So my niece may never go shopping with me again

[Donald Ian Rankin]

90. I think that that's the exact opposite of ethical consumership!

Money spent on goods made in the third world in decent conditions does more to help people in the third world than money spent money spent on goods made less ethically in the third world.

But even buying the worst sweatshop goods still does more good for people in the third world than buying first-world goods.

People work in appalling conditions because there are more people willing to do so than there are jobs available. The conditions will only improve if a) there are fewer people willing to work in those conditions - which would be great, but isn't going to happen any time soon - or b) there are more jobs available in the third world. Boycotting third world goods is what an actively unethical and wicked consumer would do. I'm sure that's not your intent - you're clearly trying to consume ethically, and just doing it misguidedly - but I think you're doing the diametrical opposite of the thing that will do the most good.