Banana republic, concern as a consumer

The Coffee Shop
1

recently i’ve had to buy some new clothes for the upcoming season and also because of weight loss. so in this venture i went into Banana Republic (a place i hadn’t been into for years, i’ll admit).

it was an interesting experience; what i gathered from the branding was a seemingly upscale image with simplistic minimalist design. the clothes are replications from the more innovative designers (that consequently produce substantially more expensive pieces) that everyone immulates in one way or another.

what gets me is the air of attitude in the place. which, i have no problem with attitude and fashion–these things go together as long as it’s justified. but, banana republic is basically a copy cat (and a dumbed down version at that) of high end design.

moreover, everything in there has a decent price tag on it, yet the stuff is all made in China.

how can one be a copycat and yet portray an image that is modern and chic even though the product is mass produced overseas (and the quality isn’t even that great)? i don’t understand that.

i looked at a leather jacket. tried it on, etc, the design was ok (although the nude theme is a copy cat of Prada, who has been doing nude leathers for some time–but i can’t afford Prada so there you go).

anyway, the woman working there was such a snob. then i noticed the jacket was made in china. i found that comical–she acted as though she was selling the finest italian leather known to man.

after putting up with her attitude for more than i could stand i said, “oh, it’s made in China, and i see the replication of Prada with nude leather. also, these snaps must have been machined as they’re not even in alignment, and the stitching is off in several places”. it was my pleasure to take it off and hand it to her and walk out.

what gets me is that the jacket was (not only unoriginal but also) produced by some worker in China, no doubt earning next to nothing, yet banana republic asks nearly 300 bucks for it, all with the upscale modernity tied into the brand.

i have a hard time swallowing all of this. it is hard for me to accept that the other side of that jacket is slave labor, and on this side of things, everything is neatly wrapped in a perfect image that’s supposed to be so chic and suave.

the entire thing is so damned phony.

is there anyway to get around this, as a consumer?

i know most things are made overseas–but i’m just tired of it. i’m tired of shelling out decent money for these things that basically amount to shit; and at the other side of these perfect images, like Banana Republic, lies slave wages.

what are the other reasonable options?

2

First, you congratulate yourself for not buying anything from Banana Republic. Clothes for tasteless posers with no sense of individual style at all.

Next . . . There is no next. You just never darken that doorway again.

3

trust me, i will walk 100 yards out of my way just to avoid it from here on out. never, ever, again.

4

kc, I can’t believe you didn’t ask the sales b!tch about whether the Chinese were still using dog fur for coat and jacket collars before you left!

I’ll have to make you a crib sheet before you go shopping again.

5

Welcome to earth. it is full of bullshit everywhere you look.

enjoy

6

Go to a vintage clothing store, salvation army, goodwill, etc., spend some time and yes, some money. Buy something that fits you stunningly and shows off your new body. Something that was originally made well, yet you have seen no one wear anything quite like it in a long time. Because of this, when you decide to wear it, you will be taking a chance and it will make you all glowy like a school girl. Others will see this radiance and ask, is it her or the outfit? It will be hard to draw the line.

You were made an original and we’ve paid the price . . . you owe us nothing but your best!

7

parkito and jack, you guys are a trip!

and that is interesting about goodwill! i have really been thinking alot about that for a few months now. specifically, i’m interested in seeking out cashmere sweaters and pulling out the yarn to recycle it. this is a project i’ll take on probably after the IM in Fall.

anyway…

8

I can’t believe you acquiesced the point of salesperson’s right to give you attitude … as long as they are selling “quality” products.

Any salesperson that gives you 'tude needs to be told to STFU and go make you a mocha cappuchino.

.

9

I think i’d be a little more careful about throwing around terms like “slave labor” in this case. Just because a company produces their product in another country doesn’t mean they’re enslaving the people of said country, or paying them “next to nothing”. Yes, without a doubt they ARE paying them less in terms of American currency than they would have to pay them in the states. Assuming that this means that the jacket, shirt, car, etc… is therefore 1. of lesser quality or 2. a product of underpaid or “enslaved” workers is…well… a poor assumption. Consider the fact that China does a figurative ass-load of the worlds production and assembly of the world’s low-tech goods (clothing, athletic equipment, toys, etc…) and has been doing so for quite some time. Exceptions aside, this often means that they are quite efficient at this work, and in many cases produce goods of quite high quality. Practice makes perfect, afterall(“perfect” IS a hell of a stretch, though). Second, the whole "i can’t believe this crap, it’s just SLAVE LABOR BECAUSE IT’S CHINESE-MADE argument is pretty unfounded. It’s all about differences in CPI and costs of living between countries. If you think paying a Chinese worker American minimum wage is slavery, you’ve been misled.

