Ethical shopping in TK Maxx?

[Col_Buendia]

I wonder... I generally avoid branded goods that are pretty obviously shit, like, for example, the Caterpillar boots that miss the tagline "we bulldoze people's homes" etc.

There'd be a couple of reasons for that... (1) not wanting to put any of my money in those companies' pockets, and (2) not wanting to be part of the general endorsement of these brands.

But I was wondering... I've spotted a cheapish rucksack in TK Maxx that would be a very handy replacement to my currently falling apart one. But it is a Nike Rucksack :sweat alert:

So the question is, although it is quite mildly "branded", one small swoosh which could be easily covered up or "busted" in some sense, if I buy a Nike product in TK Maxx, how does the money travel? Do Nike get something from my purchase there? Or just TK Maxx?

 

[Tank Girl]

surely if you've strong feelings towards buying ethically, the very fact that it's a nike bag would mean you don't buy it.

 

[Col_Buendia]

surely if you've strong feelings towards buying ethically, the very fact that it's a nike bag would mean you don't buy it.

Hmmm... you may have sorted me there. Dunno. My ethics aren't cast in stone, I'm a bit long in the tooth for that style.

But I presume you mean if it is a sweated product then you wouldn't want it on your shoulder regardless. Good point!

On the otherhand, it's lying on the floor in TK Maxx, so now that it exists, I suppose what I am asking is 'is my boycotting of it going to have any effect if Nike don't get any of my cash from this'. Someone will end up with the bag, and the fact that it is in the discount store suggests that purchasing it wouldn't exactly be stimulating demand for Nike...

Also, it is quite cheap, as rucksacks go, and after paying for our green electricity and organic yoghurt, I'm pretty fecking skint at the mo!

 

[Tank Girl]

well I guess that nike have already been paid for it - but I dunno for sure!

ethical shopping is way too fraught for me.

 

[Blagsta]

Very very few products aren't made in sweat shops, so I wouldn't stress if I were you.

 

[DaveCinzano]

i've bought stuff in tk maxx, and primark, because it's cheap, but i go clothes shopping so rarely... don't think i've bought much more than 2 pairs of trousers and a shirt in nearly 3 years

i bought my trainers from tk maxx in february 2003, still wearing them now.

 

[Col_Buendia]

i bought my trainers from tk maxx in february 2003, still wearing them now.

Snaaap! I'm wearing a pair of trainers that I got in TK Maxx for about 1/3 of the retail price.

Yeah, I know a lot of stuff is sweated, and it's not like we got a lot of choice, esp. on limited budgets, but Nike is sort of a high profile one that usually makes me wanna barf! That said, this rucksack is curiously under-branded, so it might be worth snapping up & re-branding!

 

[Blagsta]

If you like it, buy it. Simple.

 

[rednblack]

i've got a nike rucksack and nike trainers - i got 'em both with 75% discounts

 

[Ryazan]

Matalan is where I get me jeans and t-shirts. Although just because something isn't branded with a big name doesn't mean the garment hasn't been made by workers with bad working and living conditions.

 

[WasGeri]

Nike is shit - I wouldn't buy it for that reason alone. I've got a spare rucksack you can have - it's hardly been used, PM me if you want it and I'll stick it in the post to you. It's a Gelert.

 

[kropotkin]

I thought this thread was a satire, to be honest.

If you like it, and it is cheap, buy it.

The problems with production are just that: they can't be altered in a meaningful way by attempting [and failing] to change patterns of consumption.

Making a choice to buy the same product at higher than its market price is silly.

 

[catch]

If you like it, and it is cheap, buy it.

The problems with production are just that: they can't be altered in a meaningful way by attempting [and failing] to change patterns of consumption.

Making a choice to buy the same product at higher than its market price is silly.

In addition to this, are you not concerned about the (probably) shit wages of TK Maxx workers - or retail industry workers in general? Just because something wasn't made in a sweatshop doesn't make it "ethical", it just means the degree (rather than nature) of exploitation is maybe a bit less.

Try finding a rucksack that isn't made in a sweatshop. And if you can, it'll likely be some cynical hippy product designed to fleece guilty western consumers who'll pay higher prices for "value added" products.

 

[The Pious Pawn]

you work you pay tax that buys weapons , stop being childish an buy it what you do has no credence on what happens in the world why cut of your nose to spite your face

 

[scumbalina]

you work you pay tax that buys weapons , stop being childish an buy it what you do has no credence on what happens in the world why cut of your nose to spite your face

How the fuck is being concerned about the influence your actions have in any way childish?

 

[revol68]

okay not childish but niave liberal wank.

 

[butchersapron]

Where else am i going to get OTS gear for £50 - if a few black men die for that, well, that's a price i'm prepared to pay (with a heavy heart).

