Fast fashion - is there anything we can really do?

[Vienna]

Oh yes I loved C and A too. As a young teen around 14 to 15 I used to have a yearly trip into Manchester with my Mum just before Christmas and my Christmas presents would be a new dress and shoes. Until then I`d always had big sister`s castoffs or Mum`s homemade but hardly stylish offerings but sis married when I was 14 so it was the first time in my life that I was allowed more brand new clothes. I`d always make a bee line for C and A for clothes and then onto Freeman Hardy Willis for shoes.
Once I started work at 16 I visited C and A more frequently. I never had a fortune to spend because my Mum was a firm believer you tipped up your wage packet and received just spending money back but as mentioned above, there were regular sales and I could often find a bargain or two. When I think back, my choice of clothing was very limited even when I began working and it consisted of just 2 or 3 dresses, a best coat and a work coat and a couple of skirts and several tops I mixed and matched for work and a pair of jeans for casual wear with a jumper or T shirt but stuff seemed to last. If I bought anything new my Mum would insist of something being passed on to either a jumble sale or a neighbour`s younger daughter or a friend. She didn`t believe in a cluttered bedroom or wardrobe !

 

[donna255]

It was quite recently that the gen Z as they are called complaining about the prices at Primark going up. They were not happy, not so easy to throw away when it no longer costs less than £5.

Hell, I have jeans and tops over ten years old. I had an M&S petite wool black coat I bought last century and wore right up until 2021. Had to throw it out as the cuffs had worn to the point of falling apart. I still miss that coat. Get told by people I know, oh I like that top, yes it is about 5 years old. I wear clothes until they are worn out. Bought a pair of jeans the other week, the first pair in must be before lock down so 2019. I like to think I look after my clothes as when I was a child like others here my mum could not afford to just buy me new stuff at the drop of a hat. Even when I started working, I had to give money into the house and not much left over for buying new clothes every week or month

 

[merryone]

I don't know about everybody else but I get more pleasure wearing something I've had for a while than constantly getting new stuff.

 

[Patsy]

Greggs have doing this for a while via Sports Direct IIRC. Personally I think it looks ridiculous but I've seen quote a few people wearing Greggs sliders over the last couple of weeks in the nice weather.

What nice weather. I've only worn a blouse or t shirt about twice so far this year.

It was quite recently that the gen Z as they are called complaining about the prices at Primark going up. They were not happy, not so easy to throw away when it no longer costs less than £5.

Hell, I have jeans and tops over ten years old. I had an M&S petite wool black coat I bought last century and wore right up until 2021. Had to throw it out as the cuffs had worn to the point of falling apart. I still miss that coat. Get told by people I know, oh I like that top, yes it is about 5 years old. I wear clothes until they are worn out. Bought a pair of jeans the other week, the first pair in must be before lock down so 2019. I like to think I look after my clothes as when I was a child like others here my mum could not afford to just buy me new stuff at the drop of a hat. Even when I started working, I had to give money into the house and not much left over for buying new clothes every week or month

I got a crombie type coat from Primark quite a few years ago cost me £25 I think. It still looks good.

Oh yes I loved C and A too. As a young teen around 14 to 15 I used to have a yearly trip into Manchester with my Mum just before Christmas and my Christmas presents would be a new dress and shoes. Until then I`d always had big sister`s castoffs or Mum`s homemade but hardly stylish offerings but sis married when I was 14 so it was the first time in my life that I was allowed more brand new clothes. I`d always make a bee line for C and A for clothes and then onto Freeman Hardy Willis for shoes.
Once I started work at 16 I visited C and A more frequently. I never had a fortune to spend because my Mum was a firm believer you tipped up your wage packet and received just spending money back but as mentioned above, there were regular sales and I could often find a bargain or two. When I think back, my choice of clothing was very limited even when I began working and it consisted of just 2 or 3 dresses, a best coat and a work coat and a couple of skirts and several tops I mixed and matched for work and a pair of jeans for casual wear with a jumper or T shirt but stuff seemed to last. If I bought anything new my Mum would insist of something being passed on to either a jumble sale or a neighbour`s younger daughter or a friend. She didn`t believe in a cluttered bedroom or wardrobe !

