Primark

I was watching a recent panorama discussion and investigation in looking into Primark clothes and using child labour which has prompted me to write this review. Firstly I want to say that Primark has apparently pulled certain clothes from the stores as they did not know about this labour. Personally I can not comment on this, only what I have heard from this panorama programme. I do know that on their website, the home page states that it is an ethical company. Panorama do debate this, though who should we believe.

I felt that I had to add this little opening statement before I went into the review as this is something large which has come up recently and I felt that readers have a right to know if they don't already and make their decisions from their.

Please note: I am not going to comment on my personal view of this investigation, only my personal view of what this review is about, and that's Primark shop itself.

And with that said, I shall move into the main review.

******Primark Background******

Primark, or Penneys as it is known in Ireland, has become an extremely popular store sporting cheaper ranges both clothing and home ware. It does not rely on any advertising at all, at least none that Ive ever seen or heard, except the advertising such as what I mentioned above, which is not profitable advertising. It started off as a small chain based completely in Ireland. It has now grown nearly 200 stores in Ireland, UK and Spain and is Britains second largest clothing retailer. It is an extremely successful company for two main reasons I can see. The first is the competitive prices, and the second is the market target.

Primark Ltd. Has achieved many awards which include one for the best store in Oxford Street, London in 2007 shortly after it opened, Value Retailer also in 2007 along with various other retailer of the year awards.

******Entering the Stores******

Obviously I can not comment on all of the nearly 200 stores around, I have been into a few different stores around the UK and I will do my best to average out all three stores to give you the best all round concepts as I can.

The first time I visited a Primark store was a number of years ago now and I still remember exactly what it was like. It was a small store all on one level and as soon as I walked through the door it felt as though I had walked onto an extremely messy (and this is saying something!) rubbish tip full to the brim with clothes, shoes and other fashion, all over the floors and helves haphazardly. You could not see the end of your nose for the mess - it was ridiculous! If you did manage to get further than the entrance, you were met with hordes of customers pushing and shoving down the aisles throwing all the clothes they didn't want wherever they could, as if it was sale time in a wedding shop! (Yes I watch too many movies!). I recall not staying too long in the shop and tried another store at a later date and found it rather the same, though I am pleased to say that, although still slightly messy in many stores, it is much better than it was.

A lot of stores have been refurbished recently and have grown in size. My local one now has two full floors, downstairs for adult and teen clothes and upstairs baby and child clothes, adult under ware and home ware. It is still rather messy downstairs, though upstairs is quite clean and tidy for the main part - possibly because it's the adult women who tend to go mad and most the clothes are downstairs! It is such a shame that as these clothes are lower in price, a lot of people seem to think that they can treat them with disrespect, which means seeing them strewed across the floor and often torn before they have even been brought. Just my luck to want something that there's only one left of and it is in this state. You wouldn't see people acting this way in more expensive retail stores! Short rant over!!

The exterior of my local shop, and rather like other stores Ive visited, have been given a simple yet modern look usually with ramped entrances for wheelchairs and prams and wide windows with at least one automatic door for ease. My local stores interior is pretty plain as a whole, not much decoration on the walls downstairs, though upstairs slightly better. A basic creamy white paint on the walls with both automatic stairs and static steps with a very very small lift. Room for only one wheelchair really.

Shelves are high and in a lot of cases too high for the average height of a shopper with loads of rails sitting haphazardly around with no sense of order which could become quite confusing and annoying. There are large changing rooms with a four item policy and a long queuing area, which would be great if enough staff were around which never happens any time I go there which means even if you are buying one pair of socks you have to queue for half hour!

******The Clothes******

Primarks fashions used to be rather dull and boring and very cheap looking to match the tags, though now the stores fashion range is much better with a lot of clothing barely different to upper priced stores. They also have a really good range most of the time - I say most of the time as their ranges change quite often so there could be times where they are having a poor range in and other times a fantastic range. You often see anything from the 70's look to modern teenage look, gypsy styles to Victorian styles, Military styles to styles matching New Look and much more.

Now if you are a Primark virgin then you may be asking what about value for money and do you get what you pay for? Well let me answer that in two parts for you. Firstly, value for money definitely. Please see the costs subtitle further down this review for more details, though prices are great and you often pick up something exactly the same as you would in stores such as Topshop and Newlook at over half the price lower. Do you get what you pay for? To be perfectly honest in some cases yes. On a few occasions I have brought a pair of trousers which has split at the seams on the first time of wearing or after washing, not a good thing to happen when out and about and the split appears revealing your worst underwear! Though please don't get me wrong, here. I have brought many clothes from Primark and most of the time they last a long time. Even when after a few months they split, it isn't so bad if it was something really cheap and a lot of clothes from here are £3 and up so you can't really complain. I have brought a few night clothes from here too and I have never had a problem with these - actually some are possibly more comfortable to wear than from other stores! My seven month old daughter has got a few items from here too and they seem to have lasted well, and I would say that Primark is great for baby clothes as you don't want to spend too much as they grow out of them so quickly. Unfortunately my local store doesn't have a very big range of baby clothes so I have to go further a field if I want to buy her clothes from Primark.

