Re: Why Does UK Import Rubbish?

Six year old children should not have to work long hours to support their families.

There are 82 Billionaires in India and thousands of Millionaires
Most of whom do not pay income tax.

The Indian Government should stop this child slave labour.

In the UK the minimum age a child can be legally employed is 13 years old and then only for a certain numbers of hours each week and some jobs excluded.

Re: Why Does UK Import Rubbish?

The merino machine washable wool cardigans aren't so machine washable. They start to get thinner or change texture in other ways. Hand washing is hard work and I just find I end up putting it off (forever) and buy a new one.

I have struggled to find any wool clothing that lasts without going out of shape or bobbling. Acrylic is just the same, it all starts to look old over time. It just doesn't look smart any more.

Re: Why Does UK Import Rubbish?

I have no problem with buying imported goods, providing the people making them are not being exploited.

Re: Why Does UK Import Rubbish?

How do you know if they are or not ?

Re: Why Does UK Import Rubbish?

If a company works under a fair trade label then you should be reasonably confident that they are ethical.

Re: Why Does UK Import Rubbish?

Well mate if you score a good Chinese product and it's of value to you good for you. Some Chinese clothes are good yes. I've bought some that were OK but more than that were crap. Same with shoes. As I said before that is MY experience. I do a lot of small scale building at home. Mostly with timber making indoor and outdoor furniture, house and garden renovations, small scale plumbing etc. I use hand tools and power tools. MY experience is that the only big places close buy to buy stuff is either Bunnings or Mitre 10. Everything is made in China.The screws and nails are often garbage and break or bend easily. Other bolts and fasteners are the same. I would rather pay more for a quality product that works the way it's meant to and lasts than buy cheap stuff that lasts 5 minutes. So I try to find small independent hardware places or buy a good old Australian , British, American or German made product second hand. I might add Japanese products are very good but they are expensive as well. I don't mind paying more to support Australian industry. And I won't support countries that use virtual slave labour. Can't speak for the BBC but the ABC here runs stories and documentaries frequently on places in the world where the worst industrial exploitation happens. China may be a lot more affluent than it once was but a product that is garbage is just that. Garbage; wherever it comes from. And I won't buy it. If the Chinese made a real quality product that was durable, made of quality metals and other stuff that was worth the price - even if it's high. I would buy it. Nothing to do with race. Just reality.

Re: Why Does UK Import Rubbish?

Because people keep buying it - if it were left on the shelves they would have to rethink.

Unfortunately we live in a 'throw away' society these days. Teenagers seem to think it is crime to wear the same outfit more than once - besides - throwing it away does cut out the washing and ironing - so they could claim they are saving the planet!

Re: Why Does UK Import Rubbish?

[QUOTE=Azure;1767282]Why do most of the Fashion Retailers including M & S have their fashions made in the Far East? Apart for the obvious, making much more profit?

There are plenty of Garment Manufacturers in the U K that can make knickers that do not fall down round your ankles when shopping because the elastic has snapped and T-Shirts that do not lose their shape in the wash.

Up North, were there is massive unemployment for unskilled workers, they would be only too happy to make ladies underwear. and T-shirts as well.

The Government ought to give huge incentives to Businesses New and Old or..even pay them to relocate to areas of mass unemployment.

Many British made goods are sort after by other Countries, even Bury Black Pudding.

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That is a really sore point with my family and many other families in Shropshire, Azure.
We had two large Clothing factories, one in Oswestry and one in Telford, employing hundreds of local, mainly women. These two factories had been operating successfully for many years. At the Oswestry factory, they made womens tops and trousers, as well as jeans etc. Marks and Spencer was the largest customer for both factories since they opened years before.

My sis-in-law was a buyer for the Telford Clothing factory, where they made all the baby and toddler clothes. The quality was second to none and my sis-in-law visited M&S head office in Baker Street, London, twice a month with beautiful new lines, which were in almost 100% cases, accepted with pleasure, they were so perfect and well made. A quality British clothing product.

Then, some pillock at a M&S board meeting must have decided that it would be cheaper to buy everything from places such as India etc, as well as using the workforces over there to make all their clothing as well due to the cost.

Hence, our two local clothing factories closed and put several hundred out of their jobs because the factories were no longer productive enough due to losing our main customer.

Since then, it is a well known fact that clothing of all description has gone downhill in quality and quantity in M&S. The baby and toddler clothes are not a patch on those made in the British factories, and women's clothing quality has really gone downhill with cheap tacky patterns and even cheaper material.

But hey ho, That's the price they pay for turning their back on quality British manufacture and choosing poor quality hoping to turn a quick buck by using overseas factories.

No sympathy from Shropshire at all.

Re: Why Does UK Import Rubbish?

I do agree with you SG but the price they would have to charge would make them be unaffordable to many of us. I do believe we can make our own far better but I just don't think many of us could buy them.