Aibu to really dislike Primark?

[Nomoet]

Tbh i tend to steer away from these discussions with my friends as I'm very much in the minority and well if people want to do what they want to do and you're not going to change their mind then what's the point?

But I was having a chat with a friend this evening about Primark who loves it and it's made me feel so uncomfortable. I think the main reason I dislike it so much is because it's ultra cheap fashion and I just don't buy that you can get stuff made that cheaply without huge compromises on standards of how people are treated in factories - whether it's child labour or working hours and working conditions or pay.

And what makes me feel cross is how many people buy willy nilly stuff from there all the time just because they can just because it's cheap when really they could go without it or get it from somewhere else and it wouldn't hurt them or certainly not as much as the person making their clothes is being hurt by these practises.

Primark clothes smell like burnt plastic.

The OP is not being unreasonable. Others being bad as well is no defence either.

How do you expect people on low incomes, or benefits, to (feed) and clothe themselves? These isn't the surfeit of sack cloth there was back in the days when the coal man delivered. Normal people cannot afford to pop into John Lewis and spend the thick end of 200 quid on a top end pair of trousers (also made in a similar factory, but with better finishing).

For those who quite obviously have to wipe their feet on the way out of Primark after they've been dragged in, screaming about having to mix wit the all the common people with cheap taste, it does many ranges other than clothing.

I think so much is cheap and disposable nowadays we just take it for granted. I grew up in the 1970s and everything was so much more expensive so you just had less stuff. Clothes must have been better quality as lots got passed down. I agree with OP - I can't imagine Primark stuff to last well enough to pass down.

The working conditions and pay are a disgrace, but it’s not just primark that are guilty of this. I always feel but uneasy shopping their even though I realise that all of our high street clothes are coming from the same places.

Totally agree with you though on their cheap disposable fashion ethos, it does encourage people to over consume, which is perpetuating the above and bad for the environment.

I think singling out Primark is unfair. Most other mid market clothing is made in the same factories but the end price is a lot higher.
Sadly many people can't afford to choose ethical clothing etc, as they're too busy struggling to keep a roof over their heads to worry about the working conditions of the people making their clothes.
Primark is no better or worse quality wise than eg Next, but is a whole lot cheaper.

There are children in the school that my son attends that are only able to have new clothes that actually fit them and make them feel as though they 'fit in' in a fashionable sense because of places like primark.

No they probably aren't morally ideal and nor do I particularly like their clothes but if it means people with very little money can clothe their kids then I'm all for it. There is a little boy in my sons class, it is clear for all that his dad (Mum isn't alive) doesn't have a penny to scratch his arse with yet that kid is immaculate with his primark clothes. Once at a school event his dad told me that once a year for spring/summer and once a year for autumn/winter he would go to primark and do a massive shop for his son and he could get him everything he needed for about 75 quid.

Primark is amazing and I have pjs from there that have lasted 5 years so I don't get the disposable bit.

The kids clothes last as long as their h&m ones.

Why would I go and spend £6 on a t-shirt when I can get it for £1.80?

I don't have the luxury of being able to make a choice about brands, whoever is cheapest wins.

I'm very thankful they exist or else I don't know how I'd clothe my kids TBH.

Lightningbolt you do realise that some people don’t have much of a choice in what they buy? When my daughter was small (before the documentaries when everything in there was even cheaper than it is now) I literally couldn’t afford to clothe her anywhere else. It was Primark or she went without, despite the fact she was growing rapidly. I couldn’t afford supermarket prices, let alone any other prices.

As previous posters have pointed out, price is no indication of ethical production. High end trainers have a terrible reputation.

Fact is there is very little for sale in the west that doesn't have ethical issues attached. We're a system built on exploration of weaker resources to make profit. Then you get into the argument of what replaces the employment of underpaid and mistreated communities. It's all very well removing the companies set up there but what replaces them?

Imho it's better to funnel your money into charities who loan people in developing countries money for their own businesses rather than boycotting a business that results in people being even worse off...

Fwiw I shop at primark occasionally because that's what my budget allows. If I need something I need it. Most of my stuff (clothes and furniture) is second hand but that's more because I love a bargain and frankly because that's the only way I am afford quality items. I'm not going to feel guilty that the few things I can afford new are from primark.

primark are good at what they do. which is sell cheap clothing.
my daughters are in early 20s. being able to buy reasonable clothes cheaply is really helpful to them.
i dont think they are better or worse than other high street retailers. lets face it, at least they are employing people and helping to keep the high street going. they have vast stocks of items and keep the shelves full. unlike shops like marks. saturday morning not one pair of blue jeans size 14. the assistant told me i could order them online. yes i could. so why bother coming to a feckin shop?

I don’t think primark is necessarily an indicator of disposable clothing.

I am not into fashion at all. I buy when I need. I have nightshirts from primark I got to breastfeed my daughter. She’s now 11. I have jeans that have lasted years.

