Marks and Spencer rip off.

[Pussygalore]

I think its vat which isn't payable on childrens clothes and my hubby's jeans from Asda have lasted him just as long as more costly ones plus they don't shrink or leak colour in the wash and can be tumble dried, he's a gardener so they get some hard work but are also decent enough to go out in.

[pagan queen]

Originally Posted by Pussygalore

well some of us can't afford to be that fussy and if you can then you can afford to pay the going rate for a teenagers not a child's clothes.

It's not a matter of what we can or can't afford it's the principle. Morally I will not buy clothing made by children in horrendous conditions. I would rather my son ran around with his arse hanging out than buy clothing made by slave labour. How much is a pair of jeans in Asda/Tesco? £15? A pair of jeans for a 14 year old boy in M&S is the same price. When he turns 15 they are £25 to £30. If your husband is so short maybe he could buy M&S children's jeans and save a child in India etc. If we all boycotted such shops there would be no more exploitation. How can you justify buying from these shops by saying you can't afford not to? Please people grow some morals.

[emma_mcraf]

Originally Posted by Pussygalore

well some of us can't afford to be that fussy and if you can then you can afford to pay the going rate for a teenagers not a child's clothes.

That's a bit personal, Ann. There's nothing to say Wendy's personal finances are above anyone else's. Sometimes people are willing to spend a little more to ensure the items they buy are sourced from reputable suppliers. It doesn't indicate they are wealthier than anyone else.
I've bought better quality clothes so that my sons can hand them down. That's being practical, even if the initial outlay was a bit extra at the start. It doesn't mean I'm more wealthy than someone shopping in Primark and I'm certainly not fussy.

[CherryBrandy]

Would I buy salad from Spain over one from Dorset or the UK, despite the cost, probably not. Do taxes on cakes v biscuits generate billions of pounds for government just because it is defined as a cake - yes ! if the cotton crop in India fails because the grower falls ill does it affect the shirt prices in the UK - yes ! Options, Principles and Values, all has the butterfly affect and as the saying goes death and taxes......

[Pussygalore]

there's another way of looking at it, yes I don't think people should have to work in those conditions but what would they do if those places were closed down? its the only work many of them have and they are trying to survive. I don't think closing them is the answer but shops over here should have to pay a livable wage to the workers, what would happen if we did boycott the shops?. Would they stop selling clothes, wouldn't that then have a knock on effect on poor countries having work, any work to offer for their people, then you have to say if they didn't have so many children then they could choose where they work a bit better, after all if we can't afford to keep/feed our children then we should make the choice not to keep on having them. Then you have to say that if those shops put their prices up because they have to buy from a better source where would those who don't earn very much go for their shopping, its already been shown that shops like Aldi and Lidl are taking trade from Tesco etc because they are cheaper, lots of people really don't have much choice in where they shop even if they wanted to. Why is it anyway that childrens clothes are exempt from vat? are they any different from the rest of us after all we all have to buy clothes.

[pagan queen]

Originally Posted by Pussygalore

there's another way of looking at it, yes I don't think people should have to work in those conditions but what would they do if those places were closed down? its the only work many of them have and they are trying to survive. I don't think closing them is the answer but shops over here should have to pay a livable wage to the workers, what would happen if we did boycott the shops?. Would they stop selling clothes, wouldn't that then have a knock on effect on poor countries having work, any work to offer for their people, then you have to say if they didn't have so many children then they could choose where they work a bit better, after all if we can't afford to keep/feed our children then we should make the choice not to keep on having them. Then you have to say that if those shops put their prices up because they have to buy from a better source where would those who don't earn very much go for their shopping, its already been shown that shops like Aldi and Lidl are taking trade from Tesco etc because they are cheaper, lots of people really don't have much choice in where they shop even if they wanted to. Why is it anyway that childrens clothes are exempt from vat? are they any different from the rest of us after all we all have to buy clothes.

Oh goodness me, is that really what you believe and how you think?
I'm going to do my best to keep my reply civilised as I could really be abusive here but no, I will educate as best I can.

Firstly, no one wants to close the "factories" we simply need to improve conditions. To do this the buyers need to pay more for the goods. Then the workers could be paid more and the parents wouldn't need to send their children out to work in order to survive. Do you really think these parents want to put their children in danger? They just want to live like anyone else does. If the children didn't have to work, and we are talking about 5 and 6 year olds here, they could be educated and get better jobs to provide for their families. Who are you to say how many children they have? There are so many reasons why they have these children, I'm sure you can work out some of them? No? Let me help. They are not educated in the same way we are, they have to work to survive so they don't know about contraceptives, they can't afford contraceptives.The infant mortality rate is very high so most of their children die before they reach adulthood, they need to have children to have someone to bring in an income. I could go on all day but have better things to do than educate bigots.
You seem to think we are better than the developing world. We are not, we are just more fortunate. Why should we disregard/ignore/turn a blind eye to people suffering just so we can have a standard of living? If people over her can't afford to buy food and clothing then they shouldn't have had so many children, we at least haven't got the excuse we don't know about contraceptives or can't afford them.
Why can't you shop in second hand shops? If your husband only needs jeans for work then you can get very good clothes from charity shops. And yes I have done it myself, my family were dressed almost entirely from charity shops when we were younger. We had a mortgage to pay and food to buy. Don't plead poverty until you know what it's like to have to sell you belongings at a boot fair just so your kids can eat for a week. Yes that's something we've had to do in order to give my children a decent meal. And you know what? I still didn't shop at these morally bankrupt stores.

[yuna1971]

I shop for a lot of my clothes from eBay! I got x2 Maine (Debenhams brand) jackets for £5 each. Perfect condition, good enough for me and saves me paying £35-£40. I've had blouses from St Peters Hospice shops too. Again good quality and a good way of giving something back xx

[CherryBrandy]

Ohh charity shops... love a bargain and giving back, don't do good coffee though Rach !! I have never drank coffee so can't quantify that. my elderly mum bought me 3 little china tortoises from a charity shop and they are one of my most treasured possessions. Priceless ! CB x

[Pussygalore]

we to buy from ebay and charity shops we have quite a few in the village/small town where we live, we also use the local market weekly where I prefer the fruit and veg. I shop more on line than the shops as neither of us like going shopping, food we have to but go to Aldis after the market, my children used to have most of their clothes from jumble sales which seem to have died in favour of car boots I've never turned my nose up at second hand or hand me downs, and we both love sites like freecycle where unwanted things find a new home for free apart from having to pick them up.

[yuna1971]

The 2 jackets I got were mint...I thought what a great bargain. Won them both with my first bid too. I've bought all sorts on eBay. I think a few years ago I got a pair of cowboy boots ! Bought loads of t shirts too. The only thing I won't buy on eBay is anything for Lily as I just won't take the chance of not knowing exactly if it's real or fake/counterfeit. But most other stuff I'll buy no problem. You can also get great deals on make up on eBay, making sure the feedback is good first, of course. xx