But yeah, some of their crap is pretty over-priced. I have a pretty nifty striped-shirt from them. Kinda looks like something out of Dr. Suess. I like it. It’s two shades of green.

10

That was a serious rant! I unfortunately buy just about all my work clothes, because its easy. I don’t feel too bad about it actually.

You make some pretty serious allegations in there which are to some extent true, but I think many of us are guilty of seriously underestimating how difficult it is to manage your supply chain. Gap, Inc. is at the very high end of apparel producers in terms of labor practices among vendors. They have taken many steps towards cleaning up the practice. Nike and dare I say Walmart, are much worse. And let me remind you these are vendors, not Gap incorporating these practices. Also, we are extremely guilty of comparing our standard of living to a developing economy standard. The reality in many cases is that sweatshop labor is actually better than the alternative, its just not better than our alternative.

As for the attitude…well I assume you were talking to a teenager or close to it. What can you honestly expect?

But…that leather jacket was still way overpriced! Two words: Outlet Mall!

11

I second.
I spent 3 months living in China last summer touring many factories and did not witness “slave labor”. I did see many manual type labor jobs where the employees are housed, fed, and provided medical care on site. Not to say that all are perfect but many are better than the alternative of staying home on the family farm.

Comparison to US wages us unfair unless you factor in the cost of living for each location as well. Many of the my co-workers from our office in Shenzhen make approximately $1200-$1400 per year for engineering/sourcing type work. No college degree but a rather high knowledge level is needed. They live a decent life raising families and have an apartment.

There will always be cases of unfair labor practices in China but there are also many cases of fair practices.

12

Hmmm, I really like BR. In fact I would bet that about 25% of my wardrobe is from there. Now I do like the idea of “shopping locally” just like eating locally. My friend and I had this discussion last year. She is a boutique shopper and tries to support the innovative stores and local designers in her city (Portland OR). She is also very thin and can wear clothes well. Me, I tried to adopth this policy, but I am short and somewhat curvy and boutique clothes typically do not fit me well at all. I need petite cut pants and shirts and Banana, Ann Taylor etc just fit me really well. It’s hard for me to drop $200 bucks on a shirt at a boutique when I can get one I like just as much on the BR clearance rack for $30. I like the idea of trying to cut down on buying things made in China, but are things made in other foreign countries any better?

As for the snobby customer service, I find that I just don’t expect much from stores like that then I’m not too disappointed. And I rarely pay full price as Banana stuff seems to rotate and get marked down quickly.

13

kittycat,

First, congratulations on your REASON for needing to by new clothes. That is awesome!

I completely understand your desire to buy clothes that are manufactured in a socially responsible way. I try to do that too. One company I have found that I can’t say enough about is L.L. Bean. Their clothes are the sort that I like. The quality seems really good (I have had some clothes for several years and I wear them hard!). Their prices are reasonable. Their customer service is second to none (except maybe DeSoto). On their website, you can check out their company policies regarding Social Responsibility and Environmental Responsibilty. Here it is: http://www.llbean.com/customerService/aboutLLBean/labor_rights.html .

Just an idea.

Bernie

14

Well, most of my work clothes are from Banana Republic. I like the clothes, they are reasonably stylish, and they fit me well – I have a hard time finding sizes such as 30x34 in pants at most places. I only really shop at their outlet, which is about 40 miles away. The prices are good (for example, $30 for dress shirts, $60 for wool dress pants). The normal store prices are more than I want to pay for their clothes. I notice some of their clothes are made in Viet Nam. Some in China. I can’t remember the time I saw a shirt on a rack that was made in the USA.

15

banana republic and its sister stores serve a bona fide niche in the retail industry. you are not their target demographic and therefore the service is not designed to capture you and cultivate your sense of self worth. unfortunately, you seem to wander from one situation to the next requiring someone to assure you of some decision you are contemplating, and if they don’t you scoff at their very existence. everyone knows that you don’t walk in to br looking for italian origionals. that you were shocked, was, well, shocking. had you approached it in any other way you might have been surprised.

your slave wages comment is totally off the reservation. it’s so 2005.

