I have been completely neglecting my "Grumpy Sociologist" blog here since also blogging over at Sociology In Focus. Back in January, while walking around one of the innumerable mini-malls in Irvine, California, I noticed as I do every year in January the massive sales.

I started seeing clothing items on sale for $5, some for less, as merchants attempted to get their un-sellable merchandise off the shelves. Were they still turning a profit? Hard to say, but it made me think about how inexpensive these clothing items were for the middle-class Irvine shoppers. And why were they so cheap? Because they were made by exploited labour, perhaps even enslaved labour.



I get into more at Sociology In Focus here: By Hitting Up Those Post-Holiday Sales, Are You Supporting Contemporary Slavery?. Check it out if you have a minute.


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