Comments on: Why We Hate Forever 21, & Why You Should Too

By: Angela

Angela — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 00:22:11 +0000

http://www.ted.com/talks/johanna_blakley_lessons_from_fashion_s_free_culture.html

By: Angela

Angela — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 00:21:35 +0000

By: Andrea

Andrea — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 05:09:06 +0000

Where are you even getting this information? I’m thinking you are just a disgruntled fired ex employee. That’s why you are hating on a very popular company. I have NEVER seen any religious stuff on the bags.
And why are you hating on ONE company, when so many are guilty of labor in other countries??
I love their stuff and will keep going there! And the clothes are NOT cheap!

By: Lala

Lala — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 02:03:44 +0000

I still dont’ see how any of this is bad , all business are like this. & the religion one ? like seriously that’s minute compared to what many big names require their employees to do in exchange for compensation & promotion…hence drugs , sex , prostitution..etc. This is actually a positive twist ? & this whole sweatshop stuff has been past disputed and AGAIN half the clothing in our regular everyday shopping stores are made in sweatshops , atleast Forever21 used illegal immigrants who were glad to pay for whatever they were compensated., i mean they are behind our fruit and vegetables in the grocery stores.duh? So shall i ask you again why you hate Forever21 so much ? I mean they were never involved in anything pertaining to race , drugs , sex trade, prostitution like many of our other big name companies.

By: Heather

Heather — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 05:59:38 +0000

Congratulations, you’ve posted OLD NEWS.

I have worked in this company for over 3 years now and the sweatshop settlement was over before I even started.

By: andrea

andrea — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 08:23:37 +0000

i dont think anyone should be talking bad a bout christians, because two pple are setting a bad example and who knows, maybe they just say tey are, because they want christians to look bad, many ppl does that, i m looking forward to open my same business and preaching through my tube tops and leggings, ill just set the right example, so leave that side alone!! im mexican american, live in arizona like three minutes away from the border, i do have illegal family in some places here, and dont accept it, where i live there are like ten elementery schools, and i can assure you just two of them would be filled with ppl that live here, all the others come from across the border, and thats why we pay more taxis, and thats why my parents dont get jobs fast, thats why my dad have to work in the fields, while we are paying their childrens aduction and theyre houses and theyre support so why would we pay them more and let them be under good confitions, when my legal parents have to work from 2 in the morning to 8 at night sweating, and in winter with tyere boots full of mudd?1 why? thats just as corrupt as those business and nobody cares for that, and nobody argues, youre arguing over clothes, if they dont like those conditions , go back to where they belong, and earn the money the right way, as well like my parents:@ just leave them why dont they do a riot and leave if they care so much?

By: yessica

yessica — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 23:28:17 +0000

omg! this is horrible, they’re hiprocates! spread the word by posting the links to this article and other horrible facts about forever 21. on twitter,facebook,myspace etc… this is beyond unhuman!

By: Aja

Aja — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 15:10:08 +0000

I am sickened by some of these comments by people who insist that illegals just shouldn’t work some where. You clearly know nothing about the issues and should educate yourself because it’s absolutely not that easy. I’m also grossed out by all the people that insist that “well other companies do the same thing and it’s cheap so I’m just going to continue to shop there”. Have you no moral bone in your body? Just because tons of companies get away with failing to enforce labor laws does not mean we should sit back on our loins and continue to support a corrupt system. Shame on all of you who see no issue you with this.

Forever 21 looks cheap on everyone. Please don’t be fooled into thinking that you’re the exception to this rule. Discerning eyes know a cheap dress when they see one.

There are better places to shop and you won’t end up with a closet of absolute useless crap which you want to rid yourself of after three months. Seriously. Everything we do and buy leaves an imprint on this world. If you think it doesn’t matter, get real. It does.