 

[reallyoldhippy]

The problems with production are just that: they can't be altered in a meaningful way by attempting [and failing] to change patterns of consumption.

But attempting and succeeding can alter things. Production AND consumption are necessary to capitalism. To think that we can change things ONLY as producers is naive marxist wank.

 

[butchersapron]

But attempting and succeeding can alter things. Production AND consumption are necessary to capitalism. To think that we can change things ONLY as producers is naive marxist wank.

These thing have already been bought and sold already, you might as well attack investement funds by shouting at them - if you understand the cycle....you'll stop a few local capitialists who'll move their money elsewhere and get the average rate of profit...you're not attacking capitalism, you're attacking a few examples of it...come the fuck on...

 

[JWH]

What does OTS stand for?

Yes, if it's in a shop, Nike got paid for it. If it's in TK Maxx, they might have got paid a little less for it than if it had been selling at full price in some high street sports shop.

If anything, Nike stuff is less likely to have been made in abhorrant sweatshops than unbranded stuff. Unbranded companies have nothing to lose by using the worst possible labour conditions.

 

[neilh]

another angle - as you are paying a far reduced price for it, you won't have to work longer hours and so be tied to a possibly boring job when you could be doing something else just so you can get a nike rucksack.

 

[TeeJay]

So, would buying any of this stuff make you feel better?

Velvet Shoulder Bag

Fair trade velvet shoulder bag with embroidered celtic motif (which may vary).

(This fairly traded shoulder bag is produced in India and Nepal for Namaste. Namaste have a very strict fair trade policy - full details can be found at www.namaste-uk.com. All sizes shown are approximate and colour may vary on some items. We cannot guarantee your first choice of colour.)

Studded Back Pack

Strikingly studded small back pack with zip top and zipped front small pocket, with adjustable black straps. Made from used inner tubes. (Also see our inner tube belts.)

(Due to the nature of the materials used, the surface of each bag may differ slightly.)

Question: So what do you do with the used inner tubes from the 7 million cars in Mexico City? Answer: Use them to create these stylish & functional bags (what else!?) Tough as, well, old tyres; these funky bags will last for ages and serve both you and the environment well.

Back Pack

A roomy small vegan backpack, has a front pouch with buckle, adjustable strap, plus the top is edged in a colourful fabric. Made from used inner tubes.

Eco Chic Hemp Bags

Smosho Bag - From Bottles To Bags

Solar Back Pack

No Sweat sneakers

Ethical Footballs

 

[butchersapron]

They all look crap though.

And to answer JWH (I think it was) OTS = One True Saxon.

 

[TeeJay]

There are two other more expensive footballs in that range:

The 'Team'

The 'Premier'

The 'Pro'

 

[butchersapron]

You'd get people beaten up wearing that badly photoghraphed tat.

Question: So what do you do with the used inner tubes from the 7 million cars in Mexico City? Answer: Use them to create these stylish & functional bags (what else!?)


And we'll make a tidy little number into the bargain at £54 each...

 

[bluestreak]

plenty of respect lost on this thread from people who attack the system regularly but participate in it with a clear conscience, then attack those who worry about how their own participation works. nice, and it smells of hypocrisy. people aren't allowed to buy from charity shops, aren't allowed to buy from discount warehouses, ethical products are naive wiberal bullshit.

consume and die fellas, but don't forget that bitching about the system on the internet is the BEST way of undermining it.

 

[butchersapron]

Wow and i thought teejay shoveled a load of seperate issues into one unrelated *load of crap* post - we have a new record.

 

[bluestreak]

Wow and i thought teejay shoveled a load of seperate issues into one unrelated *load of crap* post - we have a new record.

cheers. when i see a post of yours that presents a reasonable way of living the most ethically sound life possible in a capitalist system on a limited budget then i'll be offended.

 

[TeeJay]

Here's some more: http://cityhippy.blogspot.com/2005/05/mission-little-green-bag.html

Recycled Messenger Bag
Hemp Messenger Bag
Pure Sativa Rucksacks

You want fashionable?

Try these: http://www.treehugger.com/files/accessories/index.php

 

[TeeJay]

Don't worry - butchersapron lives in a fantasy "class struggle anarchist" world where he can scream and shout and snear and generally let loose his tourettes-like personality, and call it "politics".

He has yet to actually tell me, after all this time, what he has ever actually done in terms of politics, campaigning or making anyone's life better.

He is overwhealmingly negative about everything and doesn't have any kind of positive ideas or vision about the world beyond a vague utopian pipe dream which allows him to denounce anything anyone does and maintain a smug superiority to everything.

He is a complete and utter waste of time (although I am told he is "really sweet" and "harmless" in real life).