To keep their unsold merchandise from being worn or put on the market by other sellers, Manhattan clothing retailers are shredding their excess merchandise instead of donating it, according to the Times. Scavengers have started sifting through the trash bags piled up behind the H&M's 34th Street shop in search of garb that hasn't been destroyed with box cutters or razors. A few doors down, a company contracted to work for Wal-Mart allegedly covered the sidewalk with trash bags stuffed clothing that had been punched with holes. Onlookers spotted gloves with the fingers cut off, shoes with scissors taken to the instep and jackets slashed across the arms and body. Both H&M and the company working with Wal-Mart are located around the corner from a major collection point for New York Cares, which conducts a coat drive every winter.
Update: apparently this story caused quite a stir today— H&M has already put out a statement saying "it will not happen again."