By: Angryemployee

Angryemployee — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 07:59:41 +0000

I have worked for Forever 21 for close to two years. I have come to hate the company for everything under the sun. Our return policies are ridiculous, we have positions with no power, employees who dont give too shits about their job are the ones who are employeed, and everyday I’m learning more and more about the company that I hate it even more. Yes I agree I need to quit and find another job, but for me, unemployment isn’t an option.
In two years we went from a tiny little store to a large 100,000+ square foot building. During the holidays had at least 250+ employees. And we went from having an amazing store manager to the biggest joke ever. They fired one manager for one who is completly incapable of doing her job, so much so that the only people she puts up for promotions are those who are not trained and have no buisness holding the positions they do.
For example, one assistant manager was hired on as stock, and after just a few months was promoted, he went from having roughly 20 employees under him to 2, and can’t even manage the 2. The newest head cashier, when they started training her, it was her first night ever on registers.
It’s disgusting to see the qualified individuals being passed over for the lazy, unreliable employees that customers complain about most.
As to our clothes, they are cheap, often poorly made items. We’ve had items come in that we’ve had to damage out before they ever hit the floor for one reason or another. We recently got a shipment of belts that looked like they had mold growing on them. Our jewlery doesn’t last. It starts to tarnish after just a days wear. Most of our clothes require that you hand wash or dry clean them otherwise, one trip through the washing machine and theyre ruined.
When I first started with this company I loved it, but now all I see is hypocracy, and a very corrupt company. They will do anything to steal your money, and they write up employees and stores for post-voiding a transaction. Yes, if you truely want your cash back, transactions can be post-voided, you just have to do a lot of work to get it done. Anyone who says there is no option for cash back is a liar, its under another window.
I know I should be saying come shop at my store, but to hell with Forever 21. Don’t waste your money… Oh and to top it off… A Christian company… but lets stay open on Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day, and Thanksgiving, And Easter… Why not, more money for the Changs.

By: Ross

Ross — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:43:34 +0000

I only got to comment 29 before I got tired of reading. However, I want to respond to one particular thing. @Wendy #29:

“I’m tired of that “I’m a college student, I’m poor” excuse for buying crappy, mass-produced clothing. … Then they grow up, get jobs and buy the real thing when they can afford it.”

Firstly, mass-produced does not equal crappy, and handmade piecework does not equal quality. Secondly, much of humanity — even those of us *with* jobs who *can* “afford it” — have no expletive DESIRE to wear designer clothing, ever. I’m sorry if this too qualifies as “stealing the livelihood” of top rank designers, but I don’t *care* who designed my clothing. As long as it was constructed in a shop that treats its employees humanely, if it’s wearable and not repulsive to the eyes, I’m content.

I’ve never heard of “Forever 21″; I found this site by searching for the Gollum quote “we hates it forever”, believe it or not. But honestly, this hero-worship of designers makes me ill.

By: sarah

sarah — Sat, 22 May 2010 20:14:35 +0000

This is the WORST company to work for!!!! Management is awful and they treat employees like crap, such a cheap dirty company and they are christians, the irony of it!! Awful Awful company!

By: know before speaking

know before speaking — Wed, 12 May 2010 23:27:06 +0000

I find many of these comments a product of ignorance.
For those of you who think that these illegal immigrants should just go home and get a proper visa and green card to come work in the U.S……..

have you ever talked to Mexican-Americans, or studied immigration??
Do you have any idea whatsoever how realistically difficult it is for a Mexican to get a legitimate visa of any kind to the U.S., let alone a worker’s visa??

i’m not saying that illegal immigration is by any means the answer, because it is true that an undocumented worker is an invisible one, however, i just wish that people who were ignorant and naive in the study of immigration and its consequences would not talk as if they have all the answers to America’s immigration problems.
Our nation is far more dependent on illegal immigrants than you realize, and for every facet of this discussion on fashion production, at least two other areas of society are affected.
The consumer’s economic standing is affected by the producer’s economic sellout, which is in turn affected by the level of the consumer’s buyer power. Very often these issues are a Catch 22 and it is difficult to solve these things.
it is possible, but it just takes time, and the commitment of both the producer AND the consumer to ethical practices.

