what is the deal about primark..they literally pushed the doors in on oxford street todat

[zippitippitoes]

...mad or wot

customers pushed in the plate glass doors!

I used to work for a company that made alot of clothes for this store and alot of other well known chains , it was run by a very wealthy Jewish family in London, and the clothes were not made in spain mostly in Romania and places like that in factories and they paid them about 25-50p per item , could'nt say what the conditions were in the factories , then the garments were sold at about say £3.50 per item and I suppose then sold in the store for about £10.00 . It was the most horrible place to work but because most people were so fearful of the owners and losing their job it was a real eye opener. Annoying thing was I left a good contract job with a big well known company and when I took the job had no idea what it was going to be like and had to stick there for 10 months

logic says that if something is very very cheap then the person making it must be poor

i think primark is ok! have bought a few items in there for my daughters! ecspecially when im struggling for cash! they have some nice things in there sometimes, you got to be lucky!! its good for people who cant afford to go to next and marks for their clothes! thankgod for primarks i say!!!!

i buy the kids socks from there.

Echoes of the IKEA opening at Edmonton. I find these incidents deeply deeply depressing. That you would push, jostle even stand on people to get to a bargain. I can't believe these people have nothing to wear...

plus not celebrities have shopped there not because they cant afford to shop anywhere else but because they like the fashion!!! they do same styles as everywhere else so why pay a fortune when you can have it cheaper and save some money!!!

actually I just found this prima4k scores well for its workers comparatively

CHILDREN?S CLOTHING
The issues: Oppressive regimes, more than half of the £25 billion worth of clothes sold in GB are imported, most from countries that don?t protect workers? rights.
Best brands:
H&M; Jigsaw, Matalan; Monsoon; Mothercare; New Look; TK Maxx
Low scorers:
John Lewis; Marks & Spencer; House of Fraser
Note; Primark fell in the middle band of companies investigated, mainly because of its environmental and animal rights policies. Primark actually scored top for workers? rights and it has a better code of conduct policy than most stores.
Families recommends:
organic cotton and fairly-traded children?s clothes from People Tree 0845 450 4595 www.people tree.co.uk & Gossypium 0800 085 6549 www.gossypium.co.uk
Howies is introducing children?s performance wear in Spring 2005. 01239 614122 www.howies.co.uk

it seems cost is no indicator of fairness

I think they were very poor the factory owners would ring the place I worked and ask for money to be wired as they used to say the women needed food for their children etc..was very depressing ....

since working there although it may sound silly I tend to buy alot on ebay and hardly ever go to certain stores as I know the garments are all made in the same cheap factories with fancy lables sewn in saying they are designer etc , they were only designed by the designer's at the company I worked for and then just given the ok by the buyers of the stores who would visit our showroom and then on sale for such huge mark up's.

That's really interesting Zippi. I want to be able to shop in the high street but am never sure where the right places are, in terms of conditions for factory workers. Would you consider starting a MN thread about this so we could swap ideas? Otherwise I will!

you go ahead malmemnon

OK, will do

Bought 3 pairs of shoes this morning...oh the pain of handing over £18!...love their cheap as chips shoes!

I don't understand what the big deal is. I have walked past one of their stores and the stuff doesn't look that great.

I like the kids clothes from there but not keen on the adults clothes although dp buys a lot of his jeans and T shirts etc from there.

I don't know the shapes are all wrong in the jeans for me and the tops too short. (i've got little legs and a long body)

Saying that though I love thier combats, they actually fit!

i'm too scared to go into primark. scared of the avg customer & and me

Their jeans are made for people with no bottoms, but I love their skirts and tops because their size 16's fit me perfectly! Last week I bought 2 vest tops - £1 each - couldn't leave them there. Lined work skirt down to £3 from £8 and a very expensive posh top for...£8. All of them will last me at least a year or two (if I don't shrink down to a size 12, obviously ) and the children's clothes are fantastic value.

Dottydot - great that means I have no bum! As their jeans fit me very well. (PS I do have a bum)

Thanks for that zippitoes - will no longer feel guilty buying in primark

Am horrified at JL and M&S scoring so low, because they are thought of as 'better' brands (ie more expensive)

I hasten to add though that I cannot afford JL and M&S.

this is what all the fuss is about

and this!

Hmm, feature in the Guardian about the horrendous factories in Bangladesh where the stuff comes from. I use Primark esp for children's stuff, but do feel uneasy about how it is possible to produce clothes so cheaply without human suffering (not to mention the environmental impact) I keep thinking I should buy less...but am not very good at it!

I saw a couple walking in Edinburgh High Street this evening with Primark shopping bags.

Where is it?

SHOW ME THE PRIMARK!

I had heard rumours that there might be one opening at the new part of the Livingston shopping centre expat if you care to train, drive or bus it this way!

Just rumours though, possibly wishful thinking. There are a couple of Peacocks though and sometimes you can find nice things in there, one in Broxburn and one in Linlithgow.

i swore not to buy from primark