H&M and Wal-Mart destroy and trash unsold goods
This week the New York Timesreported a disheartening story about two of the largest retailchains. You see, instead of taking unsold items to sample sales ordonating them to people in need, H&M and Wal-Mart have beenthrowing them out in giant trash bags. And in the case that someonemay stumble on these bags and try to keep or re-sell the items,these companies have gone ahead and slashed up garments, cut offthe sleeves of coats, and sliced holes in shoes so they areunwearable.
This unsettling discovery was made by graduate student CynthiaMagnus outside the back entrance of H&M on 35th street in NewYork City. Just a few doors down, she also found hundreds ofWal-Mart tagged items with holes made in them that were dumped by acontractor.
On December 7, she spotted 20 bags of clothing outsideof H&M including, “gloves with the fingers cut off, warmsocks, cute patent leather Mary Jane school shoes, maybe for fourthgraders, with the instep cut up with a scissor, men’s jackets,slashed across the body and the arms. The puffy fiber fill wascoming out in big white cotton balls.”