Asda 'beats M&S in clothes sales'

nearlynew

Cleaver wrote: »

Cosmetics sold by Asda made by 6 year olds working 12 hour days on 63p a day

To be fair you're right that they've made progress and I believe they have a range of clothes made in the UK now (not that that means their workers are treated well, but we tend to have better laws here).

Maybe I'm a cynic, but when I see a cotton T-shirt on sale for £2 that has been made in Bangladesh I question whether the person who made it received a fair wage. In summary, I don't like Wal-Mart full stop. I don't really like the way they treat their workers, their suppliers or other businesses. So a £2, bad-fitting T-shirt is never going to get bought by me. But each to their own and all that.

Have a Google about how Wal-Mart treat the children who work for Wal-Mart suppliers in Mexico. There's a few videos on You Tube too. You may then question whether you want to give your money to this company.

This is the reason why I have not set foot in my local asda since they were taken over by wal-mart a few years ago.

Cleaver

I feel that I should clarify that I'm not being one of these annoying holier than thou people. It's so difficult to know what you're buying, where it's made etc. etc. I'm sure I buy stuff made by children every now and again when not realising, partly due to me just not paying attention. And I can understand the occassional small business selling things without realising.

But Wal-Mart (ASDA) are one of, if not the, biggest and richest companies in the world. They have no excuse to selling stuff that was made by kids earning 63p a a day. Which is why I don't shop there.

Treadmill

My pants and socks must be bought from Marks and Sparks, otherwise I'll have a Rainman style spaz out.

Marks undies are the best in the world.

nearlynew

Relax cleaver.

Just because I agreed with you, you don't have to add a disclaimer that you're not a tin foil hat wearing nutter.

Treadmill

A true tin foil hat wearing nutter would weave their own clothes from hemp.

StevieJ

The one thing that concerns me in this debate, if everybody were to boycott these companies, what happens to the kids? are they better off or do they simply go hungry

Treadmill

The harsh fact is StevieJ that if these kids get laid off they and their families may well starve as they are often the only wage earner in the family.

vivatifosi

Cleaver wrote: »

But Wal-Mart (ASDA) are one of, if not the, biggest and richest companies in the world. They have no excuse to selling stuff that was made by kids earning 63p a a day. Which is why I don't shop there.

I don't know if anyone has shopped in Walmart, but the clothes there (which may also be branded George) make those sold at Asda in the UK look like they were designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier. They really are that far behind the curve. For people who drive pick up trucks and have mullets, or are heading off for obscure religious cults in the Guyanese jungle only methinks.

However to give Walmart its due, it has turned around a bit. It is the world's largest user of organic cotton and even has a programme in place to help farmers transfer over production (its hard during the transition phase as they produce less yet earn the same because the cotton is not yet organic). It was also among the first big companies to stop buying cotton picked in Uzbekistan because of the endemic use of child labour there.

Clearly these moves, whether by Walmart, Tesco, M&S or any other big retailer are driven by customer demands. Corporate Social Responsibility can be just something big companies pay lip service to. But if all we demand is cheap cr&p no matter who is trodden on to get to it, then we get the shops we deserve. Whatever we think of Walmart/Asda, and I concur they get a lot wrong, we have to cut them a bit of slack on the child labour/screwing over the third world charges. And no, I don't work for them.

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN3043422920080930
http://www.laborrights.org/stop-child-forced-labor/cotton-campaign/uzbekistan/news/12127
http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSN0727133420080407

mewbie_2

I give up. I've been trying to weave a humorous reference to Tobermory into this thead and I can't for the life of me see how to do it.

fc123

Asda don't seem to be doing it that well. Trade Link

Primark joined Gap, Marks & Spencer, Monsoon, New Look and Next in scoring highly. All of these retailers demonstrated a systematic approach to wage increase.
Meanwhile the fourth annual report said that George at Asda, Clarks, Debenhams, French Connection, John Lewis, Laura Ashley, Levi Strauss & Co, Matalan, River Island and Sainsbury’s had not provided concrete information about any plans to address the living wage issue.

“We were particularly disappointed with the supermarkets this year”
Labour Behind the Label’s campaigns co-ordinator Anna McMullen

Labour Behind the Label’s campaigns co-ordinator Anna McMullen, said: “We were particularly disappointed with the supermarkets this year. Last year, Asda’s submission made reference to a ‘living wage’ and what they were paying in relation to that, whereas this year they just told us they do audits but didn’t go into detail.”