Hmmm...

I don't think I'll be shopping @ Gap/Gap Kids/Old Navy for a very very long time. Sucks b/c I like their clothes. However, they appear to not care about the fact that they've been repeatedly found to be using child labor.

Indian 'slave' children found making low-cost clothes destined for Gap | World | The Observer

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

It appears GAP does care. Just Google "gap indian child labor" and you will find that GAP is destroying those clothes and is cancelling contracts with the suppliers who basically sub-contracted with those factories. Apparently GAPs contracts are well written to make sure child labor is not used. If a supplier sub-contracts then it takes someone reporting to GAP that a breach of their contract exists.

In reality GAP is not the bad guy here. They had a contract and their contractor is the bad guy...now they are trying to clean the mess up to make sure the tainted goods to not show up on store shelves.

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TLJ ~ Women United in Spirit

thats how I read it as well. None of the items will make it to the USA.. I'll still shop there. Ilove their clothes.

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Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. - Will Rogers

I appreciate the GAP taking a stand and being willing to pull an item that was intended for the holidays. I am sure that many stores will be carrying items that were made by those same children with no concern of profits vs. humanity.

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TLJ ~ Women United in Spirit

Well to me it appears they DON'T care. This has happened several times in relation to their clothes b/c they refuse to take their business elsewhere. Obviously ymmv.

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

I agree with Jaded. If they know that India is notorious for using child slave labor, why do they continue to outsource to India (through subcontractors or not)? Why don't they refuse to accept work from India until the government of India ensures that child welfare safeguards are instilled?

I'm tired of corporate giants shrugging their shoulders and saying, "Gee. It was the subcontractors, not us" and then trying to sound as though they give a damn. If it happens several times, it's because they aren't doing enough about it.

What more do you want the Gap to do? When made aware of the situation, they acted responsibly to make sure the clothes never made it to the market and you can bet that they've lost lots of money on this. Feel free to take your business elsewhere, but if you feel this strongly about where the clothes are made, do a little research first. Most companies have stuff made for them in sweatshops and simply do nothing. The only way to be 100% sure that you are not getting slave and or child labor goods is to buy everything that is 100% American made and good luck on that one. Many things claimed to be American made are actually made of pieces with are assembled here, but the pieces have been made in a foreign country.

I'm not knocking your decision to shop elsewhere, but I think you will be disappointed once you find out how and where your goods are really made! The Gap has acted much better than most companies who have been nailed on the child/slave labor issue.

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I dream to escape!

In this type of issue, there are many more companies one should consider boycotting. So many of our goods are now made overseas with less than desirable conditions, or conditions we would find unacceptable in this country. The Gap is not the only store involved in this activity. Some of us might be naked if we really investigated !

dl

I agree! I plan to continue to shop at the GAP.

Where would you shop instead? Walmart, who's clothes and toys are made in China where they pay workers pennies a day for 12 hours of work?

They are doing something about it. They are stopping the production and not selling what has already been made.

In order to sell items at the price most Americans (including me) will pay they HAVE to sub contract to the lowest bidder. If it costs a company $7.50 per hour, per employee (or what ever min wage is now) to assemble, plus the cost of material (that some other company paid $7.50 per hour, per employee, to make) the production costs would be outrages. That is the price of low cost. I am not saying its right, I am not saying it is fare. Its just the truth. They only way you are going to get your clothes at a cheaper cost, and guarantee the labor is not sub-standered, is to make the clothes your self or pay the high prices.

(Suit is on, Flame away)

I don't shop at Walmart. Haven't been there for about 10 years. I'm not looking for low cost at any price - including suffering.

Here's a place to consider:
Wear Your Conscience™- Justice Clothing- Union Made Clothing, The Sweatshop-Free Alternative

yeah I think they make it seem like they care but if they did this wouldnt have happened more than once. there clothes are pretty pricey, you would think instead of hiring famous people they would stop "subcontracting" and pay U.S workers or is that just there little ploy to be able to say OOPS WE DIDNT KNOW???

Itsjustme, we've been down this road before, I believe the response is that it is the CEO and upper management's fault because of their high salaries. If they were paid less, all would be well.

