Therefore, when I saw this, I thought I had reached girl-paradise:
Primark, primarily a clothing store, is located on Oxford Street-the "hottest" place to go shopping. Incidentally, Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical star) was sighted on this street during the first week I came to London.
Not only does Primark have tons and tons of clothing, it also sells their goods for very inexpensive prices, even for poor American dollar standards. And they sell a diverse selection of products: womens, mens, childrens, bed and bath, shoes, socks, underwear...Quality, quantity, and breadth, what more could I want?
I made a beeline for hangers which I desperately needed for my mound of clothing in my flat. As I stood in line with the girls, we already began making plans for a return trip to Primark to get the one-pound shirts and the adorable shoes.
I threw out my little joke/musing: "With all this stuff, I wonder who gets exploited?"
The girls laughed, "Everything's made in China, so probably your grandma."
I picked up some items that were labeled Made in Madrid. "Oh, Tiff-it's your grandma." I responded to my Spanish friend.
I picked up some items that were labeled Made in Madrid. "Oh, Tiff-it's your grandma." I responded to my Spanish friend.
Later that week in class, one of our professors handed us each a different newspaper source. I got The Guardian, a local paper. I saw this front page headline: http://business.guardian.co.uk/retail/story/0,,2161302,00.html
To my horror, Primark is ranked as one of the most unethical companies.
And sadly, it took me a while to decide what I would do. It's final: I will not support businesses that refuse to be fair to their workers & I'm going to be doing more research on this. Interestingly enough, I think that this is one of the biggest temptations that I've come across & I could use all the accountability I can get. That is why I've posted this.
7 comments:
I never knew about this! I also never went to Primark much because I didn't really like the style of clothing sold there...
I never shopped much in England, but I did buy clothes from the market(s) and little independent shops around Brighton, as well as from Next. Occasionally, I also used H&M (esp. towards the end), and Topshop.
I'm not sure what your best bet would be! It would probably require some digging into.
Wow.... reading articles like this always opens my eyes to the injustices of the world - and how God grieves for the suffering but also calls us to take a stand.
Thanks for putting this up.
Just to let you know, Megs, H&M was cited as one of the unfair companies in the newspaper article too =/
Don't worry, I'll be digging : )
Yes, now I know about H&M... Shame really - some of my favourite clothes are from there! :( Put up what you find out！
I'm a fan of markets (for their less mass-produced feel, and also for bargaining capacity)... have you tried Camden Town or any of the other markets?
Also, re: food, I'm not sure where you'd find one in London, but there's bound to be a farmer's market where groceries are sold for than Sainsbury's prices. I also feel like the food is fresher, though that might just be me. ;)
I've already bought some fruit from stands on the street : )
And we visited Old Spitalfields Market, Portobello Road Market, & Borough Market! yummm!
that's cool Rachel. It's really cool to see your response to conviction! It's really inspiring. =)
Haha.. and I like the reference to High School Musical. Btw, there's this kindergartner I work with named Giovanny (he's sooo cute) who twice already has asked me if I've seen High School Musical 2. And both times he's burst into singing one of the songs!! Haha, it totally makes me think of you. You would love it. =)
Hey Loo, glad to hear you're doing well. The job search is going well, I might know by next week. Anyway, here's a website to check.
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/Browse.aspx?catalog=HighStDonated&category=ClothesandAccessories
It's not only a British Organization, but they sell donated fair trade/designer clothes for cheap, and they might give me a job.
Enjoy!
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