First off, let’s be real. Cheetham Hill. It’s basically Manchester’s, well, *everyone’s*, go-to place for stuff that’s “inspired by” (read: blatantly ripped off) the real deal. Police are *always* raiding the place, right? “Operation Vulcan” and all that jazz. They’re pulling out tonnes of fake gear – six *million* quid’s worth in one go, apparently! Nuts.
So, trying to find legit “opening times” for these places is kinda pointless. It’s like asking for the recipe for Heisenberg’s blue meth. They ain’t exactly advertising it, are they? They are trying to hide in plain sight as much as possible, so, at the very least, they’d be having the general opening times to mimic normal business hours.
Plus, and this is the *really* dodgy bit, we’re not just talking about knock-off trainers and handbags here. The articles mention people trafficking and modern slavery. People are getting exploited to sew labels on these fake goods. That’s a whole other level of messed up. So worrying about what time they swing open the doors seems a bit…tone deaf, y’know?
I saw a guy selling fake Airpods the other day, right? Right on the street. Broad daylight. So, yeah, “opening times” seem flexible. More like “whenever they think they can get away with it.”
Honestly, trying to get a fixed schedule is almost disrespectful. Thinking about it, it also makes me feel like I’m giving tips to somebody who is planning to go buy this stuff, which would be awful.
My personal opinion? Stay away from the whole thing. Yeah, a bargain is tempting, but you’re potentially funding some seriously bad stuff. And who knows what kinda weird chemicals they’re using to make those clothes? You might end up with a rash or something.
So, yeah, Cheetham Hill Market, fake clothes, opening times… Forget about it. Get your clothes from somewhere legit. And maybe donate to an anti-slavery charity instead of buying a “Prada” bag for a tenner. Just a thought.
