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SAINSBURYS

12 replies

MrsClown · 26/04/2011 10:38

On Friday night my husband and I were in Sainsburys shopping. My husband is a children's entertainer and noticed a game on display. It was a game where the children had to guess the occupation on a card which was given to them. My husband thought it would be a good idea for a party game so bought one. When we got it home and opened it he said to me he was shocked to put it mildly. There were around 38 cards with different professions on, ranging from doctor to cashier. Only 7 cards had females on and they were the jobs like cashier, make up artist. The cards featuring jobs like lawyer, doctor etc were all men! The card with the police officer on said policeman and the fire fighter card said fireman. My husband said he could not possibly use the game because it was so sexist. We contacted Sainsburys who are looking into it. For one minute we thought it was a game from the 1930s! It was called What Am I?

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LadyClariceCannockMonty · 26/04/2011 10:43

What are you going to do? If you do a letter/petition or similar to Sainsburys I'll definitely sign it! This kind of thing is outrageous and needs to be stamped pointed out.

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steamedtreaclesponge · 26/04/2011 10:45

That's appalling! Well done for contacting Sainsbury's about it. Do you know when you're likely to hear back? Let me know if you need back-up!

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StealthyKissBeartrayal · 26/04/2011 10:47

that's dreadful, I'm sure you'll get a lot of people saying it's just a game, what is the harm. As a one off it is harmless but if this is the 'accepted' way, girls and boys will receive messages about what is expected of them.

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LadyClariceCannockMonty · 26/04/2011 10:50

Oh, sorry, didn't read it properly and didn't realise you'd already contacted them. Nice one!

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MrsClown · 26/04/2011 11:11

It would be great if anyone could also contact Sainsburys. I was so annoyed. I am sure there will be a contact us on their website.

All you comments make me realise I am not crazy and over reactive. Stealthy, you are so right people do think it is harmless but we know different. When I left school in 1976 I was given the option of becoming a cook or a shop assistant. I didnt fancy either so joined the RAF. Nothing much has changed has it!

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LadyClariceCannockMonty · 26/04/2011 11:19

Have contacted them via the website but may also write an old-fashioned letter addressed to the chief exec.

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SardineQueen · 26/04/2011 11:23

I'm really taken-aback that they are selling that.

You'd have thought people who work in designing this stuff would be aware of teh issues, surely?

Out of interest were other "minority" groups represented? Or did they forget about them too? Was it simply a pack of white men doing tricky stuff and no-one else got a look in? Or did they remember about racial diversity and forget about women?

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LadyClariceCannockMonty · 26/04/2011 11:25

Sardine, good point about the racial diversity thing. Was so up on my feminist high horse that I didn't think about that .

BTW I put a reply on the other thread re new series of Sherlock.

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InmaculadaConcepcion · 26/04/2011 11:29

Jeez. This is 2011.
When will people wake up?!

Good for you and your DH for complaining, MrsC.

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MrsClown · 26/04/2011 11:38

Good point about racial diversity and yes all the faces were white. I feel a bit ashamed for not thinking of that!

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SardineQueen · 26/04/2011 11:49

So they had presumably copied a pack from 1961?

In this day and age you'd expect half women, with the jobs liberally mixed so not all "traditional" roles, and a smattering of people of different ethnic origins. Probably too much to expect a disabled person just yet...

You'd just expect it, wouldn't you? It would be automatic. To do it a different way seems really odd, you'd have to deliberately decide to move away from that.

Unless the cards were designed by someone like my PIL. But that is very unlikely