I am writing to you again as head of customer relations as frankly I am feeling increasingly disturbed by the nature of your marketing strategy front of shop, which is ensuring that increasingly I don't feel very comfortable in my local Supermarket.
Now let me be clear Mr Wainright on one thing, I am a woman of the world, I have been (how can I put this) around the block and at my age I find not much shocks me any more. I have for example wandered into Ann Summers on more than one occasion having forgotten my specs and mistaken the underweared window display for Jessops. Thankfully I recovered from the initial confusion in the "toy department" soon enough to avoid buying a highly inappropriate present for a work colleague's baby shower and was able to quite enjoy the experience, mesmerised as I was by the sheer number of multi-coloured, multi-sized, phalluses before me, who knew.
No Mr W, I am no prude and I will not have it said that I am but what I am not able to cope with is the regularity with which I now see items for.....shall we say.. "private use" marketed on offer just inside the door of your otherwise welcoming store.
Frankly it confuses me, it really does, given that in every other respect I can see a lot of thought has gone into the presentation of your shops. The layout is such that on entering, no matter for what small item I may be "popping in", I can be instantly distracted by...for example, the latest book releases, a comfy looking fleecy blanket and slippers or seasonally perhaps sunglasses and flip flops. You will then draw me in further to other "must haves" and I confess I am not immune to the charms of a nice wine, a new picnic set or even a couple of lovely puddings. But Sir, there is a limit!
I realise Mr Wainright that I am what you might now class as middle aged but that does not mean I am out of touch and I honestly think some things just aren't right for a supermarket and frankly I am somewhat tired of having to complain in your store. I am therefore writing to you a second time, appealing to your senses, as I'm afraid this weeks prominent display of a free dental dam with the chardonnay frankly took the biscuit!
Now I am a forgiving person and I can see how these things might slip through the net from time to time. Your customer services representative was as always very understanding and promptly moved the eyesore to the back of shop but it perturbs me sir that I have to keep pointing out the inappropriateness of this. So frequent is the problem that last week I spent a full 10 minutes of my shopping time discussing with a young man why it really wasn't a good idea to have "blow up dolls" with the waterwings by the door even if it was "Summer FUN Time"and only last month I had to explain to a lovely middle aged and somewhat confused shop assistant that the "Rampant Rabbits" weren't good shelf fellows with the Easter eggs as a cheeky Easter extra even if they were on BOGOF.
I had originally presumed this to perhaps be a local issue that could be remedied by some focused training of store staff but sadly I have found that this is not the case. It appears that the issue is national as I realised to my cost when on visiting a friend in Leicester I nipped into your store and they attempted to entice me with some free lube with my kumquats?!
I'm sorry Mr Wainright, I am generally not one for writing letters at all but to be frank your first reply was woefully inadequate. Whilst I accept that decisions about freebies and contents are, as you put it "decided by the manufacturers and producers of these products" I will not be, as you suggested "taking up my issue with them" as I have no intention of buying their goods. I am however Mr W shopping in your store and as a regular customer and whilst you may have your market reasons for stocking these things I find it difficult to understand your justification for giving such inappropriate items pride of place at front of shop. Surely this tactic risks alienating a sizeable number of your customers, particularly those with young families in tow?
So Mr Wainright rest assured this will be my final letter. I hope to goodness you will see sense and act on mine and others complaints (I happen to know that there are many others who, equally confused and disturbed ,have also spoken out on this matter). I am now sadly giving some serious thought to taking my custom elsewhere but am sending this in the vain hope that in the future I and others will be able to enter your stores without fear of ever being invited again to purchase a strap-on with a bath bomb.
Yours Sincerely and Hopefully,
Mrs A Noyed
Dear reader - Clearly the above is fictitious but I would suggest it is equally inappropriate and none family friendly to display newspapers which regularly portray women inside and often on the front cover as sexual fodder for men on a sponsored and conspicuous stand in clear view and reach of children in our supermarkets week on week?
What's more when asked a direct question, repeptitively by customers about the supermarket's policy of displaying these pornpapers in such an endorsed fashion they dismiss concerns or continually refer customers back to the editor of the paper as you can see here. I don't think that covers it, do you?
