Finally, Target: Christmas Wars
After my last post, I went and recovered what receipts I could and wrote this e-mail. Yeah, I'm channeling some anger from other areas in my life, but I really hate not being able to shop at Target because of a few self-righteous blowhards. Comment away!
January 13, 2006
Dear Sir or Madam,
I wrote to you via this medium before on the third of November of this past year concerning my deep disappointment in your policy of coddling pharmacists who refuse to supply emergency contraception. I wrote at that time that I would patronize neither your brick-and-mortar nor your online stores until the matter was resolved to my satisfaction. To my knowledge, this has not occurred.
In order to put my money where my mouth was, I bought all my Christmas necessities elsewhere. I spent over a hundred dollars at Amazon.com on books and CDs. I spent around twenty dollars on gifts for a “Dear Santa” program where I adopted a child for the holidays. I spent $11.70 on token gifts for my coworkers and $20.03 on a “Secret Santa” exchange. Those were all purchased at Kohl’s. I spent $30.78 at The Container Store on gift wrap and accessories, and another $12.69 at Meijer on the same.
I realize I probably could have gotten all of this paraphernalia at Target and for less money. However, as you allow misogynists to refuse to provide legal and FDA-approved medication to women with valid prescriptions, I drove all over the Chicago area to get my Christmas shopping done. The stress I may have induced in myself is nothing compared to the shame I would feel at betraying my fellow women and my own word for a greasy buck.
I have years of experience in retail, and I am well aware of how large corporations work. In your response to my original missive, you tried to hide behind the fig leaf of “diversity,” a flimsy excuse at best. If corporate America were truly interested in such a notion, there would be far more women and persons of color in boardrooms and other upper-management positions. It would seem to me that in pursuit of the bottom line, you would be trying to use every opportunity the customer gave you to separate them from their money. Instead, you allow your pharmacists to believe that they can choose for women what to do with their own bodies.
Also, the form response I received whined that Target was being “singled out” by Planned Parenthood. On the contrary, Planned Parenthood has also cited Wal-Mart, among others, for their anti-woman policies. I don’t expect any better from Wal-Mart, with its shoddy merchandise and its other socially abysmal policies, and I don’t shop there. I expected far more from Target, which has struggled mightily to attract a younger, more affluent clientele. We, the young and educated, expect better from the companies we patronize, and we will have it. Hopefully, you will soon allow women to fill whatever legitimate prescription they have with no lecture, no attitude, and no waiting. When that happens, I will gladly resume buying from you.
Sincerely, etc.
January 13, 2006
Dear Sir or Madam,
I wrote to you via this medium before on the third of November of this past year concerning my deep disappointment in your policy of coddling pharmacists who refuse to supply emergency contraception. I wrote at that time that I would patronize neither your brick-and-mortar nor your online stores until the matter was resolved to my satisfaction. To my knowledge, this has not occurred.
In order to put my money where my mouth was, I bought all my Christmas necessities elsewhere. I spent over a hundred dollars at Amazon.com on books and CDs. I spent around twenty dollars on gifts for a “Dear Santa” program where I adopted a child for the holidays. I spent $11.70 on token gifts for my coworkers and $20.03 on a “Secret Santa” exchange. Those were all purchased at Kohl’s. I spent $30.78 at The Container Store on gift wrap and accessories, and another $12.69 at Meijer on the same.
I realize I probably could have gotten all of this paraphernalia at Target and for less money. However, as you allow misogynists to refuse to provide legal and FDA-approved medication to women with valid prescriptions, I drove all over the Chicago area to get my Christmas shopping done. The stress I may have induced in myself is nothing compared to the shame I would feel at betraying my fellow women and my own word for a greasy buck.
I have years of experience in retail, and I am well aware of how large corporations work. In your response to my original missive, you tried to hide behind the fig leaf of “diversity,” a flimsy excuse at best. If corporate America were truly interested in such a notion, there would be far more women and persons of color in boardrooms and other upper-management positions. It would seem to me that in pursuit of the bottom line, you would be trying to use every opportunity the customer gave you to separate them from their money. Instead, you allow your pharmacists to believe that they can choose for women what to do with their own bodies.
Also, the form response I received whined that Target was being “singled out” by Planned Parenthood. On the contrary, Planned Parenthood has also cited Wal-Mart, among others, for their anti-woman policies. I don’t expect any better from Wal-Mart, with its shoddy merchandise and its other socially abysmal policies, and I don’t shop there. I expected far more from Target, which has struggled mightily to attract a younger, more affluent clientele. We, the young and educated, expect better from the companies we patronize, and we will have it. Hopefully, you will soon allow women to fill whatever legitimate prescription they have with no lecture, no attitude, and no waiting. When that happens, I will gladly resume buying from you.
Sincerely, etc.
posted by S. M. Frances at 8:02 PM
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