Wal-Mart and Kroger cannot seem to keep verbal porn covered up on their check-out aisles. Glamour and Cosmopolitan magazine continually run sexually explicit titles on their covers with sexually explicit material inside. With everything from what to do with the male anatomy to sex positions (pictures available inside magazine), these magazine covers leave little to the imagination.
I am trying to raise 4 sons (one is already out of the next) to be Godly young men who see more than sex in a young woman. I do not want a grocery store undermining that. I do not want to have to explain to my 10 year old concepts that are not appropriate. Aren’t there “R” rated laws about what a minor can and cannot see?
We just moved to a new town. Our old hometown struggled to keep these magazines under a sleeve in the check-out aisles. However, after a few weeks, they would be uncovered again, prominently displayed in the aisle where anyone under 18 years of age could read. Everytime I asked, Wal-Mart would respond that they couldn’t control their vendors. They had a contract.
Now, if I let someone rent space I owned to make money, I would think that I could control what they did with that rental space. Besides, what would Sam Walton, creator of the FAMILY FRIENDLY Wal-Mart chain say about those pornographic titles on display where families, with children in tow, paid their bills? After all, what do you think kids, teens, and parents are doing while they’re waiting in those long lines?
One Wal-Mart manager explained that they have considered creating family-value aisles. A store that promotes family values on the outside, but limits those values to a few aisles on the inside? How disappointing! Promoting verbal porn to make a few extra bucks while thumbing your nose at the majority of your customers!
I think it is akin to spitting on those families and their values while taking their money.
When I complained at one smaller store, the manager said, “Well, now, your sons are going to hear about it in the boys’ bathroom. How can you stop that?”
Well, I took my 5 growing sons + 2 adult household grocery bill to another store.
I understand I have choices. I have choices about which bookstore, coffee shop, or clothing store I support. If I don’t like a display or a political position, I can chose another venue-I do not have to spend my money at their check out aisle because these are not necessities.
However, food is a necessity. In order for me to purchase that necessity, I must go through their check-out aisles. I do not have a choice.
It used to be that the customer provided the financial support to businesses. Most owners knew their customers, knew their values, and worked hard to respect the people that were patrons to their businesses. I think customers still do provide the financial support to the investors of Wal-Mart and Kroger. I certainly wish they would cater to the salt–of-the-earth family values that keep them in business.
Today, I went into Wal-Mart. Cosmopolitan’s verbal porn was displayed at the check-out aisle. I went to turn it around. On the back was a picture of a goup topless men and women. I couldn’t turn it either way to make this asile family-friendly. Cosmo had trumped me. The manager had never heard of sleaves. “Sleaves? For Cosmo?” she querried. I showed her the picture on the back and then turned for her to read the verbal porn on the front. “Oh, I’ll speak to the managers about that.”
Really? I don’t think so.
I was thinking that if Disney would change The Pirates of The Carribean ride over 4 complaints, 4 measly complaints, that maybe, just maybe Wal-Mart, Kroger, and whatever grocery store you keep in business might sit up and listen if bloggers called to complain.
Join me in a crusade to put some family values back in the check-out aisle: create Porn-free aisles!
Wal-mart: 1-800-Wal-Mart
Kroger: 1-866-221-414
Please add your store in the comment area and I will put it up here.