To Primark or not to Primark

bugbabe1970

Thx for all post. Havent had a chance to read through them thoroughly as i have been in work.

Will get back to you all asap

matt1975

Lol, working in the clothing industry I have a good understanding of what goes on.

Yes Primark is lower quality, yes the manufacturing staff are paid peanuts and work in conditions that you and I would all find unacceptable but hey, retail is a supply and demand sector, primark keep opening more and more shops and posting bigger and better profits, why ??? because an awful lot of people shop there, it fills a gap in the market, most customers never question how they can make tshirts for £2 or socks for pence it just fills that desire to have it at any cost, the day after the c4 programme aired showing the conditions behind the scenes, what happened....nothing...out of sight out of mind, most of us don't want our kids working in those conditions but hey if it means little billy gets a cheap tshirt...lets not worry, let someone else work for pence a day, at list the kids have a nice t shirt.

You pays your money...no one drags the customers into these stores, they go out of choice and hey primark take the brunt but they are by no means alone, when buying anything so cheap, be it clothes or a £2 chicken you really have to ask yourself how are they able to make it so cheap??? and I am sure you know the answer.

Willowx

People are saying it is bad quality but I have never found that. I don't buy the fancy fashion type stuff but the more simple, typically plain, t-shirts and jumpers and the like and must say that I have washed them as I have any other clothing and found that they last just fine. I have t-shirts from there that are five plus years old, they are a little faded but they are in good condition, have held their shape and stitching etc.

clairewop

I shop in primark too had no problems with the quality of the clothes either, still weraring items i bought a few years ago and they are fine

i buy my children pj's from there, they wash brill (my son has accidents in the night so his pj's are washed more often )

bugbabe1970

Im still undecided about this one as there are pretty good arguments for and against. The quality thing doesnt really come in to it for me in a way because i suppose once youve worn something to death you do get fed up of it anyway, and i can understand the argument for cheap affordable clothing completely, hey im a mum of 3 afterall so i know how expensive it can be to clothe the househould. BUT does it really have to be at such an expense to others? Of cousre its all about profit I understand that, but does it really mean that other people have to suffer in workhouse conditions for us to look good? I really dont know the answer so will keep on looking into it.

And as far as the £2 chickens go, thats a definite no no for me. Been a vegetarian for 25 years and have defended myself and had every "discussion" under the sun about that one, but im not budging. Dont hold it against me though!!! LOL! My OH and kids arent veggy though so i always try and buy the free range stuff and the best i can afford. Oh and its not that I care more about the conditions that animals are kept in than people. I was 15 when i became veggy so it was one of my many rebellion attempts that just sort of stayed with me!

So say i was to boycott all the unethical clothes traders going on in the high street, where would i be able to buy clothes that were "fair trade" if you know what i mean?

Nice discussion everyone. Thanks.

faded_flowers

As much as I like Primark, I agree that the quality is bad - now. I have stuff from a few years ago that is still looking really good, but more recent stuff is no good. Dress that lasted one wear, jumpers that completely lose their shape after a few hours wearing...

stressed_mummy

Our family's budget wont stretch to the likes of next & bhs . Only M&s if it is in the sale and thats now rarely.
my teenage daughter loves spending what little pocket money she gets on little bits like jewellery & yes she has found some stuff for next year in the sales.
My only bug bear is that they used to do a plus size range but dont now & can I get tall trousers for my teenage son no!

maman

In general I agree that believing that more expensive shops are more ethical does not ring true.

Main point I wanted to make is that it's no coincidence that Primark are doing better than ever because of the recession. For some people it's a case of needs must.

bugbabe1970

Jane_Blackford wrote: »

I buy from Primark, the goods are there and there is no reason to buy elsewhere for more money. It means that when we go on holiday it does not matter if everything gets wrecked, and we have been known to leave some of their clothes behind to make more room - I'm sure the hotel employees made good use of them.

Another way of looking at it is, yes - they do run sweatshops, but they would just get the goods made elsewhere if they didn't get them made there, there are plenty of places around that have no real employment rules. And they would not exist if this did not go on, and there would be a lot of people over here out of work.

And, at the end of the day, the labour force that they use at least have a roof over their head and are fed and looked after in some way and aren't in the sex slave trade. If they didn't have this work they may not have any food or shelter, and would be vulnerable to even worse excesses.

A lot of people that complain about how little people get paid in other countries forget to take into account the cost of living in other countries.

Now I shall wait to be pilloried by the do-gooders and people that like to go around making trouble! I know I have controvertial (sic) opinions but that is the way it is and I make no apologies for it.

Hey Jane, I thankyou for your opinion, thats why i started this thread because i am interested in what people have to say even if i dont agree with every world they say. Dont apologise we are all entitled to think what we like.

So far the thread has remained pretty diplomatic i think!:)

Rebekah24

I pretty much only shop at primark, very occasionally new look with NUS discount. Marks etc etc are just too pricey apart from special occasions or presents

You have to do whats right for you.