DD has clothes from primark and when she grows out of them we pass them on to either s friend or charity.

I love primark. I know they're a retailer not a charity but I think they do serve a really useful purpose in society allowing people on low incomes to still access affordable and decent clothing. I've never had an issue with the quality.

Whether someone treats stuff as disposable or not isn't always down to the price. All of my clothes are cheap and I've cherished and enjoyed and repaired when necessary, not just thrown them away when bored. Most people who have no choice but to use stores like primark couldn't afford to be so stupid as to throw perfectly good clothes away!

Whilst the mc whizz about on overseas holidays,drive kids to enriching activities,consume avocados and products flown in from overseas
I agree with this

I notice the OP only has issues with Primark and not more expensive shops.

Haven't read all of the replies yet but thanks to the PPs who posted about some things like plastic packageing and paper. Hadn't realised that about Primark.

I do realise that many other shops will be doing the same thing it's just that they are marked up more. But I do feel that Primark encourages the idea of buy buy buy, buy more!!! And then next week come back and buy again because everything is so cheap you can just swap it in and out. And whilst you always have people saying I'm broke so I shop in Primark what would I do without there are many more for every person in that position who is not broke but simply shopping there because it's cheap, disposable and you can get as much as you want. It's greed and wastage pure and simple.

Also whilst I'm on this, the whole"I'm broke so you can't understand what it's like. You must be MC and have time to worry about this but I'm too poor to care" doesn't wash with me. In fact I'm amused that having written this with pretty much no background to myself the default position is to assume I'm rich and privileged. So let's just give that a check yes. I grew up on the dole, parents unemployed on benefits and in social housing. Have worked lots of low paid jobs and struggled for money and have always disliked Primark for the reasons I gave. So no it's not the privilege of the Mc. Quite offensive to even believe that.

Is there a reliable definitive list of clothing companies who don't use 'slave labor'?

The OP raises an interesting discussion, but the bit about how easy it would be to just ''go without it or get it from somewhere else and it wouldn't hurt them'' is not well thought out.

Where do you buy your clothes OP? What's your budget?

It's a bit 'let them eat cake'.

actually why shouldnt fashion be cheap and accessible for everyone

yeah its one thing saying pay more for better quality or buy from charity shops but when you want say a top thats in fashion just now, you prob dont want to pay a lot for it as it has a limited wear
id rather pay say a tenner for a top from primark than say 25 from river island wear it a few times then it goes to the charity shop or the clothes recycling bin
chances are they are being made in the same factory anyway

I think it’s cheap badly made crap but my son has such narrow hips it’s one of the few places I can rely on for trousers that will fit him.

I grew up on the dole, parents unemployed on benefits and in social housing. Have worked lots of low paid jobs and struggled for money and have always disliked Primark for the reasons I gave.

OP- if someone only has £5 to spend on knickers and cannot afford to spend any more, where do you suggest they go shopping? What ethical shop could they get their knickers from?

I grew up on the dole, parents unemployed on benefits and in social housing. Have worked lots of low paid jobs and struggled for money and have always disliked Primark for the reasons I gave. So no it's not the privilege of the Mc. Quite offensive to even believe that.

When you grew up 'benefits' were a plenty and frequently outstripped normal salaries, so I'm not surprised you like the finer things in life like John Lewis. The taxpayer was affording them for you

Unfortunately not all of us can afford to shop at Boden

I won’t set foot in it, mostly because it’s such a mess
However, I’m lucky enough not to have to buy such cheap stuff so I can se that it serves a function

yeah its one thing saying pay more for better quality or buy from charity shops but when you want say a top thats in fashion just now, you prob dont want to pay a lot for it as it has a limited wear
id rather pay say a tenner for a top from primark than say 25 from river island wear it a few times then it goes to the charity shop or the clothes recycling bin

see it's this attitude I really have a problem with and I think Primark are one of the worst for encouraging it. A lot of my friends shop there with this attitude. They'll spend £75-100 there and be delighted with the amount of stuff they've bought compared to somewhere else for the same price - it's almost like it's the amount that excites them. Then next week they'll be back again buying more and discard what they bought last because it's not in fashion or they're bored with it and can replace it so cheaply.

Not sure where you got the benefits allowed me to get a finer taste for things newyear sounds a bit like you're projecting there. For all those asking My mum used to buy a lot of our clothes, underwear stuff and duvets blankets in the local market.

They'll spend £75-100 there and be delighted with the amount of stuff they've bought compared to somewhere else for the same price - it's almost like it's the amount that excites them

What about people who spunk ten times that on designer bags and clothes? And then buy more and more?

Well some people have very little choice, but to shop in Primark, and for supermarket clothes. A lot of people cannot afford Boden, Joules, Frugi etc. With the price of one toddlers trousers in Boden £26, you can get 3 pairs from Primark, or supermarket. You sound like you have no idea how it is like to live off a very small budget.