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Original poster

Primark - how on earth do they do it?

134 replies

unavailable · 10/01/2009 16:37

Yesterday, I bought in Primark for the first time.

I have been in a few of their shops, but felt to overwelmed by all the stuff and chaos to do any more then leave again swiftly.

Anyway, I saw this really nice wool dress (lined)for £12!! I was very pleased with it, but am now a bit guilty that it may have been made by 5 year olds in some slave labour sweat shop in the far east - otherwise how on earth could their stuff be so cheap?

Are Primark any worse than other companies? Can I shop there guilt free or should my first purchase be my last?

OP posts:
Remotew · 11/01/2009 00:41

Kids in India making your cheap clothes. If they didn't do this then they would go one step down. Get real.

Remotew · 11/01/2009 00:52

We all need clothes to wear but its up to the British consumer to say enough is enough. Primark stuff is shit, crap. You can spend £5 on stuff which last you one month or spend
£20 somewhere else that lasts a year. Work it out. Then at least we are not supporting child labour. I'm not niave to think I can make a difference and I'm quite aware of politics but we can all put a halt to this cheap labour and how dare could our british companies think its OK in the short term.?? Shame on you. If you cannot afford to pay the British minimum wage you deserve to go out of business. Your compaany is not viable.

differentID · 11/01/2009 01:05

ohbollox, I believe you didn't quite understand the rate of pay in that report. It's not 50p per t-shirt. It's 50p per DAY, probably fopr 150-200 t-shirts.

TWINSETinapeartree · 11/01/2009 01:20

I have been into primarks as dd father works in one (one of the many reasons I do not take maintenance from him) and it is full of people buying baskets and baskets of stuff, they certainly seem to have a higher disposable income than I do. So they are buying out of greed and not poverty.

I have very little disposable income but manage to make dd and I look fashionable and nice to look at without resorting to places like primark. Mainly through buying second hand and customising or buying in sales.

EldonAve · 11/01/2009 08:45

similar story in NOTW "12 hours a day, 7 days a week for just £3 an hour"

janeite · 11/01/2009 09:55

Phew. It's not just me and Unavailable!

India Knight talking sense here on this theme:

scroll down the the section on clothes

higgle · 11/01/2009 15:54

Everything I have bought from Primark - for me and children has worn and washed very well. I had one printed linen skirt that I wore for 3 years aned liked so much I've now made it into cushion covers.The dresses I took on holiday this year will be fine for next year - the buttons don't come off unlike some more expensive purchases. I think that a lot of the so called ethical brands source their supplies from the same places and you just get ripped off thinking you are paying for something superior that is not. Yes, Primark does loook like a jumble sale but quite a lot of their stuff is really rather good.

expatinscotland · 11/01/2009 16:01

'When I was "poor" I used to shop in charity shops. The problem is that so many people now won't contemplate this and would rather buy cheap tat, or buy on the never-never.

I have also spent many years doing without things if I couldn't afford them. Too many people now WON'T do without and equate happiness with having lots and lots and lots of STUFF. I would rather have fewer clothes but better quality ones tbh. '

fair enough. that's how you want to go about it and no one has slagged that off.

so why slag off people who don't chose to shop in charity shops or who buy clothes in shops like Primark?

FWIW, there's only one charity shop in our town. and there's not a lot of clothing in it. by contrast, Primark and Tesco are as close as it gets geographically.

i've not had the clothes fall apart and i don't throw away clothes, either. we don't have lots of lots of stuff, either, as we have to move often and more often than not live in rather cramped quarters where we don't have much storage.

janeite · 11/01/2009 16:27

Expat - my comments were in response to OhBollox's questions. I choose not to shop at Primark. I have not slagged anybody off at all, as far as I am aware.

My point on this thread is yes, of course, people can choose to shop at Primark but by doing so, they are choosing to ignore the way that the company exploits people in other countries so that people in this country can buy cheap clothes - and by ignoring it, they are in effect condoning it.

I am by no means perfect. I have bought things from Primark in the past and then have felt ashamed of myself. However, I haven't tried to make ridiculous excuses about how child labour helps children, in order to excuse myself - as a couple of people on this thread have.

expatinscotland · 11/01/2009 16:32

It's incorrect to assume that everyone who shops in places like Primark is just greedy and buys for the sake of it and to have more stuff and they don't really need it, though.

So you don't buy there? Great.

