H&M, Wal-Mart Destroy Unsold Clothing

if you want them to donate give them a bigger tax credit for doing so

reply to post by JIMC5499


If new high-end goods in perfect condition were thrown away, then the receivers of such goods would try to resell these products themselves, with the result being less demand for the goods from the store. By cutting the label or other minimal damage first, the product can be reused by the poor but not resold as new.

reply to post by Rockstar1102

This is America's problem in general. We are an INSANELY wasteful society. It's sickening to know that these retailers and food companies throw away things that can be used.

You can turn this into a political issue if you care to... but the problem is in all of what is considered 'western democracy', not just the ee-ville USA.

If you want to spend your time demonizing for political brownie points, go ahead. But is that really any better than snipping the fingers off a glove for profit?

Your call.

Hello, and welcome to free market capitalism.

Where it makes financial sense to destroy unsold goods.

Where products such as cars, washing machines & computers are built with for a limited lifespan, so people will have to buy replacements within a few years.

Where fixing broken items is discouraged & frowned upon because there is a bigger profit in selling replacements.


This insane waste of resources is probably one of the biggest global problems IMO. Forget Carbon & global warming even if that stuff is true we'll all be drowning in garbage & suffer resource shortages long before the doomsday climate predictions come to pass

Originally posted by redoubt
If you want to spend your time demonizing for political brownie points, go ahead. But is that really any better than snipping the fingers off a glove for profit?

You are comparing someone exercising their right of free speech to snipping the fingers off a glove for profit?

That's a stretch!!

[edit on 7-1-2010 by whaaa]

Originally posted by MrVertigo



This insane waste of resources is probably one of the biggest global problems IMO. Forget Carbon & global warming even if that stuff is true we'll all be drowning in garbage & suffer resource shortages long before the doomsday climate predictions come to pass

In the future, garbage dumps will be mined for "raw" materials.

It's a brave new world, welcome to the monkey house!

Hey, I find this as appalling as the next guy but let's look at it from a different perspective

This is private property belonging to a private corporation. They can do with it whatever they like. Just as the individual has a right to do with his/her property as they see fit, so do corporations. It's a part of the concept of freedom.

You would think a huge company, with there happy go luck image would come up with a better solution. although im not surprised no one cares about any one.




Stock Photography Stop By: WWW.WARHOLAIMAGES.COM






[edit on 7-1-2010 by twistingtree]

I just called my local WalMart and questioned them about this and notified them about this Thread. They said they would get back to me.

Perhaps I can get WalMart to follow Targets model. I think walmart could use a little positive PR.

I do have to compliment Sam's Club for providing containers for recycling behind their store for all to use.

I did notice however that the dumpsters for their use are LOCKED
with Huge locks.

[edit on 7-1-2010 by whaaa]

reply to post by redoubt


What the hell are you talking about?

First off, I'm an American. Second of all, I was merely saying that it's sickening that instead of donating clothes to charity they cut the fingers off. Third, are you going to deny we are a wasteful society?

You just took a post and turned it into something it's not. Congratulations on manipulating and misconstruing my post and meaning.

I know someone who works at Walmart and he says they throw away loads of dog food because of shipping damadge and they cant or wont [probably because of lawsuits] send the food to the animal shelter .

I remember having to weigh the leftover chicken at KFC when I was a kid. I asked my boss one time why we didn't give it away to Mobile-One (kitchen on a bus) and he replied "They don't want it".

In the end, it is the weight of our bureaucracy collapsing upon us that creates these situations. Some have mentioned about tax breaks for retailers who donate un-sold clothing: they already get them through declared losses. The company needs write-offs to offset profits, if they donate these items to charity they lose out in the end.

This upsets stock holders...

I'm not trying to defend corporations here, in the case of food though they are following the guidelines that we have demanded over the years.

Everytime a kid got sick from a cookie at a school bakesale, ingredients not listed on packages causing allergies, even the most basic requirement for expiry dates: All of the protection we demanded government create new laws for is starting to come back on us.

