Value for time


Last Thursday saw the obsessively anticipated opening of the Primark Oxford Street store with much queueing, crushing and general hysteria going on. I arrived to view the spectacle at 10.05am and must have just missed the first wave of madness as I slipped in with no trouble. Oh boy, the place was heaving. But try as I might, I couldn’t see what the fuss was about. Where was all the good stuff? All I could see was cheaply finished casual tat you can find in any market. I’ve never *got* Primark. Yes, it’s cheap but it’s not made to last so what’s the point? And hearing stories of shoppers so caught up in the frenzy they would buy ten things, only to queue for an hour for a refund the next day made me think, yes they saved money, but at the expense of precious time. Does this signify a new lifestyle phenomenon? Now we have more money at our disposal it’s time that becomes the rare comodity. As well as value for money, shouldn’t we appreciate value for time?