Wal-Mart faces boycott for 'banning' Christmas

WorldNetDaily ^ | Nov. 10, 2005 | Joe Kovacs

[News Hunter]

A Catholic advocacy group has launched a national boycott against Wal-Mart, claiming the world's No. 1 retailer has in effect "banned" Christmas, while promoting other seasonal holidays such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

But Wal-Mart tells WorldNetDaily it has "absolutely not" banned Christmas, but is just "trying to serve all our customers for the holiday season."

[flashbunny]

"Why is Christmas only worthy of a secondary search?"

Oh dear Lord, that's what you're going to hang your hat on?

They have 8,000 'christmas' items, so they create a special page when someone enters the search term of 'christmas', AND create a link to the search results as well, and you're complaining about it? THEY'VE DONE MORE FOR CHRISTMAS THAN THEY DID FOR THE OTHER TWO HOLIDAYS!!! AND YOU THINK THEY'RE DISCRIMINATING AGAINST CHRISTMAS!!!

Are you trying hard to be offended???

[flashbunny]

So are you admitting your first post was not true, or are you just changing the subject like you did before????

[durasell]

Christmas is not commercialized enough! We must fight until Christmas is attached to every retailing venture anyone can imagine!

[Caipirabob]

This is another attempt by the lefties to disparage Walmart, and we accept it. give me a break, Walmart would NEVER alienate 80% of its customers for PC anything. THINK ABOUT IT!!!!! And consider this, the source is World Net Daily.

Makes sense to me. The LAST thing any true capitalist would do is abandon Christmas marketing. For many retailers, thatw when they go from red to black. Who in their right mind would jeopardize that?

[twntaipan]

Have you been to their website and done searches on Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Christmas?

Which ones takes you directlyto what you are looking for and which one takes you to the "politically correct" page?

[flashbunny]

almost nobody - but apparently some people are offended if a retailer doesn't run their business exactly the way they want it run - so they cry for a boycott.

Then, there's the perpetually offended, just waiting for a company to do something so they can raise a fuss.

[KneelBeforeZod]

ah this is a dilemma. soundsl like a RTFA moment, then again its world nut daily

[sphinx]

It is an absolute shame that Walmart will give in to the multicultural notion that, in the pursuit of multiculturalism, says the only holiday you cannot specifically mention is Christmas.

We're not even past Harvest Day and you're already agitating about Christmas?

[Dallas59]

Why can't Christmas be called Christmas? It's a religious holiday. Everyone is invited to celebrate a birth that changed the world...

[twntaipan]

And of course there are the intentionally obtuse, who shoot the messenger rather than look at the message.

Fact: Walmart has altered its marketing to accomodate the politicallly correct crowd (which you seem to accept as positive).

Fact: Searches on Walmart's website for Kwanzaa and Hanukkah go directly to the items you are lookingfor. Apparently this is politically correct.

Fact: Searching for Christmas at walmart.com doesn't take you to the items you are looking for, but, instead, takes you to the reeducation page.

Face it: You favor the politcally correct phrase: Holiday, and I don't.

[Barney59]

thanks for the link, I've heard about their WAR ROOM but it ain't workin'...

[twntaipan]

That is exactly my point. I am surprised to find FReepers who agree with the pc junk Walmart has fallen for.

[durasell]

No problem.

Fascinating that retail can put people in such an uproar.

[SamAdams76]

All I know is that I went into Wal-Mart over the weekend to buy some Christmas lights and they had a huge section of Christmas stuff already. It doesn't seem that they are banning Christmas in New England, anyhow.

Maybe it's a regional thing.

[flashbunny]

---Have you been to their website and done searches on Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Christmas?

Which ones takes you directlyto what you are looking for and which one takes you to the "politically correct" page?---


Yes, I have. Here's what it says:

"We've brought you to our "Holiday " page based on your search.

Not what you're looking for? View a list of items that match your search for "Christmas"."

So here's the deal: They created as special page for the holidays keyed to the popular search term 'Christmas'. In case you have no experience in retailing, a page like this lets you sell your most popular items and create a layout so people can easily find what they're looking for. And it's damn near a necessity when they have 8,000 specialty items to choose from.

This avoids confronting customers with a list of nearly EIGHT THOUSAND items to look through! And they DON'T do the same thing for Kwanzaa or Hanukkah. So which holiday are the discriminating against there? Oh, and they still offer a link to the nearly 8,000 search results (compared the 77 and 200) in case you want to look for them.

So why would they create this page keyed to 'Christmas'? Because it's a pain in the butt to look through 8,000 items online. IT'S A SMART BUSINESS MOVE!!! Just like amazon does with it's various special pages for Christmas (oh wait, they use 'holidays', too! BOYCOTT!!!)

Amazon has a link to it on the front page. Walmart doesn't. So they keyed it to hit there when people search for "christmas". Wow, how offensive. They're engaging in intelligent web site design. BLASPHEMERS!!!

[Caipirabob]

Then, there's the perpetually offended, just waiting for a company to do something so they can raise a fuss.

So very true, there's a complete segment of our population that's devoted to whining and litigation.

However, from my experiences in a family owned retail business some years ago, I can tell you that many small business owner would put out their left eye before they abandon catering to Christmas shoppers. They are some people's bread and butter. Offend people? So hang Hannukah decorations as well. We had a Christmas tree and a menorah in the store.

I've read too much about the man who started Kwanzaa to acknowledge it any further than to say some people celebrate it.

[flashbunny]

Fact: It's an outright lie when you wrote "It is an absolute shame that Walmart will give in to the multicultural notion that, in the pursuit of multiculturalism, says the only holiday you cannot specifically mention is Christmas"

They didn't do that. When asked about it, you changed the subject.

Fact: You are revealing you have absolutely no clue about retailing.

Fact: They are giving MORE service to the people who search for 'Christmas' than they are for the ones who search for 'Hanukkah' or 'Kwanzaa'.

Fact: You have no clue about what my position is on using "holidays" vs "Christmas". But that doesn't stop you from making false assumptions, which seems to be your style.

Opinion: I don't think you could honestly debate this subject if you were paid to do it.

[EBH]

We've brought you to our "Holiday " page based on your search. Not what you're looking for? View a list of items that match your search for "christmas". Copied directly, they put the word Holiday in qoutes.

[flashbunny]

yep, you want to appeal to as many customers as possible - that's why it's called mass marketing.

It's a smart move on their part - especially when corroborated by the stories here of the person who saw Christmas banners in the store - Keep the general message 'holidays' in everything that's widespread (fliers, radio, tv), and then have the appropriate items / decorations out at the store -so people can see what they want to see.

Some people here seem to be offended that walmart is doing the smart thing and saving time and expense by just referring it to it as 'holidays' in their promotions. Compare the time it would take to say "Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and whatever holiday you celebrate shopping" to "holiday shopping" in a radio or tv spot. A few seconds, no big deal, eh? That's enough time to mention another product on sale. Then multiply that by the tens of thousands of commercial spots they'll be running. A HUGE missed opportunity for extra promotion.

Oh well. I guess some of the angry people here know more about retailing than the people who run walmart.

[twntaipan]

So, you agree that a search of Walmart.com for the phrase Christmas takes you to a page called Holiday.

Why would they just not take you to a page called "Christmas" or to the items that fit your specific search request?

I bow to your marketing and debating skills. They are obviously too great for a mere fool as myself.

The fact remains: Christmas is considered second class search at Walmart (don't run out the tired "it's good marketing" argument; arguably it won't be if they alienate their core customers).