Primania

Over 200 bargain-hunters started queueing at 6am on Friday to be at the front of the stampede into the new eagerly anticipated Primark. The Tab was there to rate the new branch and see the carnage first-hand. Shoppers were struck by it's size, it has 3 floors, 8 departments and covers 54,000 sq ft of floor space. It has finally opened after having been treated to a £1 million makeover. The shop is particularly popular with cash-strapped RECESSIONISTAS who want to recreate catwalk looks with a high street price tag. Downing student Ali McWhirter was delighted with the store: "It was mental, people were elbowing each other out of the way to get to the best deals and throwing clothes everywhere but it was still amazing. It will make costume shopping for swaps so much cheaper!" The company has done very well out of the credit crunch, they have posted record profits and continued to expand throughout Europe. This will be their 192nd store and it has created around 250 local jobs. Their high street competitors have already felt the impact. A Topshop sales assistant told the Tab: "We are much less busy than normal today. Everyone is at Primark. Some of the staff even went." The chain has come under fire for ignoring poor working conditions in the factories that supply the ludicrously cheap clothes. Third year Philosopher Rhemayo Brooks said he supports the campaign against Primark: "The clothes are cheap because they are made by slaves. I refuse to back the exploitation of my peoples." This didn't seem to bother Elizabeth Chambers, a local beautician. She claimed she was ''over the moon'' at the opening and had got up at 5.30am to be one of the first in line. She said: ''Primark is always bang on trend so you can get just the look you want for less than half the price you'd normally pay elsewhere. ''Some people are a bit snobby about it but to honest in this day and age I bet the majority can't afford to turn their noses up. ''I'll be coming back everyday, you can get a whole outfit for the price of a couple of sandwiches. Who cares where it was made as long as they got paid.''