To feel so guilty about shopping in primark

[Arkk]

I feel so guilty after shopping in fast fashion shops like primark. I haven’t bought pjs for well over a year so really needed some and ended up in primark as my friend wanted to go in there. I got some lovely pjs really cheap and a few other bits. I start to feel guilty thinking I should have spent a few quid more and bought more ethically. AIBU?

I haven’t looked for a while, but there used to be an organisation that rated the ethics of different stores. Primark did okay on it, not amazingly, but okay.

No those workers would starve.

YANBU

Oh hang on! YABU to feel guilty! YANBU to shop there! 🙈

I’ve started making my own clothes and you realise that it’s not easy, that clothes are made by people who, in many cases, are treated like shit.

So now I avoid the likes of primary.

wasn't there an article about expensive makes being made in sweat shops (I think a company that Ivanka was involved with if memory serves me right) its actually difficult to do right all the time - money & time & convenience permitting.

Yeah, you may have got a good deal, but someone else has paid the price. With their time, their childhood, their skills, their labour. You don’t feel good about it for a reason.

@nicky7654

No those workers would starve.

You are absolutely NOT keeping clothing factory workers from starving by shopping in Primark. Framing it like that is sheer colonial behaviour.

Shop where you can afford most of the expensive brands are at it anyways

I shop ethically when I can but so much is made in sweat shops even if you spend a few quid more. Do what you can when you can. But don't beat yourself up for choosing a cheaper product because you can't.

I found the app 'goodonyou' recently. It helps look at ethical issues in high street brands.

@nicky7654

No those workers would starve.

Ah, the colonisers would be proud of you.

Yes you should feel guilty (the voting is a bit confusing). Not sure why your pyjamas only last a year. I have two pairs that I've had for many years. Maybe they are better quality in the first place though (GOTS organic cotton, so covers environmental and labour standards).

If you feel guilty then shop elsewhere. Avoid chains in particular.

You are absolutely NOT keeping clothing factory workers from starving by shopping in Primark

You are in the short term, as the recent cancellation of orders due to Covid showed. Terrible situation, reported in the news. I don’t shop in the place so am not trying to defend it, but the sudden fall in demand meant that those workers in the sweatshops were laid off, and if you only earn enough in a day to last you 24 hours, that’s you stuffed.

As daid, Primark rates ok, ethically speaking. They paid out quickly, unlike more expensive brands when the Bangladesh building collapsed. Some of the Primark workers are paid better than top designer workers. Tbere was a documentary showing how the cc lothes come to the UK, but need buttons and labels putting on and so they get away with putting 'made in the UK' on them.

What ethical stores are everyone else using?

You are absolutely NOT keeping clothing factory workers from starving by shopping in Primark. Framing it like that is sheer colonial behaviour

It's not "colonial behaviour" (whatever that may mean) it's the way the global economy works.

if you want to avoid sweatshop produced clothes, it’s not just primark you need to avoid, it’s basically the entire high street.

Because of the previous scandal, Primark now does a MASSIVE amount to ensure their foreign workers have decent pay and conditions. They come out better than most other high street shops

Yes, the issue with Primark is really tax avoidance. Their environmental and working standards are not low compared to other clothing companies.

Don't worry, in my experience you'll soon have a chance to buy from somewhere more ethical, because stuff from Primark will be falling apart after a few months of regular wearing.

As long as you dont discard it ....I have lots of things from Primark that i have had for years...not falling apart.

Good quality pyjamas will last you 5 years.

No worse than shopping in H&M or Zara. I've had stuff from Primark that has lasted years. I just avoid buying the flimsier items.

Where else do you buy them? At least primark is under the radar. As is H and M. More expensive brands less so.

Wear no pyjamas!