to shop at Primark

[Mamumu]

A few years ago I read Naomi Klein's "No Logo" and was shocked to learn where clothes and other stuff came from. Today, I find myself shopping at Primark, main reason being that it's cheap and I find that what you get is similar to what's in H&M and other hight street chains (only that they charge more, but in the end it all comes from the same place).

Anyway, I always feel guilty when I find a bargain, like a jumper for £4 or a tee for £1.50. But I've recently had a look at Primark's website and found that they seem to be working hard to fight slave work - www.primark.co.uk/Ethical.

What do you think? Should we believe them or not? Will this stop my remorses? How do you deal with it? Unfortunately, I can't afford buying ethical traded / cruelty free clothes, if I could my dilemma would be over!

It's not about all or nothing though Tee, someone with 5 computers for themself replacing them every year while dumping the old ones is obviously exploiting cheap labour more than someone with one computer who keeps it for 5 years. Bit extreme but the same principle works for everything, a little bit of thought can help without meaning you have to give up your 'privilege'. Even in this country we don't all have anywhere near the same way of life - being less wasteful and more thoughtful of people who happen to have been born in the wrong sector of the wrong country helps without having to live in a hessian sack in the forest.

Both Ebay and Charity shops would cost me more than Penneys (Primark). I shop there because I can't afford M&S or Next or GAP, not by a long chalk. If it wasn;t for Penneys my family would be naked today, theres fuck all in the wardrobes that isn't from there!

And why pick on one shop? You honestly think the jumper from Dunnes at ?2 more or the one from H&M for ?5 more is made in any different circs than the Penneys one? Bollocks.

Shadeofviolet totally disagree, my dd has a cardigan from Primarni which has lasted for 3 years, she is quite slim and its still going strong, will be given to my little niece. Not everyone can afford Boden, M&S, John Lewis, anyway I am sure that lower end high street chains such as H&M, Peacocks, and supermarket all come from the same place as Primark. The quaility of Primark is very good, well my experiences are, my £10 Topshop top has fallen apart after a few uses whereas my £3 Primark jumper is still going strong.

Another dilemma: What if your second hand charity shop bargain was from Primark/Gap? Would you still buy it?

DurhamDurham
Not if the charity shop charged more for the Primark shirt than Primark did originally as I have seen in my local charity shop on occasions!

I shop at Primark, although for some reason I always get the stuff in the sale. Not kids clothes though as I get most of them from the NCT sales. Primark quality is a bit hit and miss, but I love their fleecy pj's.

IMO only couture is anywhere near ethical as thats not made in a sweatshop . But until I have £50k for drop for a suit then I'm going to have to buy some cheap high street clothes.

Oh, it's all the fucking same.

Who do you think makes your mobile phone? Poor people in India. All Ikea stuff is made in Vietnam, that's why it's so cheap. Other shops use the same sweatshops as Primark, and just charge 5x more. They are aiming at a different, middle-class market, who don't want to walk around in jeans that only cost £7 so they just charge more for what is essentially the same. I have found the quality in places like Gap to often be the same or worse than Primark (one top from Gap went to shit after just one wash and was literally unwearable).

Our quality of life depends on the suffering of others. The food we eat, the clothes we wear, furniture, technology, cars. It's really shit, and there's nothing we can do about it, unless we want to go all Good Life and grow own food, make own clothes etc. which is completely unrealistic for most.

Quite right fuschia - all those wringing their hands might like to take a closer look at those aforementioned hands... perhaps they'll notice a diamond or two adorning their fingers for a start!

Nope - no diamonds here.

Oh I love Primark pj's! So cosy, so warm and so cheap! Plus I've heard (from Mumsnet, I think) that lots of M&S clothing is made side by side in the same factories as Primark clothing. There was a report in a newspaper a while back that investigated a factory that was making Adidas clothing as well as stuff for Asda and Primark. Adidas seemed more dishonest than Primark and Asda because of their huge mark-ups. At least supermarkets and Primark pass the savings on.
I know this sounds harsh but I cannot worry about every factory worker when buying clothes for me and my family,Sorry.

Even assuming you pay £100 for a jumper from somewhere flash - do you really think that's what it would cost to produce if you did it in the UK and paid someone a living wage? I was in a little art gallery the other day and this lady was selling blankets that she had weaved (woven? whatever) on a loom. They were lovely, quite simple but made of nice wool, but cost about £150 each. She said she really couldn't do them for any less, once she had bought the wool and factored in how much time she had spent making it, paying herself £10 an hour or whatever, and then paying off start-up costs like buying the loom, that's what it cost.

