On October 31st (Halloween), I went to _______gmart and saw a "Rasta Mon" costume for sale. Retailers have been selling dreadlock wigs, Bob Marley costumes etc for years, but I found the image on this packaging to be particularly offensive. Why is the Black man wearing the wig also wearing a bone necklace? Why does he have tribal markings on his face? If you went to a Halloween party and saw a person dressed up as this "Rasta Mon" would you not be offended? Prince Harry dressed up as a Nazi soldier last year, and he was publicly rebuked. 

I believe that the costume that ______mart is selling is just as offensive as it would be  to squint your eyes and be "Asian grocer" or wear a prosthetic nose and be "Jewish banker". They wouldn't dare sell an image with a swastika on it so why is it acceptable for them to sell an image such as the one in the picture below? It's just not ok.

I contacted _____mart to voice my concern and was less than impressed with their response. (see below)

I am a loyal _______mart customer, but I am deeply disappointed with their nonchalant attitude to my concern. I feel as though they're telling me that I am "too sensitive"; that I misinterpreted the image as being offensive, and that by asking them to do something about it, I am asking them to take part in "censorship" (their word, not mine)

At this juncture, I have chosen to take a break from shopping at ______mart, and I am writing this blog to ask that you either a) share my experience with others b) take a break from _____mart as well, or c) help me to understand that indeed maybe I am just too sensitive and that there really isn't an issue here.

Thanks

 Leah "not on my watch" Burke

Their response to my original email:

Hello Ms. Burke,

Thank you for writing to us.  The entire philosophy of our company is based on the understanding of care and concern for all of our customers.  Our promise is to provide superior customer satisfaction beyond expectation.  _________mart receives a tremendous amount of advice from a wide spectrum of advocates, each with their own value systems, about the many products that a drug store sells. Their assumption is that consumers need to be protected from themselves.   _________mart’s position is that it will not allow itself to become the cultural or moral censor for any legal product.  The fact that we sell a product does not constitute any endorsement on our part of that product.

One of the great underlying perils of merchandising and retailing, regardless of diligent testing for possible hidden, offensive, or unintended messages, it may be interpreted that a product is unsuitable for the general public.  To refuse to sell a product that one takes issue with would clearly be a form of censorship on our part which is a position we will not take.

Thank you for your feedback.  We will continue to monitor your concern and make any necessary adjustments.

Regards,

Angela

 _________mart Customer Service

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My response to their response:

Dear Angela,

By selling an item that advertises racist images (such as a black man, wearing a bone necklace, tribal markings and “Rasta Mon” hair you are telling your customers that you approve of such imagery. It is baffling to me that you do not see the inappropriateness of this image and it does not at all reflect your philosophy of “care and concern for all of [your] customers.”. You would not carry items that contain profanity, nor would you carry an item that had anti-semitic inferences.

The image on the packaging is not a “possible hidden, offensive or unintended message”, it is a blatant disrespectful image that you have chosen to ignore for reasons unbeknownst to me.

I appreciate the diplomacy of your response, but it does not solve the problem, and I have not been assured that such imagery will not occur again next Halloween.

At this point then, continuing to shop at  _________mart is a “position [I] will not take”, and I will encourage my friends and family to do the same.

I will however, “continue to monitor your concern and make any necessary adjustments”.

Regards,

Leah Burke

Then, after a suggestion from my brother, I also sent Angela this:

Angela,

1. When a merchandiser selects a product line to sell for profit it is a clear endorsement. The merchandiser could have selected a wig without images.

2. Would you be interested in presenting the image to a group of public advocates for consensus?

 3. Toronto is the most multicultural region in the world. My request was not that ______mart censor product but 'protect customers from them selves' by selecting product that bears no image or an image that cannot be left to interpretation.

 Is it possible for you to work with me to create a joint e-mail address where people can express their perspective to _____mart to review and respond after the poll?

 Please advise.

and the response that I got from her this morning:

Hello Ms. Burke,
Thank you for your response. We have taken your comments and have forwarded them to the Category Manager so that they are aware of your concerns. However, although we appreciate your opinion, Shoppers Drug Mart will not become involved in any future “action” you feel necessary as a result of the product(s) being sold in our locations. We thank you once again for sharing your comments and opinions with us.    

 Regards,

Angela

Customer Service

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As I mentioned above, I'm a loyal _____mart customer. I'm about 300 points away from getting $$ off my next purchase, but that'll have to be put on hold for now bc I won't be shopping there for some time.

Thanks to Laina Dawes for sharing this experience on her blog: http://www.blogher.com/post-halloween-commentary-whassup-blackface