aldi oilies

[dave268]

you thought they were good value - they are now!
£9.99 at Aldi Horwich (about mile and half from Reebok)
Not many left - got mine
Dunno about other Aldi's

 

[ShipsWoofy]

ah, what would we do without Chinese children working 14 hour days for 2p to keep us poor westerners dry while playing on our yachts.

 

[CPD]

Fair point, but then, and equally, how could we possibly think about reducing the extortionate profit margins added by handlers, distributors and retailers along the supply chain. We couldnt possibly think about doing that now could we ?. I am sure that the (relatively) poor people earning a living making Aldi clothing in China are (relatively) happy with their lot. Compared to our lifestyle, it aint much, but compared to them having no job, Im sure its better than nothing. If they are (relatively) happy, and we are (relatively - ie compared to paying £600 for a similar suit) happy, then where is the problem ?. No argument that distribution of wealth in the world is a shambles. An alternative view, thats all.

 

[ShipsWoofy]

Nearly impossible to argue, but a boycott is the small start, unfortunately people seem totally unwilling to take the stand and say NO, this is wrong.

Add to that, I doubt the even the Chinese patent stealing government can source the fabrics to build those suits for that price! It was not long ago the Chinese were taken to task for selling shoes cheaper than the material costs.

Once the west loses its manufacturing it's gone. I would have far less issue with shoddy Chinese junk if they played fair, but they steal, subsidise and maintain slave labour including children and the majority of the UK seems to think this is fine as they can run up debt shopping.

[/rant]

 

[CPD]

/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif That is what we should be doing discussing something like this. I dont think a boycott is the answer, in fact I dont think there is anything that us mere mortals can really do. Is Aldi providing a loss ledare to get us into the stores ?. Probably. Are we as yotties constantly ripped off in the belief that "hey you can afford a yacht therefore you can afford ..." .... almost certainly yes. Are the chinese children used as slave labourers ..... to us, almost certainly yes ...... to them ? . I dont really know. Have the Chinese abused patents etc etc etc .... of course they have. Did we during our manufacturing boom years ? ... probably (I always add when I make stratenments such as this that we havent won as many wars as we have by being nice people ..... (Dresden etc etc etc). Maybe an answer for us mere mortals is to go to Aldi, buy the cheap kit, enjoy it and dont feel guilty, but do put that extra fiver in the charity box every time one is rattled at you /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. The big stuff can only be left to the politicians /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif so as you say, god help us. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[RobinA]

Do Musto, Henri Lloyd, XM and all the others you can think of not also manufacture in China?

 

[CPD]

Of course they do. It is exactly the same principle as fair trade coffee. Who takes the profit ?. Who controls the profit ?. Where does the profit end up ?. Spending £600 on a set of oilies doesnt make the sewing machinist in deepest china any richer than paying £50 for a set from Aldi (despite the fact that he/she is making pretty much the same garment (oh apart from the label I mean)). It shouldnt either ease your conscience by buying the more expensive set, merely perhaps consoling that you have maintained a nobody middle man's profit margin. Not easy is it !!!!

 

[Swanrad2]

Price is brand but little more and the sailing market looks more obsessed with that than any other I know! The one that melts my noodle is the self satisfied ecomaniac who cycles to work on his Chinese maufactured bike, wearing his chinese maufactured (excessively tight) lycra pants. Exploit the workers and ruin the environment, great.

Anyway, I'm on my way down in the morning to see if I can't get a set as well! Hypocrite and proud of it.

 

[CPD]

If he cycles to work then thats a good thing isnt it ?. If the info is correct that China is opening 2 power stations a week, then we should all be very very very scared. I started my working life in the power generation industry in this country, and 2 stations per decade would have been about right. Lets all get on our bikes to neitralise the power station chimneys, and not feel hypocritical in buying from Alsi, as by doing so, the man in china who made the oilies may be able to afford a bike too !!.

 

[Seagreen]

Got two jackets but no trousers, though keeping a look out here in Exeter.

Nice jackets but coil zips, so really prone to break within 5 mins. As for the chinese, the rising sea level will drown as many of them as us.

And if anyone knows where to get 2 pairs of trousers (XXL- not as slim as we were), I'd be obliged.

 

[misterg]

What the hell.... /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I think the die has been cast a long time ago here. The Chinese didn't spontaneously decide to make and export cheap clothes (their culture doesn't tend to breed entrepreneurs) - no, Western and Japanese manufacturers have set-up and managed factories in China to take advantage of the low(er) wages. This has been going on for decades. The driver is the financial performance of the companies concerned as judged by stock market speculators.

The nature of the gambling den that is the "city" is pure greed: Whatever is delivered one year must be exceeded the next. Moving manufacturing to 'low wage economies' is an easy way to achieve this, on paper at least.