If you pay £100 for a jumper, the majority of it will go back into promoting the brand and making fashion people rich, then you've got to factor in paying the shop staff, transport of the stuff, it goes on. How much do you think the people who actually made it get?

Just because its designer does not mean anything. I have Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and DKNY clothes made in Undeveloped countries, do you think that they are all made in the US or Italy, how gullibal. Also the quaility of such is not always good at all, holes, looking bad after a few washes.

the last Primark thread convinced me that actually, you'd might as well shop at Primark because other major chains are using the same manufacturers but just taking more of the profit.

I don't wear diamonds, told DH when he proposed not to bother getting me a ring.

I agree that buying expensive clothes does not guarantee anything, as I said most of our clothes are secondhand. I also agree that buying expensive does not guarantee quality, but buying from Primark guarantees poor quality. Just from an economic point of view buying from Primark does not make sense to me.

All this talk of the quality of clothes is not relevant to the subject of who is making them and how much they are being paid.

I was reponding to someone above who mentioned quality and those posters saying they don't actually care about the fate of the people making their clothes.

our culture is temporary and throw-away. Nothing is built to last- houses, furniture, technology-based gadgets, fashion. All these things are flimsy and everyone is always in a rush to have new stuff. No one 'needs' twenty tops in different colours for two pounds each- I would rather have one gorgeous top for 40 pounds. But because they exist people want them. Everone wants lots of stuff. In the old days a well dressed persom would have a few classic, well made and possibly expensive items in his/her wardrobe. These would last for more than one season, and would certainly not look ridiculous the next year. Primark cothes are tacky and temporary and sometimes actually ugly. But so is everything else in our rapidly shallowing greed based society. Supply and demand.

YANBU - speaking as someone who can't afford to get stuff from the higher end shops, it is a lifesaver to be able to get a nice shirt for £2! I honestly don't think they are bad quality either. The stuff I buy from there always lasts well. I love primark TBH, I know its not great ethically but neither is any other high street chain so I don't see a massive conflict of interest when you can't afford anything better. The charity shops round here are awful, they are not that cheap and rarely have anything I like in so they are not really an option.

Culture generally is throwaway, but society is made of individuals and we can make changes. I don't have lots of stuff. My handbag is 10 years old and looks new. My clothes would be at least ten years old if I could still fit in them.

Infact my handbag is a lot older than 10 years as it was second hand when I got it!

We can't really help wiling in the /western world,so I think the thing is to try and be balanced about it according to our means. My family'a wardrobe comes from a mix of places - M&S, Next, Monsoon etc. all of which seem to at least pay lips service to decent ethics. We also buy and donate to several charity shops on a rotation basis, I Ebay too. We don't have a Primark nearby but I shop there once a year for brushed cotton pjs. for everyone. They're hard to get anywhere else and I can't afford £25.00 a pair from the White Company etc. We have a sponsor child. I like to think I'm 'mindful' about the ethics of shopping but at the end of the day my family comes first.

I don't think you have to put your children second.

We have been out today with some friends and their children, my dd was dressed head to foot in second hand clothes or home made and she did not stand out from her friends at all.

They aren't that temporary or throwaway! I have a coat from Penneys that I bought years ago, its still perfect, and jeans that have lasted 5 years, and some cardigans. Some of the stuff is shit, but some stuff from next is shit, proba some stuff from Prada is shit!

I buy all my socks/tights/kids undies from Primarni and I've had a few good buys with jeans and skirts and love their £1.50 vests same vests in another store for 7 quid..I don't think so!..I buy all other clothes as a mixture but always sale clothing I'm a planner...many have said what i already feel no will not comment further..Oh and i love clothes from friends and relatives for years my DDs didn't have to buy coats or jeans...and I pass on all their good unstained stuff to other little girls.

do any of you pass your childrens' clothes on to other peopl? when mine were younger myself and neighbours used to do this and it was lovely to see things of your daughters' on another child.

i do buy the odd thing from Primark but find the quality not that great. my daughter has bought a couple of things which have gone into holes.

I think Rolsgirl said it all about us and our must have society. i love clothes and fashion like anyone else and shop in sales, ebay, boden, marks, Laura Ashley.

i do wonder if these are any better than Primark.

we all want to look good and feel good about ourselves and this is what we have been conditioned to do in the West.