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!

I used to run a childrens clothes (online) shop we bought clothes in from china. We used the same places as places like mothercare and next (these are the only two I can remember being shown but there were many more labels on show). The wages in china are low but its actually very hard to get clothes which are not made in china or india unless you are looking at some sort of speciality clothing, not many clothes factories in this country.

I would imagine that even if you spend alot of money on clothing you will be getting clothes that are from one of thee factories at least half the time probably alot more.

I do make alot of clothes for the children but then the material I use probably comes from similar places....

I shop in Primark, but only for underwear and loungey type stuff, not outdoor clothes usually.

Sorry if I'm repeating questions from up-thread, but I'd genuinely like to know what would happen to any children or very low paid adults working in sweatshop type factories overseas if we all stopped buying the stuff?

Surely these people are working there becuase they have no better alternative? So if Primark pulled out then they'd have to head further down the chain ie forage for scrap or work in the sex trade etc?

I know enough about the fashion industry to know that the price on the tag bears little relationship to the treatment of the worker - I have friends who work in very upmarket retail, and who get treated like crap.

The extra money you spend on buying stuff very rarely translates into better treatment of workers, either here or overseas.

i buy socks and pants at primark because i lose so may of the childrens bits and pieces.
hey had some pretty baby girl summer dresses a year ago too.

Primark are no worse than any other designer, next are awful too as are gap and even top designers

I work for a company that sells shoes as part of its autumn ware, to books came in a while ago of stock for our buying department tto buy. we do not design these shoes but we are purchasing 150 shoes at 5 each, we sell
some for even more. the whole salers buy

them for even less, how much do you think the people making them get??

If you need a reason not to shop at Primark, here's one:

Primark tells breastfeeding mother: 'Do that in the changing room or get out of the shop'

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1315803/Primark-tells-breastfeeding-mother-Do-changing-room-out.html#ixzz10uGCCMs6

The problem isnt with shops like Primark its with the governments of the countries that allow children/slave labour to happen.

In places like India there is alot of corruption (I've seen it first hand) so if you come from a poor family you will always be in a poor family! There is no system in place in the country for you to better yourself.

If these kids werent working in these factories the girls would probably be selling their bodies and the boys would be working on dangerous building sites. Their parents cannot afford o send them to school and having an education does not help them in anyway as they wouldnt get a job. Jobs are likely to go to those candidates that can grease the palms of nasty beaurucrats!

The government needs to do something and until they do this it is not going to stop.

Appropriate clothes prices:-
Adults

Trousers £30-80
T-shirts £15-40
Jeans £40-80
Shirts £25-60
Skirts £30-60

Children

Trousers £15-20
T-shirts £10-15
Jeans £10-30
Shirts £10-20
Skirts £10-20

Houses shouldn't cost more than a million quid, (ordinary ones no more than half that) and my grocery bill should be half what it is.

The £8 linen trousers are rubbish though, aren't they? Mine have ripped after a few wears.

My M & S ones have lasted years.

However, I don't believe Primark is any less ethical than other high street stores, and unless someone can convince me otherwise, will continue to shop there. Their sizing is perfect for my petite DD.

Damn. I wished I'd thought of Primark when buying DS underwear and socks.

Just paid £50 for two packs of socks and two packs of boxers.

Well I don't have a problem with Primark for the following reasons:

1. all the high street chains are doing the same thing. The difference with Primark is that they pass the savings on to the customer instead of increasing their profit margins

2. It's not THAT long ago that child labour was acceptable here in the western world - you cannot FORCE a country to reach the same level of development instantly

3)Children in these countries are going to end up working anyway - they and their families need the money. Which is worse? Sewing clothes or being prostituted for money? Children that can't get work in factories etc generally end up in prostitution

4. Primark TRIED to have no child labour. Their workshops in India were regularly inspected to check this. It was the local overseers that had farmed work out to children in the slums without the company's knowledge.

I personally feel that boycotting is not the correct course of action. I think that companies that employ children in less developed countries should be obliged to provied education/training for those children to help them forge a better life for themselves in the future.

I buy less clothes but better quality.

(being totally ethical requires a lot of effort and money)

starlight could do. I think it should be a legal provision. The old school paternalism of the 19th century is long dead. Back then a lot of companies believed they had a duty of care to their employees. THat attitude no longer exists and so would have to be enshrined in law in order to happen. No idea how it would be enforced though. Perhaps mammoth fines for non-compliance that would also threaten the yacht dream?

I guess it's just that child labour is not an issue that the companies can solve on their own by simply not employing children. There has to be a grass roots shift within the economy, values, outlook, culture of that country. It just would be fabulous if western business could support/facilitate that shift.