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?

Here is a well respected organisation that rate garment and footwear brands on the work they do to stop slavery and abuse in their supply chains.

The luxury brands LVMH (Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi and 70 others) are amongst THE WORST RATED.

Guilt is only useful for the corporations that make themselves wealthy. Our guilt stops a proper examination of the structures of business.

YABU

knowthechain.org/2018-apparel-and-footwear-benchmark/

Edit
People Tree not Green People (they make eco toiletries! Which are good btw).

[quote Blondieg]@ThunderSkies not quite true.
Interesting fact on great British sewing bee this year was that there are currently enough clothes on the planet to clothe the next 6 generations![/quote]
Shocking, isn't it.

People don't repair clothes when they break - they dont have the skills, and what's the point of paying £3 for new buttons when you can get a new top for not much more? A lot of the fast fashion and supermarket clothing just isn't worth selling second hand as it's made cheaply and is misshapen, faded, bobbled.

I think the key for ethical clothing is in fact NOT to slavishly follow fashion. Just buy decent basics which you can use for years and years.

(A few years ago cold shoulder tops were all the rage and cheap stores sold them by the bucketload. We see so many coming into the charity shop in donation bags and we can't give them away. No-one wants them.)

I have a few Primark things I've had for years. It's not just what you buy and where but how long it lasts and how long you keep it for. I've heard some very cheap stuff really doesn't last through a wash as though it's designed to be worn and chucked away. 😬

Sadly paying more for clothes doesn’t mean the workers are treated or paid any better. The high end and luxury brands are making money for shareholders not doing charitable works!
If you want to use your money to increase global equality your best bet would be to continue buying cheaper clothes and use the savings to donate to charities that support development in poorer countries and the education of women.

Primark isn't fast fashion for me as I have their clothes for years. It's just a shop with good prices.

Well you’ve done it so what’s the point of feeling guilty afterwards? I guess if it was an issue you would just not have gone there to begin with. Sounds like you’re just worried about what other people might think. You should follow your own conscience, and do what you feel okay doing, and own it.

I should have spent a few quid more and bought more ethically

Perhaps you could donate the extra few quid to a charity inline with your ethics?

I do find it odd that Primark is demonised as the most unethical shop, just as McDonald's is demonised as the most unhealthy food outlet.

It's a stigma that other places on the high street don't have. A sort of urban myth originating from snobbery.

I don't think that it is as simple as 'colonialism', it's far more complex. For example, Gulf countries employ around 23 million overseas workers, many of whom suffer dreadful working conditions for very low wages. However, the money that they earn is sent home, contributing billions to the economies of developing countries - about 20% of the annual revenue in some cases.

Paying higher wages is undoubtedly the right thing to do, but sadly this would reduce profitability deterring investment in development and putting companies out of business. So development stops. Serves them right. Good?

Falling oil prices along with the Covid crisis has sent many of these workers home, plunging key regions and entire countries into recession. This has not benefitted anyone.

I don't have the solution, but I do know that consumerism, while destroying the environment and depleting resources, is the driver for the global economy. Buying your PJs is the correct thing to do. If you can find a pair that has been produced ethically, even better (though I'm not sure how easy it is to verify this reliably). But the chances are that if you pay more for your PJs, you'll have to skimp on something else, because you have a finite income. This will reduce the earnings of someone else further down the line.

Time for a re-think. Revolution anyone?

As long as it's cheap who cares. If people have made the items in other countries where the employment rights are not as strong as those in western Europe, it's up to the people of those countries to change their laws.

We didn't get laws on gender equality, minimum wage and safe working conditions by doing nothing. It took many years of hard work over several generations.

The "colonial" attitude is to assume that other countries should abide by our standards; that we have it right and they have it wrong. It's actually quite an arrogant opinion.

As other posters have said, Primark comes out fairly well in ethics assessments nowadays. People see the low prices and assume it must be down to some sort of exploitation but it's just their business model - little advertising spend, no online, and shift clothes to other stores if they're not selling so well in the current location.

In terms of quality, people are again very quick to trot out that it will fall apart in no time, but I've had a pair of fleecy pyjama bottoms I bought there over 10 years ago that I've worn at least every autumn/winter since and they're still in fine condition.