As far as low wages and child labor in 3rd world countries (not the slavery aspects - that is deplorable).....I just have to wonder if they and their families are better off if the Gap refuses to subcontract their services and their work is eliminated? Are the factory conditions filthy by Indian standards or by US standards? Is the country of India accountable, or just the US manufacturers that subcontract there?


I don't know the answers....haven't even formed my own opinion...but just food for thought.

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

I hate that they destroyed the clothing, though. Think about all of the kids (in that country too) around the world that are living in poverty that they could have donated them to. The damage is done. They didn't have to bring them into the U.S. (I do not know what was actually destroyed so it may have been holiday dresses most kids in other countries wouldn't wear, etc.). Big companies donate to charities that service other countries all the time; that's why you see people on t.v. living in huts with brand names on their clothes. I know it's The Gap making 'a statement' by destroying the clothing, but that's just like throwing food away that is harvested by illegal aliens here in my opinion. Of course we aren't going to do that, but it's still an illegal process. Too many suffering kids all over the world without decent anything to be doing that kind of waste in my opinion anyway. I used to be on a buying team for a major company so I totally understand about low cost factories and how they operate. I was the person on my team that dealt with the overseas factories actually. Generally what happens when a factory messes up like this, is the company will put the factory on 'probation' for a set amount of time. I would be really surprised if they never do business with them again, however. You do have to hold the U.S. companies somewhat accountable, though, as the U.S. buyers haggle back and forth with the factories overseas to get them down to basically nothing cost wise; the factories will literally work their rears off to get the business no matter what and they in turn pay their employees accordingly. You would be really surprised if you could see the actual cost of making one garment; it's unbelievable how cheap they do it. I don't think I ever saw a factory turn down an order when I was doing that job, they would even go as far as to take the order and short ship it if they got into a bind. This is how they live, without U.S. companies buying through them, their people do not have a way of supporting themselves. A lot of the factory employees actually live in apartments that are surrounding the factory; they live many to one apartment and send their money home to their family. These overseas workers are used to making nothing (in U.S. dollars), but in their countries it is sometimes a 'fair wage'; it is also a 'normal' practice in some of these countries to have your entire family working just to make a living. They do not hold the same labor practices that we do in the U.S. (I'm NOT saying child labor is RIGHT, I'm just saying that is the way it is in some places and it's not illegal there; I do not think it should be legal at all but lets face it, we have it pretty good here in the U.S. compared to most other countries). The Gap probably had no idea though (unless this particular factory has been in trouble before for child labor) that the factory was using underage labor. Buyers generally only make a once or twice a year trip to the factory and things are 'quite nice and normal' when they take the tour, kwim? I don't remember one instance either that we 'subcontracted' out that we were not aware of the factory the goods were being processed in. That would just be poor business management by The Gap and I really doubt they weren't aware of the factory. Matter o fact, when you write the purchase order, legally it has to include the factory name, number, etc. Maybe things have changed legally since then, though. Anyway, that's probably way more than you care to know.

sadarl, thank you. your post was really interesting. I *didn't* know all that. And yes, I agree about donating the clothes.

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

I agree. I think most (if not all) companies pay their upper management way too much. I do not know if there is a right way to handle these type of situations. I do believe Gap should have donated the clothes to some homeless kids.

Now those kids will likely starve. That's not saying that I think what was done was right, but taking the jobs away may prove to be worse. Instead of the just "tossing out the baby with the bath water" approach, perhaps Gap should have sent an overseer to make sure that the conditions were improved for those kids and that they got a fair wage. It's really a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation.

I agree with Wildwood. It's not our culture, and it's possible that working there, while horrible, was much better than the alternative - starving.

I'd have much preferred to hear that GAP went in, cleaned the place up, and if within that culture it is expected that children will work, that they be provided a decent wage and a clean facility.

I doubt that it's just the GAP executives salaries that make the price of GAP clothing cost so much. They probably pay their American workers well, from their advertising agents on down. They probably pay top dollar for magazine spots and for the real estate where their stores sit. It's more than just CEO's that drive costs, and ultimately, price.

Still, they blew quite an opportunity in not choosing to make an example of that factory by changing it.

Exactly.

I don't think Gap has scored any points with their handling of this whole situation They really dropped the ball on this one.