According to an ex-employee of a major Finnish clothing chain – one with a new TV advertising campaign – most Oulu citizens would be appalled at the work practices of local clothes shops.

“They’ll do anything to seem friendly and welcoming, but treat their employees like dirt,” said a young Finnish woman, 24, having quit her job on ethical grounds. “It’s atrocious. Managers hire three part-time workers rather than one full-timer. They get two hundred applicants for every job, and they always take young students, students who are easy to push around and won’t ask for much salary.”

In her opinion applicants above 25 years of age are very likely to be turned down for a shop assistant’s position.

If you do get hired, a long-term employee, she said, will make little more than on unemployment and housing benefit. “They’re basically getting a full-time worker but don’t pay a salary. You can expect to make around 800 euros net/month, less than the calculated minimum wage.” Managers pay workers by the hour, which allows them to call an employee in for a five-hour day, dismissing them on a quiet spot.

A shop will even hire a new part-timer rather than give someone a full-time job. “Many positions are just there to dilute the workforce and prevent professional attachment. It discourages career salespersons.”

Even more surprising are the lengths shops will go to enforce a super-efficient image. “When we noticed a batch of seconds, it was company policy to take scissors and cut them up on the spot– piles of good clothes with some tiny fault. I asked why they didn’t donate them to charity, Russian orphans or developing countries, and after a week or two was told by my manager’s superior that this would not ‘be compatible with our image.’”

It seems difficult to imagine how streaky pullovers in Sudan could damage a Finnish company’s reputation. “If anything, they should be rushing to be involved with charity work. I’ll drive the truck if that’s the problem.”

In the lead up to Christmas, Oulu’s clothes stores are now open late at the weekends.

When asked for any advice for early Christmas shoppers, our informant said “don’t buy anything acrylic, unless you only want to use it once.”