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I hate Primark. That’s probably a bit strong, after all it’s only a shop.  But I do.  I know lots of reasons why I should try and like Primark, or Skidmark as I would prefer them to be popularly known from this point forward.

The company offers a vast range of fashionable clothing products at unbelievably affordable, value for money prices, and this appeals to a wide demographic.  And in these challenging economic times, that is a good thing.  Cheap clothing for the masses means nobody needs to miss out on the latest look, whatever their budget or income.

The problem is Primark’s pricing really is unbelievable.  I was in the Oxford Street, London, store today with my wife and daughter.  It was crazy busy and there were two burly security guards at the entrance.  As you walk in and see some of the prices – 50p clearance bikinis, seven pairs of cotton rich socks for £2, jumpers £6 and dresses for £13 – you can’t help but feel the presence of security guards is an overstatement.  After all, even if you grabbed everything it is humanly possible to snatch in one take, you’d probably only be able to leg it from the store with about £24 of goods.  I know, now I’m just being facetious. But it is my blog.

My problem with Primark is twofold.  First, it’s the economics.  The company’s ethical trading policy is summed up nicely on its website:  ”Primark is committed to providing the best possible value for our customers, but not at the expense of the people who make our products.”

Surely, in a supply chain that can somehow deliver seven pairs of cotton rich socks for £2, when the price of cotton is rising generally globally, somebody somewhere in that distribution pipeline is earning the tiniest of margins, if at all?  But I would bet it’s not Primark’s margin that is being eroded.  I could be wrong, but it just doesn’t add up.  None of it does.  So, somebody’s “expense” in that ethical promise must be being leveraged somewhere.

My second beef is one of waste.  The low prices don’t really help discourage people from wearing items once and then throwing them away.  That’s an awful burden on landfill, which is where a good deal of clothing ends up if it’s not recycled or disposed of considerately.

Indeed, you have only to look around the store to see that, even at the point of sale, customers have no respect whatsoever for the value of Primark products.  Why?  Because there are almost as many items lying crumpled on the floor as there are on the shelves and rails.  Yes, it seems it’s regarded as rubbish even before it’s purchased.  If people are happy to kick Primark’s merchandise around the floor before it leaves the store, I have very little confidence that these items will be disposed of thoughtfully by the time they are really ready to be thrown away.

I could be wrong of course, and this is all just an honestly held personal opinion.

Related Articles

• Primark forecasts strong growth (bbc.co.uk)
• Primark warns on costs as growth slows (telegraph.co.uk)
• Primark shred policy ‘worrying’ (bbc.co.uk)
• Soaring cotton prices put pressure on inflation (independent.co.uk)
• Primark book-ends Oxford Street with second vast shop (telegraph.co.uk)
• Tesco declares war on Primark (thesun.co.uk)
• A look at Primark’s Autumn 2010 collection (catwalkqueen.tv)