Yes we all had to tip up our pay packets to mum for bus fares etc. Nowadays people are called out for expecting their children to contribute to food etc.
I remember all the different shoe shops there used to be. My Saturday job was in a shoe shop.

 

[merryone]

After saying all this, I actually had to bin a garment today! It was a skirt that I've had for a while and it's been really one of those things that to coin a QVC cliche "works really hard for you in your wardrobe" It's was a lovely dusky pink coloured bias cut calf length skirt with a satiny sheen the colour went with so many other things and worked in summer with a t shirt and sandals as it did with a jumper and boots in winter. I planned to wear it today but when I grabbed it I noticed a small stain on it and decided I'd better give it a wash. It actually dawned on me that I can't remember ever washing it before, (I'm sure I must've done) anyway, I checked the label and followed the washing instructions to the letter, washing it inside out with similar colours on a low temperature. When I retrieved it from the machine it was stiff as a crisp and the elastic waistband had completely perished. It was 100% viscose and it wasn't cheap, so one thing I can say for good old polyester it washes up well and doesn't need ironing. Seriously it wasn't even fit to use as cleaning rags. I have already replaced it as I had a quick mosey round the charity shops before I met my friend and found a similar style skirt (GAP brand and in mint condition) in a midnight blue colour with a flat waistband so one less thing to b*gger up. It looks and feels like silk but it's 100% polyester - The washing instructions are similar so hopefully I don't end up ruining it but at least it was only a fiver!

 

[merryone]

Well, I bit the bullet and I ordered what I thought would be a smart raincoat from Patrick Grant's Community Clothing. I'd seen it on their website reduced to £99 which obviously is a lot of money, but when I received a code to get 25% off I thought sod it! I thought yes I'll treat myself British made waterproof raincoat. Ok it didn't have a hood but I thought I've got a brolly and it will be quite nice to wear something smart looking in the rain. I received it a couple of days ago and it's already winging its way back. I was shocked to see how creased the fabric was when I opened the packet. I tried it on and it just made me look like a stockroom operative from the 1970s and a scruffy one at that! It was described as camel coloured but it was more of a baby's nappy content colour. I knew I'd never wear it. Returns have to be paid for and annoyingly they ask for things to be sent by tracked mail I ended up going for the cheapest option which was just under £4 so better than I thought. Obviously I can't vouch for the rest of the stuff they do, but if this coat was anything to go by I'm seriously underwhelmed. I think I'll stick to me usual option for inclement summer weather and that's to put on a light jacket and have my trusty Joules waterproof packaway mac close to hand. I love the ethos behind the brand but if this is the standard of their clothes then they can keep them! The other thing that irked me when I was reading the returns policy...must be returned unused within 14 days of receiving the item - fair enough but the bit that said we'll accept faulty returns at our discretion wtf? If something is faulty then it's not fit for purpose and should be refunded with postage paid no question!!!! I shan't be ordering from them again!

 

[Grizelda]

Well, I bit the bullet and I ordered what I thought would be a smart raincoat from Patrick Grant's Community Clothing. I'd seen it on their website reduced to £99 which obviously is a lot of money, but when I received a code to get 25% off I thought sod it! I thought yes I'll treat myself British made waterproof raincoat. Ok it didn't have a hood but I thought I've got a brolly and it will be quite nice to wear something smart looking in the rain. I received it a couple of days ago and it's already winging its way back. I was shocked to see how creased the fabric was when I opened the packet. I tried it on and it just made me look like a stockroom operative from the 1970s and a scruffy one at that! It was described as camel coloured but it was more of a baby's nappy content colour. I knew I'd never wear it. Returns have to be paid for and annoyingly they ask for things to be sent by tracked mail I ended up going for the cheapest option which was just under £4 so better than I thought. Obviously I can't vouch for the rest of the stuff they do, but if this coat was anything to go by I'm seriously underwhelmed. I think I'll stick to me usual option for inclement summer weather and that's to put on a light jacket and have my trusty Joules waterproof packaway mac close to hand. I love the ethos behind the brand but if this is the standard of their clothes then they can keep them! The other thing that irked me when I was reading the returns policy...must be returned unused within 14 days of receiving the item - fair enough but the bit that said we'll accept faulty returns at our discretion wtf? If something is faulty then it's not fit for purpose and should be refunded with postage paid no question!!!! I shan't be ordering from them again!

