H&M's NYC Store To Stop Trashing Unsold Clothes

Following Wednesday's revelation that a NYC H&M store had been destroying and discarding unsold clothing, the clothing company has vowed to not let this happen again.

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS:

NEW YORK (AP) - Clothing retailer H&M has promised to stop destroying new merchandise that it can't sell at one of its Manhattan stores.

The chain said it will instead donate the garments to charity.

Graduate student Cynthia Magnus contacted The New York Times after discovering bags of unworn but slashed clothing outside H&M in Herald Square.

H&M spokeswoman Nicole Christie said, "It will not happen again."

Christie said she didn't know why the store was mutilating and discarding clothing. She said the Sweden-based company would make sure none of its other stores were doing so.

Christie said H&M's policy is to donate unworn clothing.

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Comments

[April Briggs Cirwithen]

05:44 PM on 01/10/2010

I don't believe that H&M did not know this store was doing this. And what about the Walmart store? I use to work in retail and I know for a fact that stores have been doing this type of practice for years so this is not new they just got busted. I don't know why they do it because the clothes or merchandise is a right-off anyway just donate it.

[themainpoint]

09:59 AM on 01/10/2010

That's great. Now if Walmart customers would head to H&M for clothing, maybe Walmart would be inspired to do the same thing.

[StatueOfLiberal]

07:15 PM on 01/09/2010

They don't want the street-drunks wearing their designer garments. It devalues the items.

It's sad but I get that.

So ship them to a 3rd world country.

[Epiphany2b]

11:53 AM on 01/09/2010

Our military does this as well. Military housing in Connecticut a number of years ago replaced perfectly good refrigerators and ranges only a year or so old because there was still money left in the budget, and if they didn't spend it, the budget for the next year would be reduced. Sell it as second hand to the general public? Not an option, because then they would have to report the income, too much trouble.

[Jazz88105]

08:47 AM on 01/09/2010

I am so happy to read this post glad to see H&M took appropriate action now if only WalMart would step up.

[dawdgeexpress]

01:04 AM on 01/09/2010

I WORK AT A OFFICE SUPPLY STORE N THEY DONATE 2 THE HOMLES N OTHER PLACES WHY DOES WAL MART N OTHER PLACES DO THIS IT CRUEL WE HAVE SO MANY HOMELESS BUT PEOPLE STILL HAVE MONEY 2 SEND 2 OTHER COUNTRIES 2 FEEN N SHELTER THEM UGH WHAT A JOKE
THEY NEED 2 TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE HERE N GIVE 2 THE NEEDY HERE IN THE GREAT USA I MEAN WE GOT WOMAN N CHIDLREN HERE THAT HUSBANDS WENT OFF 2 WAR N NEED THINGS WGAT GIVES CMON WALMART WAKE UP N OTHER PLACES AS WELL GET WITH THE TIMES

[Brian Gorrell]

01:47 AM on 01/10/2010

Caps make our eyes hurt.
I know you have passion, but... no more caps please.

[KIVPossum]

06:35 AM on 01/11/2010

Caps weren't the only thing in that post that makes your eyes hurt

[joe townie]

10:02 PM on 01/08/2010

If this were a perfect world we wouldnt be thinking about the "needy". Since its not perfect we need to realize these stores must stay profitable. They create jobs, pay taxes, shareholders, yada yada yada. In this non perfect world there are folks who would take the free stuff and try or succeed in returning it for full value. I think everyone has been on a checkout line and seen some "crazy" person making a big deal about return. To shut them, the store usually gives them what they want.

The whole thing is very sad.

[stgoleary21]

09:10 PM on 01/08/2010

Fashion Week Daily has a story saying that this is not true from H&M

http://www.fashionweekdaily.com/news/fullstory.sps?inewsid=6644822

[VOTER]

02:51 PM on 01/08/2010

Employees aware of businesses destroying good merchandise instead of donating
the items to charities, schools, shelters, etc. should take photos and send them and the
information to the MSM and websites. If they can't take photos without being discovered
by their bosses send the information anyway stating you couldn't take pictures without the
fear of losing your job.