The important thing is that we notice. When something as simple as feeding hungry people requires a signed waiver...we've made a wrong turn somewhere.

[edit on 7-1-2010 by [davinci]]

Originally posted by whaaa
I did notice however that the dumpsters for their use are LOCKED
with Huge locks.

Places like that usually prefer you to go in the front door to pick up your junk made by little fingers in a sweat shop you will find!

It does irk me in general that clothing, well some of it seems to be more and more a disposable product now a days... I've known girls with tins and tons of this cheap clothing and scarves etc - they're not rich at all but they can afford it cos there is no quality to it at all.

Me I keep a pair of jeans until they are physically removed from me and thrown away (seriously I get attached to my clothes) - Everything goes from good through to thread bare before I ditch it, I do a lot where I get grubby so old clothes always have a home with me.

So wall mart tossing out clothes is just an extension of that disposable feeling towards clothing - Wall mart cant dod with people buying clothing that will last, no return business in that, at least not as much, they want impulse buys week after week to keep the money coming in in small amounts - what they are actually selling is worthless, their actions prove that!

Every retailer does this to some degree.

Just imagine how much everyday citizens discard, and how much of it is still in very good, usable condition.

I personally think that trash should be recycled as much as possible, with biodegradable waste being put into landfills.

Everything else should be routed to huge warehouses where government agencies, or everyday citizens can buy them at a huge discount, in order to help finance the cost of maintaining such warehouses. Or those who are needy could receive clothing via coordination with charity organizations that would work directly with them.

The same with expired foods that are either in boxes or cans, as they are, many times, still good way after the expiration date.

Put all the contents of the warehouse online, and code it, and let people search for it. There is a lot of good stuff that is thrown away that could be used. And if it hasn't been claimed within 12-months or so we can ship it to a needy country via large ships.

Of course I am sure this would eat into the profits of many corporations who expect people to discard and not reuse. That is why there are powerful lobbies that would fight this.

Just my thoughts.



[edit on 7-1-2010 by DJM8507]

Originally posted by JIMC5499
Food is an entirely different matter. There are too many laws prohibiting commercial establishments from donating left over food to local charities. I belong to an organization that holds dinners once a month to raise funds. We had about 20 pork chop dinners left over one time and took them across the parking lot to a church that has a shelter in it's basement. These dinners were freshly made and were only in their containers for about five minutes. The church told us that they were not allowed to accept them because of local health laws. The next day we had a spot inspection of our kitchen from the Health Department and were cited for not having a certified food handler in the kitchen for our dinners.

We have become so pathetic! Hahahah!

"Local health laws" they say... Oh me, oh my. Hum.

Jesus needs to come back soon! If He don't, we are going to all be retarded by the time He gets back! "Can you imagine"?

"Um... last time I was here, people just had a hard time believing that I was alive again. Now it is I that has a hard time believing these people are alive!"

reply to post by whaaa


It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly. --Thoreau

The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. --Jesus

Nothing makes us more vulnerable than loneliness, except greed. --Thomas Harris

Lust is all GET—Love is all GIVE. –Unknown

You know, I've worked for Wendy's, Burger King, and Dunkin Donuts. My friend Dave and I used to make sandwiches at Wendy's all the time and eat them. We'd eat the rest of the fries. We NEVER THREW FOOD OUT. At Burger King, we had to pay for our food full price. No discount. But the manager would, every now and then, give us a left-over something-of-the-order. We threw away TONS of stuffs. I quit.

I used to work the closing shift at Dunkin Donuts and I would have to count all the bagels, muffins, and donuts that were left near the end of the night and write the number down in the inventory book. The OWNER, Jerry, did not care what we did with the food after we inventoried it. The reason being because sometimes he would have us haul the bags into large trash bins for him so that he could pick them up and use the donuts/muffins/bagels as DEER BAIT for HUNTING. I didn't much like that use... But, oftentimes I would bring a couple of Blueberry muffins home for breakfast the next morning and also all the plain and everything bagels for us to have for lunches, etc.

