Irish clothing retailer Primark (known as “Penneys” in Ireland) was established in 1969 and operates in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Netherlands and the UK. It has been compared to stores like Zara and H&M, and plays a lead role in the fast fashion trend happening all around the world, especially in Europe. The Economist wrote, “For many shoppers, Primark has an irresistible offer: trendy clothes at astonishingly low prices. The result is a new and even faster kind of fast fashion, which encourages consumers to buy heaps of items, discard them after a few wears and then come back for another batch of new outfits.” Lucky for us Bostonian collegiettes, we have easy access to America’s very first Primark, which just opened this month at Downtown Crossing. I went this week and have to say I don’t think I will shop elsewhere for a long time.
Upon entering the Downtown Crossing store, you see so much going on. The first floor feels like it’s the whole store, as it’s a huge warehouse with high ceilings packed with fashion. You will tend to shop the perimeter of the store before making your way to the center elevator that brings you to all three of the floors above. Everything you can imagine is at Primark, an outerwear section on the lower level, a huge shoe department, menswear, kids, pajamas and lingerie, jewelry, home accessories, gifts, you name it. There is so much at Primark, you need to devote a whole day to shopping. But the great thing is, everything is SO CHEAP!
Cheap prices usually means lower quality products. This is true. Primark’s products are not what you’d find shopping high end stores on Newbury, but you get what you pay for. They are however, very much in style. A lot of what I saw was modeled after designer and street trends of this season; things you would get on Newbury for more than quadruple the price. And that is really the point of Primark – to shop in bulk and get what’s in style without spending an arm and a leg, and then next season do it all over again.
Primark really is a new way to shop, and I am so glad Boston got to be the very first US location. Make sure to check it out if you haven’t already! I went for the first time this week and spent a total of $55.50. Here’s what I got:
Sweater: $9.00
Sweater: $14.00
Boots: $20.00
Winter vest: $10.00
Earrings: $2.50