Let your voice be heard
I have finally reached my limit and refuse to tolerate the magazine covers in the checkout line any longer, as they have become increasingly risqué, both the pictures and the headlines. I begin my campaign tomorrow with my local small-town grocery store, giving a letter to the store’s manager and sending a copy to the store chain’s headquarters.Carmon is on a crusade. Will you join her and let your voice be heard?
For the sake of our children, let's get the trashy magazines out of our supermarkets -- or at least get them to move them to a less prominent place instead of at every single checkout lane usually right at the eye level of our children.
posted by Crystal Paine at 1:36 PM
18 Comments:
This is why I like to shop Aldi's! No magazines. :)
Very good point, Barbara!
I also have been so bothered by these magazines! They bother me every time I go to the store. While it seems like it would be pretty hard to make a difference, perhaps if enough people voiced their opinion, things would change.
When I was in a homeschool multi-age science class, we also studied and memorized scripture. We memorized the verse that talked about how when a man lusts, it is the sin of adultery. A young boy (around ten to twelve) was really impacted by this verse and wanted to keep his eyes pure. Soon after they went to the store and what met his eyes there? The magazines. He turned to his mom and asked "Mom. how can I keep my eyes pure when there is so much stuff around me?" The mom was so struck with both his words and how wrong it was to have these magazines out that she talked to the manager. She explained her sons comment and the manager immediately agreed to put covers over all of the magazines.
That same store, unfortunately, no longer does this. But perhaps if the same topic was brought up again to the manager, we would see improvement again.
In the UK pornography has to be top shelf in cellophane covers, and never next to the checkout. Soon men's 'general interest' magazines (which usually have some semi-naked celebrity or model on the front cover) will have to join the porno, top shelf and with a cellophane cover on. And not before time as well, it's practically pornography.
Kimi -- Thanks for sharing. My mom always tried to talk to the store managers repeatedly when we were growing up and never could get them to do anything. At one store we shopped at, they had a "candy-free" checkout stand for those people who didn't want to be tempted by the usual candy bars staring at you when you go to pay. My mom asked them why they couldn't also at least have one "magazine-free" checkout stand for those of us who didn't want almost-nude women staring at us and our children when we go to checkout. The store manager said this wasn't possible. Not sure why but I always thought it was interesting and sad that they were willing to remove the candy and not the magazines.
Interesting, Mrs. Blythe. I didn't know that but it is refreshing to hear. I just wish that these places would stop producing these magazines period -- but I know that is never going to happen.
They bother me too..... A LOT!
I have to turn my head away and just look at the floor or at the cashier. I'm all for getting them removed or covered! The stores we shop at are very big and I don't think we could really do much about it..... Stores like Walmart and Winco are big chain stores and they probably wouldn't change unless a LOT of people complained.
We shop at Publix and they have check-out lanes designated as kid-friendly. I thought maybe they were larger aisles, or maybe didn't have candy in them, but when I inquired about it, I was told it was because they did not have certain magazines in them. While it is an excellent idea, it doesn't solve the problem of all the women shoppers that are unfortunately live models of indecency that we run into down all the aisles!
One of the grocery stores I like to go has little boards they put over the magazines when there is a picture they think is not approperiate. Maybe you could ask for something like that? It is nice and then they do not feel like they are censoring.
Mama talked to the manager at Kroger about a display of "Sports Illustrated" they had recently. -- They said they couldn't take them down because Sports Illustrated paid for that spot and they couldn't move the case or anything.
Sometimes, when we go through we turn the magazines around, but have discovered that now they normally have perfume advertisments on the back and they aren't much better than the front!!
Tis a ugly thing. - But we did get the magazines moved in a local Stop 'n Go.... So progress was made in that area!
Samantha: You are probably right about the larger stores. At least we can start with the smaller, local grocers.
Patricia: That's encouraging to know that at least some stores are willing to risk losing money for the sake of decency!
Martha: I know that in our town, the grocery stores cover one magazine, but none of the others. I always wonder why they can't just cover them all!
Olivia: I know what you mean about turning the magazines over only to find something worse on the other side! Very frustrating! Glad you got the magazines moved at the Stop N Go, though. Nice to hear some encouraging news!
Thanks, Crystal, for posting this. I think that sometimes we don't try because we are worried it won't do any good. Our motivation, however, has to be to do what is right and let God bring about the results. If many Christian mothers and grandmothers would keep complaining, I think it could have a great impact.
What I intend to do is wait for a response to my letter. If it is a response which refuses to do anything substantial, my next step will be to take a large group of friends with me to speak to the store manager and to write to the main office of the store chain. If that does no good, then we will write to the local paper, and perhaps contact some other media outlets. It may come down to groups of stubborn women reading passages from the most offensive magazines to get some attention! I sure hope it doesn't come to that.
I will be posting updates on my blog as this continues. Please pray for my wisdom and that God would grant us success in this; I really hope it will not only benefit our small town, but that it might inspire others to not sit idly by while the gutter reaches into their lives to continue to pollute our children's minds.
Oh, I can relate to this problem. Susanna and I were at Dillon's (Kroger) last week and they had some of the raunchiest pictures on their magazines. I asked Susanna to turn one of the worst offenders around. There was a picture of a woman on the backside too but at least it was mostly just her face.
I feel horrible for the men and young children (as well as women) who have to stand in line near these disgusting images. Decency is all but gone in this country. I was thinking that the stores need to start having "magazineless" checkouts like some have "candyless" checkouts. I would venture to guess that if there was enough of an outcry the stores would listen and comply with such a request.
Carmon: Excellent strategy! I will be praying and anxiously awaiting the updates on your blog.
Lydia: I truly hope the stores will take notice. I have a feeling that its not just a small group of people who feels like this.
We have a friend in our church and everytime he goes into a store with those raunchy magazines he pulls out his large size post it pads and writes scripture down referring to purity and sticks them to everyone.
My husband use to work at a convenience store and every night he would turn every magazine around so he wouldn't have to "stare" at them all night.
I recently subcribed to what I had thought was a good womans magazine. The first issue was trash, and I knew I wanted to cancel but the real clincher was when my husband glanced at the cover and thought from the cover that it was actullay pornography.
The thing to do is simply and nonchalantly turn the offending magazines around in the racks so that the back cover is all that's visible. I do this all the time! (but first I stick a tiny piece of paper with a cross on it and the word "peace" written on it inside the mag)
Dont anyone dare ask about the legality/ethics of this... it's a teeny indulgence. :0
Sounds like what i used to do at the library sometimes!
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