Now, I don't know what these corporations policies are necessarily...

But I do know that it DOESN'T MATTER. Wherever I've been, I've successfully demolished company policies anyway. Give food to people and give clothes to people. Tell your manager that it would be a great help. If they continue to threaten, say, "Go ahead! Fire me for helping people! I dare you." I use this tactic frequently and, scary as it is, it works almost all the time.

Look, these companies do not own anything. In all reality, we all own nothing. It's just a big game. It's no use having people starve or be shelter-less all because of our stupid big game. Anyone who thinks that it is okay for these companies to destroy this stuff without thinking of others is clearly a fool.

Careful contemplation of this situation will result in this logic :

Companies will have a hard time selling stuff if people find out there is a way that they can get some of this stuff for free. If people can possibly get some clothes for free, then why spend the money? Just wait until people have bought what they will and for the companies to throw the rest out! Why pay for food? Just wait for the companies to throw out what's left.

In this way, companies might make a LITTLE BIT LESS MONEY. However, the impact will not be nearly as much as they are telling you. Here's why.
People Love to Pay for Stuff.

Have you ever gotten something for free? You like it? You enjoy it more than anything? You have a good personality probably. You're appreciative. Most people are not this way. Most people MUST BE SATISFIED by paying for a product that they don't really need but something they can enjoy and say/think, "I bought this!" Most people who eat, there must be someone who has to take the glory for the very presence of the food! If people get free food, they can pretty much thank God they are getting to eat! People don't like that. People want to be the gatherer/hunters so-to speak... More like new-age versions of the gatherers, but...

Anyhow, another argument against the giving away of free food is health regulations. REALLY?! Are you people serious? Because you didn't receive some green paper-cloth in return for handing over a donut, the donut must be a health-hazard. Mwahaha. That's my favorite. Yes, granted, over time the donut will not be as good. They use preservatives in these foods that are not really good for you. However, SOMETHING is certainly better than nothing.

Also.. If you are really just worried about having clothing, then learn to make it. If you find a bag of these clothes all destroyed somewhere, piece them together! Find a way! Seriously, if you want to be warm, you're not going to worried about patched pants. Lemme tell you, there are enough freaks who PAY FOR RETARDED LOOKIN CLOTHING that you won't be judged more than they for having made your comfortable clothing!

You aren't going to change the greedy who justify themselves by saying, "Everyone has to work for it." They will suffer greatly for their willing denial of good.

But you can be intelligent and honest and learn to make a life out of thinking, doing, and sharing!

I once worked at an after-retail store. We sold anything from mildewed off-brands to Ralph Lauren that our corporate had bought from regular retailers. So, if a store didn't want to donate the clothing, they could at least sell it to an after-retail place.

I just get so mad hearing about this kind of waste when I'm cleaning out every stupid plastic tub and glass jar I use to be recycled. And I'm getting ribbed by a neighbor about how long I run the water in my shower, when corporations are being so blatantly wasteful.

My mother-in-law recently went to some kind of lecture wherein some know-it-all convinced her that humans are a "plague on the Earth" and that we should all lay down and die for the fertilizer, because as individuals we use too many resources and rape the Earth.

I said, excuse me! But it's not individuals like me running our heaters for twenty minutes a day in freezing weather that are responsible for this baloney!

And I think the fact that the retailers are having trouble selling the clothing at those prices, speaks for how overpriced the items were in the first place. It used to be at department stores, that the incredibly pricey items were made better and out of more luxurious materials. Lately I've noticed though, that for the hefty price tag, items are the same quality as discount store merchandise and are by-and-large made out of acrylic.

If the clothing manufacturers are demanding contracts that force stores to destroy unsold clothing, those stores should take their business elsewhere and refuse. It's that simple.

Though I agree it is sad they are just throwing away clothes when so many people need them. They are a free market business. If they want to burn them or use them to wipe themselves it is there business not ours..... this argument is null

It's called capitalism, you will always have a surplus of the goods you produce, to give the goods away would be called socialism, which i know most people dont really like