There's a lot of talk, quite rightly, regards slavery and slave links of the past. It seems harder to get the conversation going regarding modern day slavery and get anything done to really tackle it.

@daysofpearlyspencer

I totally agree. Because our standard of living would be materially affected by taking a stand on modern slavery.

@BilboBercow

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

Interestingly, the 'goodonyou' website rated them low with the following comments:

"Primark is not taking adequate steps to ensure payment of a living wage for its workers." "Its labour rating is 'not good enough'. None of its supply chain is certified by labour standards which ensure worker health and safety, living wages or other labour rights. It received a score of 31-40% in the Fashion Transparency Index. It likely publishes information about its supplier policies, audits and remediation processes. It likely publishes a list of suppliers in the final stage of production but not the second stage. It may be publishing limited information about forced labour, gender equality or freedom of association. There is no evidence it ensures payment of a living wage in its supply chain. It discloses inadequate policies or safeguards to protect suppliers and workers in its supply chain from the impacts of COVID-19."

don't have the solution, but I do know that consumerism, while destroying the environment and depleting resources, is the driver for the global economy. Buying your PJs is the correct thing to do. If you can find a pair that

I completely agree. The global economy is horribly interdependent and a 7 billion plus population relies on it. I also know what happens to women and girls in developing countries who can’t get paid employment in companies - they are sexually exploited. See the bartering going on at the Venezuelan/Colombian border. And, no, sex work is not work - unless you’d be happy for your 12 year old to be out doing it for a few dollars less than the 12 year old over the border. That’s the grim reality.

I was surprised to see M&S among the higher ranked brands (that I looked up) on that site...

Interesting reading.

I buy clothes from Primark. Yes, I've thought about the workers in poor conditions etc, and while I feel bad for them, I won't stop.

We're a fairly low income family, and while I wish I could dress my two exclusively in Joules and JoJo Bebe, I can't afford to. They look just as nice in Primark stuff, it keeps them warm and comfortable, and we can still afford to pay for stuff like rent and food!

Honestly if you mostly shop ethically most of the time i think its fine to get something simple every now and then like pyjamas as ethical shops can be quite pricey.

Another vote for Rapanui, their plain colour scoop neck t shirts are a good length for covering lower paunch horrors.

thegoodshoppingguide.com/subject/ethical-fashion-retailers/

Is a better site for ratings of the "ethical-ness" of retailers. Marking down companies for using wool or leather is ridiculous - the wool industry in this country is on its knees. H&M and ASOS do well on this chart, worst are Matalan and George at Asda.

Fast fashion is killing the planet....but most people don’t give a fuck!

Yes I agree that Primark is not the most ethical shop to shop in, however its the way we shop and use clothes that has to change. Watch Stacey Dooley's documentary on fast fashion, educate your self on the brands. You can buy in Primark but don't throw it away after one wear or mend it if you get a hole in etc. Currently watching the Misguided Documentary on Channel 4. Watched a buyer argue with s supplier over knocking 25p of a zip on a piece of clothing that was costing 7 pounds to make but yet in the next screen they were going to give some love island person 350k plus a range rover to advertise 2 collections - like that is wrong on so many levels. I also saw on a bloggers page advertising a coat for 25e, people commenting that it was fab, bought it last year, however went bobbly and lost shape after a few wears, but it was ok she threw it in the bin and bought a new one this years, again wrong on so many levels, a coat shouldn't last a few months. Same as Pajamas should last for a few years, yes I understand that they are maternity but did you have any pajamas pre pregnancy? It up to you how you shop but educate yourself on how shops produce stuff, where it comes from, what type of cotton etc is used. Try and buy stuff that wont date aswell. If you cant afford to shop in some shops have a look when they're sales are on you will pick up stuff sometimes more than half price off. Also use Ebay, Depop etc. As consumers we are the people that can force companies to change the way they operate.

My views on primary have changed - did you know they refused the £1000 the government promised for each employee who was bought back from furlough? Said they don't need it. I think they are becoming much more ethically aware!