| Product: |
Gap |
| Date: |
29/01/01 (1068 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Nice clothes
Disadvantages: Bad Ethics
I am not one for designer clothes and I don't really go for the names. Being on a budget I tend to remain in my budget and get by. Every so often though I like a treat.
The other day I was commenting on what lovely clothes I had seen in Gap kids & Gap. (I had been looking for a present for my friends child.)
The person I was speaking to said "Gap - I have an issue with their work ethics, yeah sure they have nice clothes but at what price........."
Curious I prodded for more information... "What do you mean?"
Apparently alot of the clothes are produced in Brunei, China, Cambodia etc.
The person I was speaking to, told me this in relation to Cambodia. (I am not sure if it is the same in the other countries but I think it is possibly the same.)
Gap exploits their workers. Under age workers are employed. Workers are asked to work long and hard hours, for a small wage. Gap says that there is no way to check emplyees............ Panorama found out the information easily.
But surely the firm has had to sign an international agreement saying that they will be ethical and fair etc ......... THEY HAVE.
There faults have been highlighted to them but they say there is nothing they can do. They don't want you to boycott their stores (Of course they wouldn't) What they have suggested is that, if you want to you can voice your concerns & ask questions of the staff. The chances are most are unaware of the Far East exploitation.
But who is to say your concerns will be taken any futher... When I mentioned it to staff they hardly raised an eyebrow... even if you ask the manager, who is to say they will pass your concern on...
Yes they are nice clothes but what is the true cost? You may walk into a spotlit, wood floored shop but that is a far cry from the factories, I'm sure.
This news has made my opinion of Gap to plumet. I am a great believer in fair
trade and I have made my voice known.
Summary:
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Last comments:
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- 27/11/02 If you are going to boycott stores you will have to boycott Tesco, Morrisons, Nike, Reebok, Disney and most others, EVERY store whether they admit it or not will be doing something we do not like if you are boycottying GAP you will have to boycott every other store too, what you forget to mention is that almost all clothes are made aboard because of cheap labour and i used to work in the UK in bad conditions with a poor wage yet i love GAP. I know that every clothes store does this no matter what they say, i will not mention who i worked for but they made clothes for a store that claims to be fair and has not yet been cricterised for bad worker conditions. A company that makes meat and vegan meals together so the vegan meals end up contaminated for Tesco's and that the working conditions are awful.
I'm not saying i agree with cheap labour just that i am not going to boycott a store because of it when most stores are doing it. You eat meat? You drink milk? You buy eggs? All these things are obtained by cruelty. But are you going to stop buying them? I didn't think so. You going to boycott every store? I didn't think so.
You wont stop all the bad things that happen in the world if you like GAP clothes buy them.
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- 20/11/01 You're right-nice clothes - if somewhat pricey.I'ld have previously only gone in for presents or as a treat for the kids. I heard about their treatment of workers only quite recently,having not seen Panorama, but I'll definately steer clear of them now. Good op - thanks. |
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- 11/02/01 I remember hearing a news item last year about a protest outside Gap stores in the US, due to their use of sweatshops.... surely it is up to the company to change their policy. I am sure, and judging by opinions, it is putting people off their product. I think alot of clothing labels use cheap labour. M&S now buy most of their product from abroad (jewellery from China, clothes from Malaysia). The fact is, we don't know what circumstances our clothes are made in. Is there an official organisation that checks on such things? |
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