16

I like their outlet stores too. Non-snobby college students for employees, and out of about 10 different stores I looked at, they were the place that carried suit jackets that actually fit my giant swimmer grrl shoulders.

I don’t bother with their retail stores because there’s too much overpriced trendy crap that’s going to look dated a year from now.

17

Clothes for tasteless posers with no sense of individual style at all.

This is funny. At work, where most people where Banana Republic clothing, individual style is not exactly what you are going for.

The clothes are reasonably stylish, not that expensive compared to most alternatives, and most importantly . . . they sell clothes that aren’t for fat people, which are actually hard to find if you are a man.

18

i’m surprised how many of you seem to defend China in it’s worker’s rights (or lack thereof) practices.
surly you don’t believe the threats of social unrest due to widening income gap and forced working conditions has nothing to do with the influx of corporations taking advantage of the situation.

China has the highest rate of work related sickness and death than anywhere else in the world (and i’ve read in several instances that it is the highest in world history). imprisonment or torture prevents the organization of union and strikes among the workers so they can have improved conditions/wages/treatment.

It is true that new labor laws were introduced in late June (to be applied starting in 2008), but it is fair to say that the introduction of laws doesn’t mean they will be enforced. Many analysts are skeptical. china’s workers rights are far from resolved; let’s not kid ourselves.

As for those who feel my usage of “slave labor” was inappropriate, let’s think about that. here is just one of many resources that claims differently (despite the code of vendor ethics) http://clearharmony.net/articles/200404/18747.html

moreover, it was recently discovered that over 8,000 enslaved workers were being used to mine coal and work in brick kilns. many of these people were kidnapped children and the scandal was laced with well connected business people and leaders. over 600 workers have been freed, but it has gone down as one of the worst cases since China adopted a market-style practice over a quarter century ago.

here is a link from one resource about it: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/15/news/china.php

And here is a quick blib about it from NPR:

The son of a local Communist Party leader has been implicated in forced labor in China’s Shanxi and Henan Provinces, where impoverished people, many of them children, have been abducted or lured to brick kilns, locked up and forced to work without pay. The central government expressed outrage at the abuse following reports in the Chinese media.
Families of many of the enslaved workers hadn’t known why they vanished or where they were, and parents are searching for missing children.

anyway, it is clear that people will have different beliefs, but for me personally, i can’t help but see the other side of the rude sales woman (yes, an older lady actually) and the 300 dollar jacket…and that other side is an entire society of victimized workers. research it and see for yourself.

19

Umm, call me when you have set foot on the continent and tour the factories and met the people. Just because you are in the human capital management business does not make you an expert on the practices of foreign nations. If it was, you would realize we are one of the worst offenders (see the minimum wage laws). What you fail to realize is that without China you would have no economy, and therefore no business and therefore no time to debate whether you need to knock out your 1/2 inch spacer. You enjoy these opportunities as a result of foreign governments and how they run their own houses. You don’t have to like it but you can’t have your cake and eat it too.

20

you’re wrong, i understand global economics and understand the (mutual) dependence (as well as mutually assured destruction).

and it doesn’t take going there to understand some of these abusive dynamics. additionally, just because someone does go there, doesn’t mean they see everything…i’m sure you didn’t see the people being held against their will in the coal mines, for example.

as for your feeling things have greatly improved, to be honest i’m glad to hear that.

however one cannot ignore the reality, and that is China is on the verge of social uprising due to the widening income gap, and abusive labor conditions.
i refuse to believe that because i haven’t been there, and you have, that i’ll permit you to convince me that “it’s not as bad as you might believe”. that is propaganda. in fact it’s probably worse than i could even imagine.

the perspective “oh well, their misfortune allows my financial goodwill and freedom, and that makes the world go around” is not a perspective i have. certainly thinking “oh well, global economy, what do you do” doesn’t make me feel better at the human/worker relations crisis that is occurring in China or around the globe. to have that attitude would be inhumane, IMO.
while i know i cannot change the world, i can be a conscious consumer and perhaps influence others. this is something we can all do.

my original point was that it is my belief we are not aware enough of the truths that occur behind the scenes. there is too much of a phony marketing image portraying something sleek, chic, unique, suave, or even healthy, when in reality alot of people (and arguably, animals) suffered horribly for those goods. this is true for diamonds, garments, as well as a host of other things.

to find the truth consumers have to dig deep and research; it is demanding to find truth and be aware because there is so much covering up.
it doesn’t take a foreign nationals expert to see this.