By: Loryn

Loryn — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 01:23:01 +0000

Forever 21 did have a labor issue in 2001 where the workers boycotted the store because they were not paid their back wages. Yes, it is a real issue, even in a company ‘as big as’ that one.
They have rampant copyright infringement– it’s one thing to follow a trend, another to duplicate a pattern (there are documented legal scandals pertaining to this).
As to the Christianity, it’s fine with me if they want to put John 3:16 on the bags, that’s not forcing me to go to church, but the workforce discrimination is sickening.
And last, this is America, you can shop there, I’m just asking why! I’ve bought only a few things there, but what I have bought I’ve been disappointed with. I bought a pair of lounge pants that developed tiny holes along the seams within a week, and a sweater that started unraveling the first time I washed it. It’s a waste of money, really. If you buy a pair of jeans for $30, they last you six months, and you replace them, that’s $60 per year. Might as well buy the $100 ones that will last you for two years. That’s just hypothetical, but I’m sure you get my point.

By: jesse.anne.o

jesse.anne.o — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 04:07:18 +0000

I think there’s a big difference between knowing a lot of companies are doing this and therefore not caring that *anyone* is doing it because you feel powerless to change it — and knowing they are all doing it but still feeling like you can individually talk about a company since that company is a sum of the whole (i.e. that company is *part* of the problem – they are just not the *only* part of the problem). I don’t think there’s anything wrong about having a discussion about *one* company as long as you admit they are not the exception, and they are part of the whole problem.

Similar thing with ag markets, etc. This is 39th and Bwy – why would they be talking about ag markets? There are a bunch of foodie/food system blogs that talk about ag markets. Just like there are a lot of foodie/green/animal welfare blogs that talk about factory farming. So, no, I wouldn’t expect 39th and Bwy to talk about those topics. I would expect them to talk about (all) clothing stores, though.

I am also pretty floored how little people know about immigrants! I feel like the whole “shallow ditzy fashion people” stereotype is being fully represented here, which is a shame.

By: nury

nury — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 05:08:51 +0000

So I guess 4$ an hour is good for them, if they make 4$ in a week in Mexico?

I don’t know if i can have that much sympathy for immigrants, because when my parents came here from cuba they didn’t know english and no one catered to them like they do to immigrants now. You should look at programs like welfare and wic and see where all your tax dollars are going to feed the 3 or 4 kids that mexican families tend to have have as soon as they make a dollar in this country.

i honestly have not that much sympathy. I’m cuban and i come from a really poor ass neighborhood in miami where a bunch of immigrants lived, and some of them are doing nothing and others are making something of themselves going to great universities and whatnot. I think a lot has to do with the way you’re raised. If you have a foundation of doing dubious ass shit like sneaking into countries and lying your way into welfare, your chances of being an upstanding successful citizen are kinda slim.

As for forever 21, I’m sad that their clothes are all sweat shop produced (even though I could pretty much tell bc every single thing they sell is made in china) because a lot of their things i really like, and i happen to work there, and it kind of bothers me that I’m producing labor for a company that is pretty shady, from what it sounds like.

Unfortunately though I probably will continue to buy things there, because i work there and its cheap.

Also, I have something to add. pretty much everything you buy and eat is mass produced, and some had to suffer a little for it. fruits and vegetables, chocolate, rice, grains, who do you think picks those fruits? everything you put in your mouth and probably on your body too. i try to be conscious of that stuff and buy organic things once in a while but seriously if you bought every single item that was cruelty free you’d have no fucking money and thats a fact. try cutting walmart out of your life, (esp if youre in college), or try boycotting everything that is made in china or india, get an american car thats not made from mexican parts, or “assembled” in mexico. its hard, almost impossible, unless you’ve got money to burn, and i honestly don’t, so stop being so hypocritical, because whether you like it or not, you’re american, and everything here is produced from companies in india and china pretty much, so you probably have blood on your hands. don’t blame f21 for everything, they are a part of the corruption but theyre not the only ones