China (etc.) are capable of producing whatever quality of goods we will accept - if B&Q think that we punters will be happy with sh1tty cr*p, that's what they order. I do accept that once you've put a design into China that you've lost all control of it. I get the impression that castings (for example) that don't meet (say) Honda's standards will go out another door to someone who assembles look-a-likes.

The people working in Chinese factories are HAPPY! (at least the ones I've visited) and are regarded as reasonably affluent (on $30 a month, or so ISTR). The salaries reflect the cost of living.... and they are salaried staff, not grubbing away growing veg to sell.

/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Ahh!

Getting warmed up now!!

And another thing!

Those that claim that China is wasteful of energy could learn a lot from them:

How warm is your office?

Why?

In the places that I visited, there was NO general heating. People wore the same clothes sat at their desks as they did walking through the snow outside. Rooms not in use were in darkness (shock horror!) and virtually every light bulb was a low energy one. Owning a car was a rarity.

I'm not against Julian's sentiment, but I really don't think there's anything you can do about it - things have gone too far. Say you decided to pursue a 'buy British' stance - I doubt you could, as even if the clothes were cut and sewn here, I'm pretty sure the cloth would be from the Far East, as would the sewing machine, needles, etc. You could take a stance against cheap tools, but some of them are really very good! It's a small miracle that you can buy a decent angle grinder for a fiver, including a couple of lots of profit and shipping it half way around the world.

We need to prepare ourselves for being hairdressers, accountants or undertakers.

/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Andy

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
And if anyone knows where to get 2 pairs of trousers (XXL- not as slim as we were), I'd be obliged.

[/ QUOTE ] About a year ago i bought a pair of Gill trousers to go with a Lidl jacket from Force 4

 

[CPD]

/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif NIce one Andy, your round or mine ?? /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[misterg]

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Trevethan]

Some interesting posts here on China --

I was in Shanghai a couple of weeks ago and speak to Chinese manufacturers as part of my job on a regular basis. China is the workshop of the world as Britain was 200 years ago, and like UK then, China's biggest economic advantage is low cost labour. But wages are rising -- China has been exporting deflation to world in the form of cheap TVs, copper pipe, car batteries, you name it for years.

But the low wage environment is starting to change, certainly in the east of the country. Of course as wages rise, manufacturers head west into teh hinterland. There are real problems wit the country -- the recent accounts of slave labour at brick factories for example, but things are changing slowly.

On the power front China is a vast country and most of its renewable energy is in the wrong place -- moving electricity about a country that size is expensive. I am not sure they are building 2 power stations a week -- sounds too much even for China, but the country identified energy and energy infrastrtures as important pillars of their last 5-year plan. They are also on a massive nuclear power expansion program which I find more worrying.

The trouble is while it's easy to decry the desperate conditions that many Chinese workers find themselve in, without them it is highly likely that many of us could not afford our hobby, or a car or our mortgages because interest rates would be sky high in oder to control inflation.

It is not G Brown who is responsible for teh UK's strong economy -- it is the sweat and suffering of Chinese labour.

but as I said things are changing -- inflaton from rising wages, rents, food and the raw materials that go into their products means the West is going to face some very tough tnmes
That will be worsened if the yuan is forced to appreciate by shortsighted US congressmen desperate to win a few votes from threatened factory workers -- the US economy has slowed but watch it implode is US consumers suddenly have to pay 50 percent more for all their Chinese made goods.

The feeling of comparative wealth and the explosion of cheap consumer goods that we have enjoyed over the past 5-15 years may be drawing to a close unless we can find some other large populous nation to sweat for a pittance -- India? Brazil?

anyway bit if thread drift here but

all the best
Nick

 

[2Tizwoz]

Arguments of this nature regarding Chinese exports have been going on for rather a long time.
This is 19th century.

 

[ronsurf]

So lucky to read all this on a computer made by chinese children earning 3p a day working 42 hours a day etc etc

 

[chrishelen]

Chill out dogwatch for gawds sake!!!!

 

[Caer Urfa]

Hate to tell you gents but I had information that the oilies were made in the UK and Aldi bought all the old stock!
Had mine for three months now and they are wearing well so far, and have had plenty of rough weather latley to test them!.

Mike

 

[ShipsWoofy]

[ QUOTE ]
Chill out dogwatch for gawds sake!!!!

[/ QUOTE ]


!!!! wow that is some exclamation, I wonder who needs to chill out, whatever that means.

It is only opinion, nothing for you to get worked up about, if you work for a British manufacturing company or one which relies on British manufacture you should be happy there are still a few people that care about GB ltd. and care enough to go out of our way to buy British product.

If has been stated this is old stock then I am happy to be corrected, but the general tat people are raving about from lidl and aldi certainly is not. Why should I care, I am out of the rat race, but I do, I don't want to see the uk turn into a 3rd world economy taking aid from the east.

So I say to you, relax !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

p.s. Did I offend somebody with my posts, what was it I said that was so very bad or offensive, I did nothing but explain my feelings on better than life offers from cheap outlets, I was not personal about anyone, why are you?