But if you think buying expensive clothes means they are not made in a sweatshop well, that's an incorrect assumption, too.

badgermonkey · 11/01/2009 16:33

I would love to get my clothes from charity shops, of which there are lots here, but they hardly ever have anything in my size and the vast, vast majority of clothes there come from Primark, Tesco, Matalan etc anyway. Am I going to pay £4 for a second-hand, faded, out-of-date jersey top from a charity shop, or will I go to Primark and buy this season's style for the same price or sometimes even less? It's a no-brainer - nobody's going to a enough of a martyr to buy the older one for the same money. And I go in charity shops all the time. I'm not basing this on one or two visits, and I'm not snobbish about them. But I refuse to pay more than something costs to buy new (and if anyone knows where these wonderful charity shops full of designer labels and top quality stuff are, I'd love to know, because they ain't in this town).

differentID · 11/01/2009 16:35

onfortunately expat, many charity shops have no idea of real prices and often, in my area, price the clothes at more than they cost to purchase in the first place.

janeite · 11/01/2009 16:35

Have you read any of the links? Some companies are far, far worse than others.

I am not claiming a moral high ground. I am merely saying that for people to try and justify it, in order to salve their consciences, is wrong.

expatinscotland · 11/01/2009 16:36

there were great charity shops in the city where we used to live.

but it really isn't an option here.

i've also been scammed buying clothes on ebay a couple of times, too.

i don't have many clothes myself, and about 90% of the kids' clothes is given to me by my parents and sister.

expatinscotland · 11/01/2009 16:37

yes, i read the links!

Clarissimo · 11/01/2009 16:37

A lot of people don't have the economic option of buying elsewhere and even charity shops here are pushing prices up as they know people are having to shop there now and will be forced to pay. However, I do think that those of us who can choose our shops should educate ourseves on where is best for child labour protection and act upon it. Sometimes I can afford to, atm I can't so much (but am learning to knit and sew and do prefer second hand to Asda etc when I can get it)- but there's a difference to only being able toa fford and choosing to buy 5 skirts in a cheapo shope and only wearing them twice.

just my opinion.

expatinscotland · 11/01/2009 16:39

Why does everyone assume that anyone who buys clothes in places like Primark is just going to wear the garment once or twice and then throw it away?

Clarissimo · 11/01/2009 16:40

I didnt assume that

I said there is a difference between

not that everyone who shops there will

some people do shop like that in there- mum and sister to name but 2

janeite · 11/01/2009 16:42

The fact that so many charity shops are full of stuff from Primark (which generally they are unable to sell on at all) proves that many people who buy at Primark are buying clothes as throwaway articles.

HelenBurns · 11/01/2009 16:43

Moondog, Janeite, anyone, can you suggest some places that do have a worker protection ethic in place?

I would love a list of 'Ok' places to shop if one is available.

expatinscotland · 11/01/2009 16:45

'The fact that so many charity shops are full of stuff from Primark (which generally they are unable to sell on at all) proves that many people who buy at Primark are buying clothes as throwaway articles. '

It may also mean they cannot sell on clothes they bought there and so give them away, not that they bought the items as throwaway articles. Particularly when it comes to childrens' clothes, the child can outgrow an item quickly.

janeite · 11/01/2009 16:47

I am not talking about children's clothes. And yes, of course it is better that they are donating them to charity than throwing them away. But the charities often can't sell them.

expatinscotland · 11/01/2009 16:51

So what is the difference? You can't say 100% that clothes from Primark and the like are there because the original purchaser bought them with a throwaway mentality. There are lots of reasons why people donate clothes to a charity shop.

It's also just as likely that staff purchase items that come through from other, more expensive shops before they make it to the rack in that charity shop.

Or that an original owner sold on an item from a more expensive shop.

It's not a given that the items were purchased with a throwaway mentality.

Clarissimo · 11/01/2009 17:01

There is no way of knowing

But I do know that when I was a teenager I wore a dress only as few times I could (going out type clothes) until I could afford to replace- at times that was just two or three times. back then we didn't have Primark (we ahd to weave ourselves with fleece gathered from hedgerows... ah thank goodness for shops ) but it follows in my mnd that teens aren't much different now (anot the ones I was at Uni with anyhow) and if you can get a dress for £12 then its more likely to happen than when I regulrly used to fork out £30- £40 for one.

laughinglil · 11/01/2009 17:02

hang on I'm confused.. I think its completly wrong about child 'sweat shops' but if we didn't buy the clothes these poor children would go without any money! its swings and roundabouts!