to ask what, exactly, is the problem with Primark?

[waltermittymissus]

Seems that it's a dirty word on mumsnet lately.

In Ireland it's called Penneys and people love it (I think!)

Anway, just wondered if you think it's awful why is it awful?

The queues.

GlassofRose:

The finishing on Primark clothes is usually very simple... but so is the finishing on many high street brand clothing. Sometimes the Fabric is cheaper... but you will usually find identical items in Arcadia group stores.

Well the Arcadia Group stores aren't rated highly for human rights either, so maybe that's not surprising!

Don't assume high prices mean ethical or good quality.

That's true enough, but I think most people realise that. It's more that if items are really cheap, we don't see where the funds for fair wages and regular inspections of working conditions could ever come from.

By the way, I am aware that many/most of us aren't in a position to afford anything more expensive than Primark, unless we're willing to prioritise fair wages for people far, far away over our own children having food! I'm not going to criticise people for looking after their own children!

Jessie I promise, it ain't me!

On your last point: I completely agree and I think that raises a whole new debate. How far can anyone afford to go to support fair wages etc. I know in my current situation I literally have no choice but to shop cheaper. I have to keep my children fed and dressed, it's that simple. Heartless maybe but also completely necessary!

Well, it's not just us proles that are at fault. There are lots of people who buy from the pricier shops. And lots of them aren't looking at ethics tables first. They're looking at style pages!

I shop in primark - the onsie pj's, cotton boxers and joggers for DS are a godsend for someone in my financial position. He only gets new clothes when he outgrows his old outfits. Textures are a real issue for him as he's ASD, so the fact there's a shop that sells some basics at a reasonable cost is summat I really appreciate.

Lots of make do & mend goes on in this house - what can't get mended gets recycled, I use machine dye to refresh jeans, towels, T-shirts, curtains etc annually and keep em from looking too old and shabby. I'm a keen charity shopper too, & measure my son's feet myself before searching for the cheapest online deal for shoes nowadays. My Gran would approve.

I gave up on all aspirations to a fashionable appearance a while ago, and now just want to be seen in public looking "decent" & weather appropriate iykwim. My day to day "uniform" is cargos/jeans and a t shirt/decathlon fleece dependent on weather. Nice outfits tend to be hand me downs from my sisters or friends & everything has to last as long as possible.

I won't knowingly choose to buy from somewhere I consider really unethical (Nestle & Tescos boycotter), but neither am I prepared to see my son walk down the street in holey, too short clothing, or be the subject of ridicule at school. You just try to do the best you can with the hand you've been dealt. I sometimes browse sites like "su su mama" & dream of that lottery win.

OP

What is right with Primark.

Bochead quick tangent. I want to machine dye some stained much loved clothes, but I'm worried about dying the seals of the machine. Any advice? It's a rented house, and I don't want to lose my deposit for damaging the washing machine. Plus, I like my landlord.

Ensure the seal on the machine is clean BEFORE you start and that the filter isn't totally clogged. If it all looks a bit grimy/moldy, give the seal a wipe around & do an empty cycle with vinegar to flush out any detergent clogs from the machine BEFORE going any where near the packet of dye.

Do stick with "Dylon" (john lewis, wilkinsons etc sell it) rather than going for some obscure (possibly cheaper?) brand of machine dye, even if the colours aren't as sexy as the machine isn't yours. Follow the instructions on the dylon packet properly and make sure you purchase the dye intended for machine use. (Dylon do several types of fabric dye). Don't fret, as Dylon brand machine dyes are pretty idiot proof & very, very easy to use.

I've used Service-it on the machine before, and done some scrubbing but the seals have mould spots that I couldn't get off. Could that be important? I have some Dylon machine dye that I've been wanting to use for three years now! Feeling excited now.

To assuage the guilt of those of us with limited purchasing power and/or choice, I've decided to have a more analytical look at the High Street Fashion pages for my 2006 guide. (As already discussed in this thread, some shops have improved and others have worsened.) Not all shops are in the list to start with, of course. For example, Primark wasn't featured at all.

Here's a full list of the ones that got a bottom rating for Human Rights. Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Gap, Karen Millen, Miss Sixty, MK One, Oasis, and Top Shop. No-one was forced by poverty or a sense of style, judging by the shop window that was near me in 2009 to shop in Karen Millen, surely?

I think the better off have some responsibility for the Ills of the World here!

The clothes are thin fabric, piled in disordered heaps and the queues to pay or even get into the changing rooms are endless, crowds of people in every corner. Shopping in Primark IS Hell On Earth.

There is an interesting website called "labour behind the label" which might be worth a look for those who are interested.

www.primark-ethicaltrading.co.uk/howwework/ourcodeofconduct

They do have a policy. Not sure whether it's all just lip service though.

I dislike the experience of shopping in Primark but find that their clothes are the same mixed bag as other high street shops. I've never had a problem with things falling apart/shrinking etc.

I don't mind shopping in Primark and would always include it in any trawl of the High Street.

I think it's the same as any other shop - some things suit me, some things don't. Sometimes I have to go up a size to get things to fit. Some things are better quality than others.

If it's something I'm not going to wear much - holiday clothes, going out tops etc - I would rather not spend a lot of money of them. I would rather spend money on things I'm going to wear all the time. But I don't think spending more automatically means the item will wear any better as, in my experience, that isn't always the case.

I think it depends on what you buy once you get to primark or Prada via m&s. I have seen people buy tat from Prada as they don't know how to choose. One can buy shirts from primark that may look as of they are from m&s. Really depends on your taste. However, agree that primark
Is more tat that most shops.

"OP

What is right with Primark."

It's not primark here, it's Penneys and it's just a normal shop here! No negative connotations, no tables piled high with that, no clothes falling apart at the seems. I'm beginning to think there's a big difference in quality based on some of the replies here.

There is a lot of ''tat'' I suppose. There are rakes of clothes that I wouldn't be seen dead in. But...that goes for any shop lately. I'm not a big fan of a lot of the latest trends. My teenage nieces wear clothes that make my eyes water! :)

The stores I've been in have been just like other high street stores. But cheaper!

Are you sure that Penneys is actually owned by the same people?! It sounds so different!

Penneys is the original (and best). Primark is what we sent to the foreigners.

WhatYouLookingAt

Jessie I haven't a clue but I think they sound vastly different! In saying that, all the Penneys I've been in have been the newer types. I remember a God awful one in Dublin 14 but it closed down when the fancy big one opened! And it's very fancy!

The one in artane castle is like a jumble sale, its true. It seems to be where they send all the bizarre crap they can't sell elsewhere. It's also the last one I know from the pre-revamp. Have you seen the Mary St one? Still not finished but its mahoosive!

I'ld quite happily buy underwear, towels, kitchen stuff, kids tracksuits and underwear, holiday stuff and occassionally a body warmer and gloves. It's good because you expect to only get a short time out of whatever you buy

I bought body warmers for ?3 in there, ended up giving one to a homeless guy I know. Seems ethical in the grand scheme of things.

Maybe it's like Dorothy Perkins and Top Shop. Owned by the same company, but aimed at a different target market.

Me too Maryz but I think someone upthread said they're not?

The newbridge one is lovely. As is Dundrum!