Gold Brothers, aka...

[Paul]

I don't believe people are giving negative comments about quality and labeling simply because of racism. I think there's been a lot of valid points about these issues raised - however when it is stated who is making the kilts and where I think some people have shown that they seem to care about this - or maybe some were simply simply implying that cheap labour is used in the process as well as cheap materials. I dont know.

[highlander_Daz]

None of the issues I have rasied have been based on Racism, I have tried to ask questions that Im sure are on a lot of peoples minds, but were maybe afraid to ask, I can assure my fellow Xmarkers that Im not using the GBs status as British asians as a reason to criticise them , I think its hard for for some overseas members to understand the strong feelings that are involved, I think the mods have played it right, if you look at the title of the thread its is called Gold Bros AKA, hence my questions re the name Gold Bros, I would be delighted if Heather were to go back to her superiors and as a result all our concerns, (and many of my concerns are echoed by the Chamber of commerce and the STA ) GB changed aspects of ts operation,
There is always a nieche for resonable quality products at resonable prices, the ethnic origin of the vendor is not a be a factor, I would be more concerned that the product was of reasonable quality, of a reasonable price, and was respectful of the culture that it is representitive of, and labeled in a way that was transparant as the the origin of manufacure and design.
Which to be fair GB hasnt always lived up to the expectations listed above, however I hope they will take something away from this and, as a major player in Highlandwear retailers were to raise the bar in quality and value.

[beloitpiper]

I've been following this thread for awhile. Here's my qualm against the Gold Bros. I don't care if they're from Lochaber or Punjab. What I do not like, however, is the gaudiness of their stores and merchandise. Is it legal? Of course. Do I like it? Not a whole lot. I feel that a majority of their merchandise gives a bad example of what Highland wear really is. I've been to their stores in Edinburgh and Glasgow and I even bought something there. Would I buy something there again? Probably not.

I don't think they should pack up and leave. However, if it was up to me, I would like them tone it down a bit. The sensory assault I experience when I walk past their stores on the Royal Mile are enough to make me resent them. Their poor example of Highland clothing (which I know fills a market demand, but I still don't like it) just seals the deal.

[Panache]

There have been some pretty direct questions and observations made here about the Gold Bros stores.

Here on XMTS we have one of the most informed group of Kilt buyers and wearers on the planet. Many people come here to XMTS when they are looking for the best possible information regarding tartans, the kilt, and how to wear it.

Issues like ownership of copyrighted tartans like the Isle of Skye that the general public may not even be aware of are import to us as people that are serious about doing the right thing.

Why don't we leave the floor now, without further piling on, to Heather?

Our membership has asked and observed now let's let this give this merchant a chance to respond.

If we are truly asking questions or offering honest constructive feedback then we need to allow them a chance to process all this.

Heather,

If you are still following this thread please go back through it and look at the concerns and questions that have been put forth, take your time and talk to your bosses, and then come back and give us The Gold Brother's thoughts.



So let's show how we are the true Ladies and Gentlemen of XMTS and give the floor over to Heather.

So no more posting until Heather does, OK?

Cheers

Jamie and The Mod Squad

[Paul]

If they removed "Authentic woven tartan" from the label I'd be grateful.

[NorCalPiper]

Hey Guys-
I apologize about the name thing. I hope you all understand that I am married to an southern belle whose parents were both from India, so having first hand knowledge of Indian culture, especially when it involves displacement into another country, i feel I have an edge up on most of you here.

I asked the question to Heather based on 3 reasons. 1.)Someone piped in stating there is no Heather McCain and that anagrams are your friend. 2.)My wife's cousins own a gas station and ALL use European names in lieu of their own so the yokels don't trip all over themselves trying to pronounce "Kirtikumar Sukhdev". So its NOT unheard of for this to happen. 3.) Since Heather had come onto to the board, I felt that asking this would be OK, since there was some doubt in my mind. She answered very carefully of which I have to accept.

I'll try to keep this as toned down as possible, but mods are free to pull it if not. I have just felt that Gold-Bros are simply into this as a business without regard to my culture or community (BUT-That is their right). Selling things mislabeled items cheats the public which offends me personally since it does concern my ethnic heritage (If that offends you, again I apologize). If I were to open a shop in Amritsar selling trinket "karras" and "kirpans", and I wore a pugree, I'm sure Punjabis everywhere would feel offended (As well as probably have a good laugh). If a business is opened in a community and it is not supporting the local community by offering jobs to that community as to give back to it, that doesn't sit well either. I am skeptical that Heather McCain is this posters real name. I apologize if it sounded as if I was asking those questions on behalf of others, I was asking for myself. And of that I apologize.

On the other hand, it does seem that HoS seems to be migrating into relationships with the mills and such, so for that, I'm appreciative.

[Panache]

There have been some pretty direct questions and observations made here about the Gold Bros stores.

Here on XMTS we have one of the most informed group of Kilt buyers and wearers on the planet. Many people come here to XMTS when they are looking for the best possible information regarding tartans, the kilt, and how to wear it.

Issues like ownership of copyrighted tartans like the Isle of Skye that the general public may not even be aware of are import to us as people that are serious about doing the right thing.

Why don't we leave the floor now, without further piling on, to Heather?

Our membership has asked and observed now let's let this give this merchant a chance to respond.

If we are truly asking questions or offering honest constructive feedback then we need to allow them a chance to process all this.

Heather,

If you are still following this thread please go back through it and look at the concerns and questions that have been put forth, take your time and talk to your bosses, and then come back and give us The Gold Brother's thoughts.



So let's show how we are the true Ladies and Gentlemen of XMTS and give the floor over to Heather.

So no more posting until Heather does, OK?

Cheers

Jamie and The Mod Squad

[Heather MacCain]

Hello everyone,

Thank you again for all your posts concerning the quality of the products in our shops. I am also grateful for the comments on the labeling. All the remarks have been forwarded to the management and decisions on the improvements in these areas will be made soon. We aim at the maximum customer satisfaction so I can assure you that appropriate measures will be implemented. Please keep in mind how big a company we are and how many products we have in stock. The changes will not be instantly visible, but they will be in progress

Second issue I would like to respond to is the legality of our operations. We are a fully legal business and as such respect the law. We do offer jobs to locals, and most of our e-commerce staff are local people. As for our Edinburgh establishments we employ many nationalities and ethnicities. All of our employees are eligible for work in the UK and meet the job description requirements. They are all hardworking people and we are proud of them. As I mentioned before we are in the process of training our staff to meet the high standards of customer service we and our customers expect. I would like to repeat once again that we cooperate with a great number of Scottish and UK based producers and not all our products are imported from Pakistan.

Last but not least the issue of my identity. Any further comments will be ignored. I will not post the scan of my passport or my address for anyone to verify. I am not sure anymore whether these remarks were made to insult me or give me a good laugh.

I hope that I have helped clear up the issues that rose up in this discussion. I think it seems reasonable to close this thread and if anyone has further questions please PM me. Please note that answering some of the inquiries would be a breach of professional secret so remain sensible. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Heather

[nagod]

just curious,but has the same scrutiny been given to all the vendors that support this forum in regards to all the issues mentioned?

[McClef]

Probably not nagod but there are fairly unique circumstances here given the level of Gold Brothers presence in Edinburgh that would be difficult to reproduce in other locations.

They have been the subject of a very large level of correspondence in these forums and Heather offered herself as a sounding board for viewpoints and suggestions.

She has asked for the thread to be closed and that's fine. But I would ask her to announce any changes that end up being made as they occur.