Workers die in Bangladesh.

A lot of my furniture came via Freecycle. My lovely three and two seater sofas were virtually brand new but had been replaced by the original owner for a sofa which her husband complained wasn't nearly as comfy lol. I also have beautiful 1940s drop leaf table...solid oak and wonderfully made. In fact the only things I have that are new are my bed and the television.

I'm dismayed when my kids get rid of perfectly good furniture because they are changing the look and style of a room. Like Faye's SIL I've been doing up old furniture for years (Eat your heart out Kirstie Allsop) I even have my own workshop. I'm very fond of things that I've inherited like a large mahogany wardrobe that my father bought at auction when I was 16. It was the first time he had bid for anything and he was thrilled to get it for £12. It's worth £850 now. I'll never part with it but I bet it will be straight down the saleroom when I pop my clogs.

I gave DD2 a writing desk which was the first ever item I bought at auction when we were first married and had no money. The last time I visited I noticed it was shoved behind a door as they now favour the Scandinavian look!!

Having said that, I love IKEA

I think there is still a good deal of furniture manufactured in the UK and the last thing we want is to stop supporting UK industry. I am not aware of any large trade in furniture from the Far East, but perhaps somebody else could enlighten me.
There is a limited amount of second hand furniture and I certainly would not encourage people to buy soft furniture such as sofas or beds second hand as they can harbour bed bugs. Passing on furniture within the family is obviously a good idea and my daughters have frequently benefited from it.

How awful to be trapped and lose your life in some cheap clothing factory. This cheap stuff that people are addicted to, is really off the backs of poor disadvantage people and the environment. Everything dug up to produce all this stuff means less is left for future generations (our grandchildren). Also the jobs that leave our shores so that the manufactures and retailers can get it made cheaply. It really can't keep going on.

My children and I have started buying older furniture and doing it up or even are very happy to accept old furniture from the older generations. My SIL has a knack of renovating old furniture, it looks great and is much nicer than buying something that millions of others have the very same in their houses too.

On saying all of that I will keep on signing all the petitions, they let these greedy companies know that we want changes. I sign loads of petitions for Avaaz and a UK based place. They do good and make a difference and I have just signed this one. Together we have a voice.

What are you suggesting that we do, Sel? I don't sign petitions to make me feel better, I sign them because they might do some good.

Whilst I think it's very worthy to sign a petition I think you need to address the deeper issues. There are 4500 factories in Bangladesh producing clothes for the West. It's not just Walmart (Asda) it's all the multiples here. M & S, Tesco etc. So, if not you, if not your children, if not your grandchildren, who does rejoice in these cheap clothes? Do your children mend clothes, do they make do, do your grandchildren want hand me downs?

Society has changed. For right or wrong. Signing a petition make make you feel good but unless you and the generations below you change, nothing will.

I bought second hand clothes and furniture - my children point out, it's cheaper to buy new. Go figure

Thanks, Jess. The copying and pasting route didn't work for me but I've done it now.

The trouble is that many of the expensive clothes in up-market stores are also made in Far Eastern sweat shops.

Asda, Primark, Matalan - if you buy a t-shirt for 3.50 you have to wonder about the workers conditions? To what extent are WE guilty, the customers who want cheaper and cheaper stuff???

I am in the sumofus group and get regular emails about the petitions, so signed a few days ago.

Just to emphasise - Walmart trades as ASDA in the UK, so many of those cheap clothes for xmas in your local one will probably be made in Bangladesh.

Thank you, Jess. If I can't use a link, I just cut and paste it into the address bar, but perhaps other people don't want to be bothered, so you have made life much simpler.

Hopefully it will be a clickable link now:

action.sumofus.org/a/walmart-bangladesh/65/?sub=taf

Thank you, Ella. I am surprised to have had such a poor response. I will keep bumping the thread in the hope that people have simply not seen it. I can't believe Gransnetters don't care about the terrible abuse of workers in many countries, just to give the Western world clothes at throw-away prices.

Signed and shared on Fb.

Bump

Thanks, VQ, that means you can post any petitions that I overlook!

I have joined.

No, where was it?

OMG I've signed several petitions now. Have you seen the report about Minnie Mouse being made to appear fashionable/anorexic?

I am sure we will get many more signatures/comments when people have had time to read it.

I've never heard of sumofus.org before today. I will find out more about it though.

Thanks, VQ. I am a member of sumofus.org, who campaign against abuses by big businesses.

Signed. We have to protect workers in other countries.