Would you buy cheap child-sweatshop made clothes? Poll results/discussion

Former_MSE_Lawrence

Poll between 23 June - 01 July 2008.

Would you buy cheap child-sweatshop made clothes?

There’ve been reports this week that some Primark clothes have been finished off using child labour. If this is confirmed, will it change the way you shop there?


Which of the following is closest to your view?

A. Who cares. It’s a different culture, it's not our business. - 10% (917 votes)
B. It’s cheap and that’s more important to me. - 8% (730 votes)
C. I don’t believe it's worse than any others, so there’s no choice. - 23% (2066 votes)
D. I’ll avoid it unless I can’t find a cheap viable alternative. - 20% (1763 votes)
E. I’ll never shop there again. - 15% (1310 votes)
F. I've never shopped there anyway. - 24% (2147 votes)

This vote has now closed, but you can still click 'post reply' to discuss below. Thanks

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bryanb

You left out the view that these kids may be orphans in a society that has no social benefits, and maybe this is the only way for them to survive.

geri1965_2

I've been thinking about this a lot over the last few days, and I'v made a decision not to buy clothes from Primark, Asda and Tesco because their names keep cropping up over and over again and I can't ignore it any longer.

However, I know someone who works in the trade and she says it's pretty much endemic - suppliers cannot say with any certainty what conditions their clothes are being made under, so it really doesn't matter if you buy from Gap or Matalan, Debenhams or M&S - the chances are there are shady practices going on at their factories as well.

I think the industry as a whole needs to get it's act together - but with the demand for cheap clothing and the need to make money, I doubt it will ever happen and companies will continue to pay lip service to demands to improve standards whilst turning a blind eye to what's really going on and claiming ignorance.

Idiophreak

I don't really shop at Primark anyway, since this kinda thing was dragged up once before.

I appreciate that a lot of other places might not be much better, but I'm happier (not very MSE, I know), I think, paying more to someone who's gonna do the same thing...because at least, then, it's the manufacturer's greed that's causing the problems, not mine...a lot of the things in Primark I just can't see how they could be made fairly for the price they sell them...

I'll also add that I would pay more for things I know are manufactured ethically...

torbrex

I buy what I want to buy at a price I want to pay, I have little regard of how it is produced.

before_hollywood

no-one can be sure of where anything is made these days, well not in clothes anyway

Barneysmom

The nearest I can get to answer this one is 'I'll never shop there again'.
But I don't shop there anyway, it's cheap and it shows. I went in to have a look and some things had buttons hanging off, threads loose.
You might be able to buy a shirt from a supermarket for £3-4 but you can see straight through it, the fabric is so thin. Ok if you like displaying your bra but not for me.
I prefer second hand from charity shops.
I wonder why there are no big mills over here in Britain any more, it's time (and I wish I could do it) that some were opened.

Eeyore2008

I'd love to say that I'll never shop there again but the worrying thing is that I'll probably shop there more with the way the economy is going. I'm currently on statutory maternity pay and seeing all my bills going up around me but yet I can go to Primark and fill my babies wardrobe entirely with gorgeous clothes for about £30...very tempting!!

MSE_Martin

We're adding in an I've never shopped there anyway... option - there've been 185 votes so far... and while its a tiny skew adding it in at this stage - a poll typically has 10,000+ replies so it'll only skew the poll by a negligible amount I'd suspect.

Edinburghlass_2

Its a tough one for me as I do most of my clothes shopping in Tesco and my daughter loves Primark, so do I for the prices I pay.

I listened to this being discussed on JV at lunchtime and I think answer A where it says its a different culture is very valid. If the likes of Primark pull out of China what is going to happen to these kids, they still aren't going to go to school so are they going to be left to beg on the streets? Neither option is ideal but what can we do about it?

I watched part of a programme on BBC3 or 4 late one night where some UK youngsters actually went to work in some of these factories although I don't think it was China probably India. The rules they had to work to, for me as a foreigner watching was pretty daunting and quickly reduced these kids to tears trying to adapt to the strict rules.

I'm going to think about this a bit more before voting but part of me feels that even a little money makes a difference to their families albeit doesn't make it right.

Jenferdog

I think its morally wrong for people who can afford to pay a little more to buy these clothes cheaply knowing that children have suffered to make them, however, how else would the families these children are from survive? Prostitution in some cases, begging, things much worse than sewing sequins on a top for hours on end I am sure. Their government should ensure that there are other ways to make a living. Glad I am not a politian.