If you tuned in to Super Bowl LVIII on February 11, 2024, you may have seen a flashy advertisement for an online shopping platform called Temu. From a bundle of sweaters priced at $2.99 to a portable blender for $6.99, Temu seemingly has it all — but at what expense?
According to The New York Post, the Chinese-owned e-commerce company spent an estimated total of $21 million on its three Super Bowl advertisements, which aired throughout the big game. As of 2023, Temu sits at the number one spot for the most downloaded free app in the Apple app store, surpassing other popular apps such as TikTok and Amazon.
However, many wonder if the low prices are too good to be true. “It’s scary that Temu’s becoming so popular,” said Sami Lee ‘25. “They don’t pay workers fairly, which enables them to have cheap prices.”
In 2023, an investigation led by The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party questioned Temu about its compliance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). The act was passed in response to the Uyghur Genocide and prohibits items made with forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China from entering the United States market.
In response, Temu wrote, “Temu is not the importer of record with respect to goods shipped to the United States, [the UFLPA] and the prohibitions … do not apply directly to Temu’s activities as an online platform operator.”
Pinduoduo (PDD) Holdings, Temu’s parent company, has faced backlash too. According to the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission, China Labor Watch accused PDD of extreme overtime after former PDD Employee Wang Taixu reported that some employees were required to work 12.5 hours per day.
PDD also faced online protests after worker deaths in 2020-2021, two of which were reported in the Washington Post. According to one of these articles, a worker named Fei collapsed on December 29, 2023 whilst coming back from a long shift at PDD. She died after six hours of first-aid treatment. Around two weeks later, another worker named Tan jumped to his death on January 9, 2024 after abruptly asking for leave from the company.
Rumors about Temu’s unethical labor practices have been circulating online since the shopping platform was released in September 2022. However, Temu is only attracting more and more shoppers — both in and outside of the Urban community — due to its trendy apparel and cheap prices.
“Urban is a really competitive school in terms of keeping up with fashion trends,” said Lily Negrin ‘25. “You always want a new outfit every day, but building a wardrobe takes time, so people use Temu to get cheap clothes fast.”
Lee spoke about the cyclical nature of buying from companies like Temu that have such low prices. “Shopping is fun because you get that instant gratification and dopamine rush when you’re opening packages,” said Lee. “But then you’re gonna get bored and the clothes won’t hold up because the materials are so cheap, so you’re gonna want more quickly … and Temu is so cheap, so you’ll be able to keep shopping.”
Online, social media influencers are sharing videos of their Temu shopping sprees, popularizing and normalizing overconsumption.
“I get angry at the people [I] see on TikTok who do those $300 shopping hauls, because they are able to afford something more ethical,” said Lee. “They’re putting out a message that it’s okay to order mindlessly off of Temu without considering the effects you have on workers and the environment.”
However, Temu’s cheap prices could be beneficial for consumers with fewer financial resources.
“If you’re low-income, and Temu is all you can afford, then yeah, buy [from] Temu,” said Negrin. “But in Urban’s community, when most students are wealthier and have access to such a strong education, it’s a little more frustrating.”