Disappointing. Their return policy puts QVC in a good light.

 

[historymystery]

Well, I bit the bullet and I ordered what I thought would be a smart raincoat from Patrick Grant's Community Clothing. I'd seen it on their website reduced to £99 which obviously is a lot of money, but when I received a code to get 25% off I thought sod it! I thought yes I'll treat myself British made waterproof raincoat. Ok it didn't have a hood but I thought I've got a brolly and it will be quite nice to wear something smart looking in the rain. I received it a couple of days ago and it's already winging its way back. I was shocked to see how creased the fabric was when I opened the packet. I tried it on and it just made me look like a stockroom operative from the 1970s and a scruffy one at that! It was described as camel coloured but it was more of a baby's nappy content colour. I knew I'd never wear it. Returns have to be paid for and annoyingly they ask for things to be sent by tracked mail I ended up going for the cheapest option which was just under £4 so better than I thought. Obviously I can't vouch for the rest of the stuff they do, but if this coat was anything to go by I'm seriously underwhelmed. I think I'll stick to me usual option for inclement summer weather and that's to put on a light jacket and have my trusty Joules waterproof packaway mac close to hand. I love the ethos behind the brand but if this is the standard of their clothes then they can keep them! The other thing that irked me when I was reading the returns policy...must be returned unused within 14 days of receiving the item - fair enough but the bit that said we'll accept faulty returns at our discretion wtf? If something is faulty then it's not fit for purpose and should be refunded with postage paid no question!!!! I shan't be ordering from them again!

Blurdy cheek of them! They obviously don't know much about consumer law or they'd know that if an item's faulty then the customer is entitled to send it back and be refunded! What do they think - that you're making a contribution to the Chairman's pension fund? That would be 'it' for me, never again. One strike and they're out.

 

[merryone]

Blurdy cheek of them! They obviously don't know much about consumer law or they'd know that if an item's faulty then the customer is entitled to send it back and be refunded! What do they think - that you're making a contribution to the Chairman's pension fund? That would be 'it' for me, never again. One strike and they're out.

The rubbish I read was on the returns form so I checked out their returns policy on their website. It says that you cannot return footwear or underwear unless it's faulty, so maybe this is where the discretion comes into play. Fair enough on underwear but footwear? It's not cheap and I would be pretty cheesed off if I'd ordered a pair of shoes or boots to find I didn't like the look of them or I tried them on briefly and found they were a bad fit and had to put up with them - Surely that's not right. They only need to stipulate that footwear cannot be returned in a worn condition and must be tried on indoors with a foot covering on. I was none too keen on their insistence that tracked mail should be used for returns, talk about putting the onus on the consumer! One would hope that a company would wish to make the transaction for the consumer as hassle free as possible. I don't buy many clothes these days but I am going to make a concerted effort to buy from ethical and British made brands but I'm not gonna let myself be ripped off or have the proverbial taken out of me. Love Patrick Grant but the offerings from this company are too utilitarian/clownish for my taste - I think I'll leave them to the well paid "lentil munchers" of this world!!!! Sorry about that but I needed to get this off my chest because if they want to reach out to a wider audience then they need to be a bit less pricey or at least have better terms.

 

[Patsy]

Your granddaughter sounds like an amazing young woman. I seem to remember you posting a picture of her all ready to go to her school prom and she looked wonderful in her vintage outfit! I've got to be honest if all this throwaway fast fashion and easy pays been available when I was a youngster I'm sure I'd have been all over it. We didn't even have Primark until I was in my 20's - Funnily enough I don't remember buying a lot from there because they weren't the fashion forward brand they are now, and there was a bit of a stigma attached to shopping there. Looking back I enjoyed rummaging through the bargain baskets on the pavements outside the shops, pouring over my mum's catalogue and persuading her to let me order stuff promising I'd pay up regularly (which I rarely did, sorry mum!) and borrowing and swapping clothes with my mates - I often wore my mum's clothes 'cause she was the same size as me and dressed quite fashionably! Happy days

When I was a teen C&A was considered cheap but much better quality than stuff from Primark,Shein etc. at least their clothes were cotton etc no polyester and sizes were constant. I find Primark fit is shocking.

