To ask you to swerve Shein & Temu

[DoNoTakeNo]

This Christmas?
I know it’s mainly a cost thing but if it’s achievable, can people possibly manage with less stuff?

Probably. But not my place - or yours - to judge.

Totally agree with you. Consumerism is destroying the planet.
We shouldn't support slavery and exploitation, but sadly not many people think about where the products come from.
I also hate seeing all the social media videos of people ripping open a new parcel of shite clothes. We have enough clothes in the world for the next 6 or 7 generations. At least cut the bloody bag open with scissors so you can reuse it, rather than ripping it in half.
Where do people think things go when we throw them away or 'recycle' them?
www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/fashion-waste-from-top-uk-brands-found-polluting-endangered-turtles-habitat-in-ghana/

You don't know how or what those pencils are made of. How vast are the savings on pencils?

It's everyone's place to judge.

And, so what!? You know, it's OK for people to just want things that might bring them a little joy!? For however momentarily that may be...

I suspect OP is offering up financial assistance and donations to those who can’t afford to shop organic, handmade, locally sourced products like she does.

OP, do you want bank details sent to you for bank transfers or do you prefer gofundme pages?

Digdongdoo · Today 19:44
Depends what you mean by cross check every item I buy. I do only buy from reputable UK/EU regulated retailers

I try to do this too.
I buy less , from ethical companies when I can and second hand . Am aware some hight street shops provided better conditions to workers- but how to find who is who ? I mostly buy from vinted .

My issues is ( apart from hand knitted socks ) were can you buy socks?? i go in nice looking shops - and socks are made in china- how can I check that they are not at temu level of the supply chain, but one from china that may treat staff better ? ( I saw the horrendous program by Stacey Dooley about clothes production- some conditions were unsafe and appalling- some were were they treated staff much better than others.
)
I know times are hard - we eat v v cheaply - but for me I just cannot actively chose to buy products were people are treated so badly .
So many of the things made are not necessary- but mostly pleasing un needed items supplied by other peoples suffering - if we think we are poor in this country- i feel we should look at the lives of those who produce these goods . After watching the documentary , I simply cant say because our life may be hard its ok to add to others misery.
i just cant.
Its not a holier than tho stance - I just would feel that I would not enjoy the items either.
Of course we all do our best , and I would really like to know more about how to check the providence of items?

Not an issue. Never have and never will buy from either of them.

Huge - but the issue here is that as a teacher with my own children to look after I shouldn’t have to pay for pencils for other people’s children out of my own pocket - whether I choose to buy from WHsmiths or Temu. But that’s where we are in education at the moment. And do you seriously look at the origin of pencils you buy? Do you think schools only purchase (when they have a budget) uk made pencils?

We all have to live on the planet that is collapsing beneath all this shit.
We've got more stuff than 90% of the world, and more stuff than ever before in the history of the world. We all need less.

My point is it is taking away our choice, we are becoming less and less social, we are losing our businesses ( and retail property values).

There will be nothing left!
( nevermind though, you don't like shopping…)

No it isn't. You have absolutely ZERO idea of why someone might need to make certain choices. So, like I said upthread, until such a time comes that you're actually paying their bills, your opinion is irrelevant.

Who is ‘we’? Are you the self appointed decision maker that gets to decide how much everyone needs. Speak for yourself. Not for the rest of us.

Never ordered from either of these sites, and never will.

I used to love a trawl around the shops looking for bargains and me and my daughters would do charity shop days.
Being unwell has changed things a lot though.

But actually how vast are the savings?
I agree you shouldn't have to pay for pencils. But I also dont think they should come from Temu.
Pencils from reputable retailers are subject to fairly strict regulations. Pencils from Temu are a gamble.

Jumpingthruhoops · Today 21:57

Digdongdoo · Today 21:13
So not actually things you need then.

And, so what!? You know, it's OK for people to just want things that might bring them a little joy!? For however momentarily that may be...

Thats your view - but for me I just cant enjoy it if i did that.
Ok - its peoples decision to make if they can .
But its equally ok for people to say no - I cant do it - i don't want to .
I cant give someone a gift for example to someone knowing that its caused distress or something to the person working in terrible conditions- that just wdnt bring me joy. Try as I might - I cant make it a joyful thing to me .

We is all of us. You can personally choose to be OK with it. I can't tell you how to feel. But we all get an opinion.

There is no way in hell I’d ever buy anything from those places.

If I’m going to bother getting something, I save up and get a decent version (often second hand).

If it’s pointless plastic crap, I don’t need it in the first place.

That's not what this is about though: it's not about just buying 'shit'... it's about buying shit specifically from Shein and Temu for Christmas! Which for some people is all they can manage in order to give their children what they believe will be a fun Christmas. What you think of that is neither here nor there.

Oh come on…a school with NO pens and pencils…

And if they really haven't, the children can't write, leaders would soon know.

Meanwhile you are filling a very basic gap with pens and pencils that maybe toxic. If a child is ill, or a parent complains about unethically sourced products, do you really think your excellent (can't even plan for the school to have pencils) leaders are going to defend you?

It really is everyone's place to judge. It is a shared planet. We all get opinions on how we use it. Nobody needs to buy anything from Temu. Ever.

But you don’t get to pass judgement that ‘we’ all need less. ‘We’ are all free to decide for ourselves how much we need.

You seem to want to push your political agenda down people’s throats. I hope people buy as much they want to please themselves without someone lecturing them on how much they should be needing.

Threads like this were made for the now removed laugh reaction. Some of these replies are fucking ridiculous.

Ok if it is was JUST pencils I needed you are right - I wouldn’t get them from Temu as they wouldn’t be a huge amount more expensive than b&m or home bargains. But it’s pretty much entire classrooms full of resources teachers are paying
for out of their pockets. I guess I could spend what little time I have free at weekends searching for the most ethical version of everything but it would cost me much more overall than just placing one larger order which included the pencils. Rather than slating teachers for buying resources from Temu, maybe appreciate they are paying for things for other people’s children to be able to learn.