Occasionally I have noticed that Primark has even brought out new ranges weeks before these ranges appear in other stores which just shows you how in touch with the modern fashion world this store has become.

So what is the range of clothes available?
Most items you find in other stores you can find here. See below for details;

*Petite*

There are a small range of petite clothing that I have seen in the stores I have gone to, though as I am not petite I generally don't specifically look for these items, only when shopping with my mum (which is murder!!) who is only 5 foot tall. You will find skirts, dresses and maternity clothes in this range (though this is only a small range) and some suits.

Now when you think petite you generally think only women, though my husband is 5 foot 5 inches and finds it very difficult to buy trousers. Most shops have too long a leg or too big a waist. Until recently Primark was like this, though a few weeks ago he managed to find a few pairs of trousers/jeans here in his size, so they are staring to do petite for men too - something other shops rarely do.

*Womens Clothing*

There is a good range of womens clothing available, often dominating most of the store. There are some great tops available in many styles and price ranges, skirts, jeans, trousers, shorts, dresses, maternity…you name it! When I fell pregnant, I lived in Primark smock tops as I could pick up tops which actually fit around my growing bump for as little as £3 whereas in many shops you are talking £30 and up. I would certainly recommend pregnant women to go here for their clothes!

*Mens Clothing*

Our local store has recently brought in a bigger range of mens clothes. Before they had a couple of aisles but now practically as much as the womens clothes. As mentioned above, they have also got a good size range from small and thin to tall and fat or vice versa.

*Shoes*

Primark do a lot of shoes, some really good though a lot a little tacky. I have found some good pairs on the occasion and actually brought my wedding shoes from here as I needed a pair without heels and managed to buy a beautiful flat pair for only £5. Perfect for a wedding budget!

Mens shoes here are limited, though. Not much to choose from and often bigger sizes only.

*Accessories*

There are a lot of accessories for women ranging in prices from as little as 50p on occasions. There are loads of different styles of bags from casual to smart to school bags. Sunglasses are a great range for both men and women from as little as £3. Belts another good seller as is hair accessories. There is not really a great range of jewelry though.

*Underwear, Swimwear and Nightwear*

Again, men have a raw deal with these sections in my local stores, though women can find a great selection. Socks are great here if you love patterned ones, with a small range of plain ones, men do have a range of socks and pants though not as big. Other underwear is upstairs in my local store (mens are downstairs - could it be that they think women are more shy about who sees what underwear they buy?!). Ive never had any problems with underwear here, though on occasion socks have got holes first tie of wearing them.

There is a small range of swimwear for women and an even smaller range for men. Mens swimwear does not really have much choice whereas women have many choices in styles, colours and sizes. I have never brought swimwear from here so I couldn't tell you how well they last.

Nightwear for men is non-existent! Nightwear for women is great! Comfortable, great priced, good range - would recommend for all.

*Baby Clothes*

Although my local store doesnt have a very good range, other stores do and with great prices again which is perfect for babies who grow out of clothes so quickly. They last a long while too (well as long as my daughter fit into them!).

*Childrens clothes*

A good range of childrens clothes for both boys and girls. My younger brother and sister have got a number of items from here and they last a long while according to my mum.

*Homeware*

Ok, not clothes, though not big enough to warrant a separate subtitle!

Not a great lot of choice in homeware in my local store, though you do find a selection of items from curtains to cushions, candles to kitchenware and so on, all at great prices and pretty good styles.

******Costs******

As you have probably realized by now, and if you haven't I am about to remind you! Primark is low low priced!

Clothing can be brought from as little as £3.00, 50p in the sales!! (Which they have at least once a month!). Everything else in the store are low prices like this too. Depending on what you buy, prices can go up to £15 but that is still really good! You are probably talking about something that is £40 in other shops.

I am not a huge shopper but I tend to spend quite a while in Primark, picking up many items and throwing them into the basket thinking that I may as well as this is only £2 and that is only £5. How quickly I can find myself at £50, though this huge bundle may probably cost a couple of hundred pounds elsewhere!

******Staff and Service******

I have never had a problem with any of the staff in the stores I have gone to. They have always come across as helpful and happy and have often had a conversation with the lady in the dressing room entrance. Occasionally some do look a little bored, though I guess you get that everywhere!

Service at the downstairs checkout is terrible in the way of queues and lack of staff members, though the staff themselves are still pleasant.

******Final Word******

Yes, as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for and I guess you would assume to get something flimsy which lasts a couple of days at these prices, which is true with some items such as the socks, though with a lot of the ranges here, you don't get what you pay for - you get a good deal.

Also watch when you buy childrens and babies clothes - check the labels! I went to buy a lovely top for my 4 year old sister a few weeks back and happened to glance at the label to check the size and low and behold it told me that material was extremely flammable! This is something I suggest that you keep in mind when shopping here as you really don't want to find this out too late!

Going back quickly to the beginning of this review, it is easy to see what Panorama are saying with child labour as with clothing this cheap you can expect workers to be poorly paid, though Primark have said that they did not know about the child labour and have now sacked the company involved. What you decide to do with this information is up to you but I felt it should be mentioned as Panorama is a very reputable programme.

Thank you for reading.