I don't know if this has been suggested yet, but what about contacting your local news channel?
I just shot off a letter to the 9news Investigative team..and I hope they respond.
You always see those "local" blurbs..."company makes chocolate frogs...how cute" or "local teen visits nursing home"...well, they should be willing to get the word out about this company, right?
I sent the address for David & Goliath to the reporter, too. Hopefully they'll contact me. I requested their aid not only in investigating D & G, but getting the word out to an enormous amount of people who watch the news.
How about if everyone does that with their local news channel???
Also...is it legal to sit outside a store, located IN a mall, and do a sort of picket thing????
I was on a local news channel a couple of days ago. It appears that David and Goliath have no intentions of stopping production of these products. They are their best sellers.
The segment was nice and informative. It was good practice for me speaking in front of the camera as well. The reporters showed a girl making a joke: "Boys make good pets, every girl should have one." Then they cut to a young male teen and he said it was discriminating and that they should be pulled. I pointed out that child abuse is taken seriously by the courts and law enforcement and that these hats promote child abuse by girls. It was better than how I portrayed it here.
The manager walked by and looked at me and gave me a dirty look during the taping. LOL. It must have been her day off, because she was dressed down and her hair was a mess. I think that she might have wanted to throw a rock at me.
As for the picketting idea....you would have to get permission from the mall owners since it is private property. The store was shown in the segment that I was in and the store clerks were trying to not let the reporter put the store in the segment at all. The reporter just laughed at them. It's ok to show it and they did.
I did give Katie my home address and told her it was for this correspondance only and I will not tolerate any junk email from Claire's unless they remove the offensive merchandise.
I agree, this letter will be BS but I want a hard copy of it for a couple of reasons.
The Claire's Customer Service is about 25 miles from my house. I have no problem calling up Katie and asking for a face-to-face. Any SPARC members within driving distance to Hoffman Estates will be welcome to join me. Or I'll go alone, I don't care.
I also emailed Richard Roeper from the Chicago Sun Times with the info. Not only is he nationally syndicated, he's also on TV with Ebert. We'll see if he bites.
those "give me a break" segments on 20/20 (?) I think. I'm going to check into his e-mail through abcnews.com and see if I can find it.
Joni, I am about 30 miles from Hoffman Estates.
Here is my reply to their requested information.
In the subject line "Claire's are stupid shirts" [I know, not nice]
Ms. Michaels
I will not be sending any of my personal information to you. I am sure you have already traced my computer IP. I receive an adequate amount of 'JUNK MAIL.' I am outraged that you feel the need for my personal information.
Your store promotes violence toward the male gender. Do you think this is a joke? Anyone would see the damage this can cause. If you had an article of merchandise that said "any race? are stupid, throw rocks at them" What do you think that would promote? You are encouraging discrimination.
I have one computer, one address.
I cannot believe your stores would stand behind something so discriminatory. You must hold an awfully big block of stock in this 'David and Goliath.'
With the insult you sent my way, you leave me no other choice then to contact everyone I can and let them know what type of CRAP you sell in your stores.
Just a thought, I know people from all over the country and group e-mails go a long way. I also know, family and friends will pass it along.
You have heard the story, and so on, and so on, and so on...
Your company only has themselves to blame.
That is ALL you need to know [font in red and underlined]
re's are Stupid shirts"
Well said!
whereas, one can not "picket" in a mall, or other shopping center... why not make a T-shirt that says:
Claire's Buyers are stupid, .... Throw rocks at them..
LOL
You can CERTAINLY walk in the mall wearing a shirt!
I could do that!
But if you get a permit, you can picket on the sidewalk outside the mall. The folks from the Los Angeles Chapter of FR, work with the major metropolitan police depts, especially the Sheriff and the LAPD, where the majority of the protests take place. Find someone who can represent your protest group and arrange to meet someone from your local LE to discuss a protest. It is a constitutionally guaranteed right to peaceful protest. I don't think you'll have too much of a problem, unless your run into a feminazi :-(
Anyone who gets a permit, tell your group that it's so much more effective to use humor in your message, rather than anger. I have no clue how to insert humor into this, however. Always remember when you're standing on a busy streetcorner, the cars are going by FAST. The message has to be concise and eye catching. Good luck :-)
Right on dude!
Lol! I understand where you're coming from, but you'll alienate a whole lot of people. Yeah...smart people wouldn't buy T shirts like the D&G shirts. However, as a picketer, or protester, your job is to win hearts and minds towards your opinions/goals/political statement.
Maybe something like " We like Claire's, but we like boys better"!
Something like that...
You done good!!! WOW!!! You were on the news? Right on, FatherTime!!!