does shopping in primark make you feel guilty?

[DimpledThighs]

I don't go often but I needed a thing for a night out - shawl thing to cover ham like arms. My friend had a lovely one so I went to get the same thing - was beautiful and cheap cheap cheap so do you:

a) think it is all made by people in awful condiotions and should be avoided

b) is as bad as all high street places (gap, M&S etc.) so if you are buying may as wel save the cash.

I get bits from ebay and oxfam adn don't buy many new clothes, am torn between looking at scarf and feeling guilty and thinking it was a bargain.

always bits of info in the fairtrade website.

TSAP - which shops are not on there you listed ASda twice and the print is too small for my eyes thanks

Would have to change lots of purchases going by the boycott list. At least it shows reasons for each one though. Quite interesting to read.

On the ethial consumer list primark and matalan are not listed. So they are counted on this list as OK but justa bout every other soutce of information says they are not so it is your judgement call to the research.

Tesco listed as one to boycott
due to its escalating use of Radio Frequency identification. The tiy computer chips embedded in products or packaging allow monitoring of items which consumers normally consider private, like clothing, wallets and backpacks. Contact CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering)
also due to the sale of live turtles, tortoises and frogs in their Chinese stores. China currently has no animal welfare laws. Contact Care for the Wild International Tel. 01306 627900

Asda are listed for being a donor to the republican party ( they are listed elsewhere for worse but again thatis your call.)

I think different websites list companies for different reasons.

ethical consumer seems to be more politically motivated whereas the others are more concerend with slave labour or working conditions.

Can you imagine buying live tortoises etc in your local tesco!!

Surely the Chinese animal thing is due to cultural differences & their different laws?

Although I suppose Tesco don't HAVE to supply such things.

Hmmm interesting.

tortoiseshell has put a link to the stop the traffic website on anther thread

well you can buy them in the newspaper

Or frogs... although can get them in my pond for free.... shudder at the thought of eating them :S

yes you are right just as I would not buycott asda for supporting the republican party even if I think they are misguided although I do buycott them for other reasons not listed here.

i like the fair trade darl chocolate 70% cack or is it coco... i love dark bitter choc

It never entered my head to boycott Donna Karan either as she has quite an ethical image, not that I buy and Dkstuff anyway.

I couldn't boycott aeroplanes.

But I have bought from Joseph but as others ahve said perhaps you should focus your proteston the biggest culprits.

Me neither blondilocks having just booked five flights to Florida.

Franny I thought M&S was OK?

This is such a nightmare issue isn't it. Actually we no longer have Primark (we are too posh lol) but still.

Ia m sure as well that our kids at school sell products from Israel as part of our free traid shop.

Is that 5 trips or 5 seats?

I'd like to go there when DD is a bit older.

I think some ranges from M and S are but the whole pace isn't but they are making significant changes.

5 seats, I do feel guilty about it tbh as we try hardto keep our carbon footprint down.

That makes sense, Twinset&P.

I find this whole ethical buying issue very difficult. Companies like Reebok and Nike were in the firing line at the time we lived in Indonesia. Yet local people were desperate to get jobs at the factories because it was a regular income and sure beat scavenging or selling your body or even your baby. Reebok etc sold their products at a premium, of course, but in the case of shops like Primark it could be argued they are at least allowing a less well-off section of society to have things they could not otherwsie afford. But then you have the situation of the less privileged feeding off those who are even poorer.

It makes my head spin at times trying to work it all out but I have come to the conclusion that it's impossible for me to cure all the world's ills but doing even a small something, is better than doing nothing, so I try to live ethically where I can.

Anyway, have to go as a tropical storm has blown up and I need to shut the laptop down!

I was going to say that 5 trips would be pretty impressive, or mega-organised (envisioning the next 5 yrs holidays).

My ex-OH is a pilot so can't really badmouth flying too much (he knows who I am on here!!)

Have to admit I had not thought of it in terms of the profit they make at the other end. Are companies that use cheap sweatshop labour more culpable if tthey then sell on at great profit?

In answer to OP, Yes, it makes me feel incredibly guilty and I wish I could afford only organic fairtrade items (be it food or clothing) from ethical establishments or that I could always find the necessary items in charity shops. Unfortunately that is not always the case, but I do try. I think the fact that some of us are at least aware of the issues has to stand for something (albeit a very small something). Don't be too hard on yourself.