably do a few things that I shouldn't - e.g buying babygrows in John Lewis in packs of seven that have been made in China. I try and balance this with being more responsible in other ways. I can afford not to shop in primark, and never have, but I sympathise with the many people on here who have pointed out that they can't afford to shop as ethically as they would like. I buy lots of stuff from Boden, but none of that is made in Britain either - so none of us should feel too smug about buying from them.
I don't know why people who are going to post comments like "lemony" bother putting anything on these threads. I don't know about everyone else, but I am not sure she is adding much to the discussion!

Yes charity shops in the main have rebranded themselves as vintage shops and charge a fortune.

Well they have round here anyway.

ethical consumer is good but their more recent comparisons aren't free online sadly.

Charity shops are full of over priced crap. Car boot sales have far better bargains regarding second hand clothes.

It is all about finding the balance EmmaKate, you're right. It's a constant challenge for everyone I think.

business aqnd human rights is good for finding out about all companies, not just garment ones.

Labour behind the label is useful too.

it's a quandry, because I support globalisation as a way to lift people out of poverty, though the steps countries go through along the way to greater wealth are rife with the potential for exploitation.

I'm not convinced that spending more equates with better conditions for workers, apart from the small and pricey fairtrade producers.

very true.