 

[historymystery]

The rubbish I read was on the returns form so I checked out their returns policy on their website. It says that you cannot return footwear or underwear unless it's faulty, so maybe this is where the discretion comes into play. Fair enough on underwear but footwear? It's not cheap and I would be pretty cheesed off if I'd ordered a pair of shoes or boots to find I didn't like the look of them or I tried them on briefly and found they were a bad fit and had to put up with them - Surely that's not right. They only need to stipulate that footwear cannot be returned in a worn condition and must be tried on indoors with a foot covering on. I was none too keen on their insistence that tracked mail should be used for returns, talk about putting the onus on the consumer! One would hope that a company would wish to make the transaction for the consumer as hassle free as possible. I don't buy many clothes these days but I am going to make a concerted effort to buy from ethical and British made brands but I'm not gonna let myself be ripped off or have the proverbial taken out of me. Love Patrick Grant but the offerings from this company are too utilitarian/clownish for my taste - I think I'll leave them to the well paid "lentil munchers" of this world!!!! Sorry about that but I needed to get this off my chest because if they want to reach out to a wider audience then they need to be a bit less pricey or at least have better terms.

Yes, sure-fire way to pi%s off a customer and make sure they never return - wrangle over the returns procedure and make things as difficult as possible. Terms and conditions should be clear and unambiguous if these firms want to impress customers and encourage them to come back.

 

[merryone]

Yes, sure-fire way to pi%s off a customer and make sure they never return - wrangle over the returns procedure and make things as difficult as possible. Terms and conditions should be clear and unambiguous if these firms want to impress customers and encourage them to come back.

Today I finally got my refund through, considering I sent the coat back on the 21st of August by tracked mail, that I ended up chasing up at the post office because their website was playing up so I couldn't track it. They were able to tell me that the parcel had been received by them, so in all it took them 25 days to return my money. They've definitely blotted their copybook with me as I had no communication from them to tell me they'd received it and tbh I'd actually forgotten, so really not good! I know the post office website isn't their fault but they definitely need to confirm by email that they'd received my return and that my refund was being processed, especially since they insist customers use tracked mail - pretty disgraceful really! No way I'll be using them again.

 

[historymystery]

Today I finally got my refund through, considering I sent the coat back on the 21st of August by tracked mail, that I ended up chasing up at the post office because their website was playing up so I couldn't track it. They were able to tell me that the parcel had been received by them, so in all it took them 25 days to return my money. They've definitely blotted their copybook with me as I had no communication from them to tell me they'd received it and tbh I'd actually forgotten, so really not good! I know the post office website isn't their fault but they definitely need to confirm by email that they'd received my return and that my refund was being processed, especially since they insist customers use tracked mail - pretty disgraceful really! No way I'll be using them again.

They seem to want to hang on to the money as long as they can, and if you multiply this by the number of people waiting for a refund for something, then it's all interest for them. I think refunds should be paid out quickly, just good customer relations to do so. But I'm glad you finally got your refund.

 

[merryone]

They seem to want to hang on to the money as long as they can, and if you multiply this by the number of people waiting for a refund for something, then it's all interest for them. I think refunds should be paid out quickly, just good customer relations to do so. But I'm glad you finally got your refund.

Unfortunately it seems to me if you want to wear ethical British made clothing then you’re better off learning how to sew and making them yourself using recycled fabrics or shopping carefully in fabric stores. There are more places in my town where you can buy fabric than there are ready made fashion that hasn’t been made a million miles away. Having to rely upon online ordering means you can’t try anything on , properly examine before you part with your money, but like you said it shouldn’t be a hassle to get it back!