It will get published. The word of such wastefulness will get out to the public.

[mmgbizgirl]

02:48 PM on 01/08/2010

It's a start.

[delrio]

12:51 PM on 01/08/2010

I have a better one. The New York City Department of Education -- elementary schools, middle schools, high schools -- throw out new computer furniture to install furniture that "matches," because they get funding. Textbooks, math manipulatives, computers and science labs are systematically dumped when funding comes in for "new" curriculum items. There are neighboring schools that would kill for these materials -- but no, that's too much work. Survey all the NYC schools that have $15,000 "Smartboards" collecting dust, since the teachers are too harassed to learn how to use them. How many new IMacs are in the basement? Yet go to a NYC public school and find one wall clock that works.

[labbouchard]

11:53 AM on 01/08/2010

I personally think the most heinous aspect of this practice is that this crap is all made out of plastic, and won't decompose anytime soon. It makes me wonder why American households are given so much pressure to reduse, reuse, recycle, etc. when corporate America, yet again, has proven much worse. This is where landfills come from, the dumpsters behind every mass retailer in America. I'm sure they will blame this on demand - every woman walking in to HM wants their size to be there, and it almost always is, this is part of why we shop there is it not? Not to mention the fact that H&M does absolutely *no* online retailing. They could easily sell much more clothing online, and have amazing season-ending sales (think of the possibilities!) and decrease this need for waste. But instead they add to the landfill mess that we've created and will one day have tons of fun cleaning up. Way to go, Corporate America.

[AejB]

07:14 PM on 01/09/2010

You really wanna be disgusted check out the Colbert report from either Wednesday or Thursday of last week on Hulu. He had a captain on who discovered a floating ball of garbage in the Pacific ocean twice the size of Texas! We are such a wasteful nation and its gonna come back to destroy us.

[UhOh1]

11:25 AM on 01/08/2010

no they're just going to make sure to throw them out somewhere that nobody will find them. come on now!

[Blaster]

11:15 AM on 01/08/2010

During the Vietnam war times there was a saying America love it or leave it. Well this is your America today because of that way of thinking.
If we are to survive we must stop the GREED and selfishness else nothing will help us.

[Why2Late]

11:07 AM on 01/08/2010

This is news? Anyone who has had a job. Maybe with a Restaurant or Store, knows this happens all the time. But if you don't work, looking for your hand out, I'm sure this is upsetting, and those with there noses up in the air to do so much good in the world. Maybe would like to come down ansd visit where they get thier money from and see how the real world works. At least with Capitalism the items are there to throw away. With out it, we would all be in a world of hurt.

[DGoldman]

08:55 PM on 01/08/2010

Yeah, I worked at Dunkin Donuts and this happened too.

Everyone was glad to donate the food, but the legal repercussions if someone got sick from the food are very large and damaging to the company, so I can understand why food is thrown away.

But with clothing, that isn't easily biodegradable, it's pretty sickening. There's a Goodwill somewhere that would be only too happy to have those clothes. Or just donate them to foundation who will truly find a use.
Sell online. Do some good with all the clothes you don't want anymore. People freeze to death, and you can't give them something?

[jmshepherd]

07:49 AM on 01/09/2010

Your comment makes no sense at all, not only no logic but it is grammatically incorrect. People aren't alway jobless because they choose to be. If you have a job during this time of recession, consider yourself blessed not better than others.

[Why2Late]

10:09 AM on 01/19/2010

I am talking about if you ever, ever worked in any place in America at anytime.
Food. cloths, cars, most of the stuff if not bought, gets thrown out. All the fancy advertising you see in a store, thrown out. Many useable things poor people could use, gets thrown out. Off the top of my head if you play video games, Atari has a land fill somewhere. Think of all the stuff that does not make the huffington post. Dogs and cats poeple don't want, killed. Anything in America not needed gets disposed of. If we did it any other way, we might be like Hati. And I doubt if anyone here wants to give the land back to the Indians. So get off you soap boxes.