A shopper shared the money-saving tip online that many miss out on at the tills
Someone claiming to work for Primark said ‘we will definitely give them to you’(Image: Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)
Many Primark stores keep an item behind the counter that staff may hand out free of charge if shoppers ask about it. The fashion retailer generally has no issue with customers requesting to keep hangers when purchasing clothes at the checkout, or giving away extras, too.
Buying clothes hangers can be surprisingly costly, depending on where you shop. Some retailers will ask customers whether they’d like to keep the hanger their new item was displayed on, while others don’t bother and instead reuse it for another item in the store.
This frequently results in a bulk of unused hangers that could find a new home if shoppers simply ask one question at the till. The tip was previously shared online after someone asked at their local Primark, reports the Mirror.
Posting on the popular Facebook group, Extreme Couponing and Bargaining, the shopper wrote: “Just a tip for anyone desperately in need of coat hangers. Go to Primark and ask for some!”
“I went today and they asked if my mum wanted to keep the hangers and I said I will as I’m in need of some. [The staff] gave me a bag full and told me if I need any more to go in and ask, as they get charged to dispose of them!”
Plenty of people were delighted to learn this, with one group member commenting: “Better than going into landfill!” While another added: “I’m so glad I’ve just seen this. I literally just been on Amazon looking at coat hangers!”
A third commented: “This is a great idea. I don’t understand this need for perfectly aesthetic clothes hangers that match – they’re just there to do a job and hardly anyone is going to see them anyway!”
Another shopper said: “If there’s nothing wrong with them then this is a great thing from Primark. Customer gets hangers for free and they don’t have to deal with the waste.”
One person who claimed to work at the budget clothing retailer backed the tip, adding: “I work there! Just ask, we will definitely give them to you.”
A fellow shop worker also encouraged customers to “just ask” if they’re after a specific type of hanger, saying: “Don’t forget that they also have trousers hangers and the ‘one peg’ ones from the men shorts. [Nine times out of ten] they are buried but it’s worth the ask.”
Several commenters noted that this tip isn’t exclusive to Primark, with another retail worker claiming at the time: “We will give hangers in Poundland too!”
While the majority of Primark staff are happy to help and hand over spare hangers, it ultimately comes down to what each individual store has available and whether they have any surplus at that particular moment. Retail staff say if you ask, they will happily look for specific varieties based on what is available behind the counter or buried in the till bins:
- Standard top hangers: Typical plastic hangers for t-shirts, dresses, and shirts.
- Trouser bars: Hangers with a solid bottom bar for folding jeans or slacks.
- Two-Peg hangers: Hangers featuring adjustable clips, perfect for skirts or shorts.
- “One-Peg” clips: Smaller specialized clips often harvested from men’s shorts or accessories
