Best Buy Bans Use Of Merry Christmas In Stores

In a move that has angered several family groups and many individuals, consumer electronics giant Best Buy has banned the use of the term "Merry Christmas" in it's stores. A company spokesperson has stated that the term is "disrespectful". The employees will be saying "Happy Holidays" instead. Wal-Mart and Target made similar decisions last year, but reversed their decision after holiday sales plummeted. The company chairman has been flooded with so many emails protesting the move that emails to him are currently blocked. But family groups have solved that by telephoning his office.




This is probably considered a victory by secular groups who want all mention of religion taken out of the public discourse. Imo, it is a cowardly move. Either Best Buy is afraid of offending some small element of our society, or they want to be politically correct in all aspects. Either way, my consumer electronics dollars will be spent elsewhere until they reverse their decision.

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Keep in mind that Best Buy saying "We want to be respectful of all religions by saying 'happy holidays'" is not the same as saying "We find 'Merry Christmas' to be a disrespectful phrase".

edit:

But while Best Buy, the largest consumer electronics company in the nation, will not be mentioning Christmas, they sure do want the shopping dollars from those who remember the Reason for the season.

This made me laugh. "The reason for the season?" Um, there are several reasons for the season, and Best Buy is trying to cater to all of them. Besides, the "reason for the season" has nothing to do with buying gifts for each other anyway, so whomever wrote this little gem of an article is quite openly biased.

While north america is predominantly a christian-populated continent, it is not a christian continent. It looks like Best Buy at least knows this...to bad they're demonized when they attempt to point it out.

[edit on 26/11/2006 by Thousand]

Plus, I dont want to hear Merry Christmas. It's an insult to my lord Satan. As a matter of fact, it's good business on their part. If I heard it, I'd walk right out of the store, and accross the street to Circuit City, where they respect me by saying Happy Holidays.

I don't shop there at all anyway.
ok, correction, I DO WINDOW shop there..and go elsewhere to actually buy the product.
It's a customer service thing. They have none, at least in the store in my area.

If I do go, I promise to to wish the box movers there, with a big smile on my face, a VERY MERRY CHISTMAS!

I encourage others to do so, knock them out with kindness, (and your wallet)

They are going to loose lots of business.

Walmart, Khols and others learned their lesson and are now allowing it. Could not find the exact article but this should do.

Walmart scraps 'Seasons Greetings' in favor of 'Merry Christmas'

The one I was aware of that mentions all is still in Google but the story was gone so could not provide that link it read

Walmart scraps 'Seasons Greetings' in favor of 'Merry Christmas'
ProgressiveU.org, CA - Nov 11, 2006
So Walmart decided to reintroduce Christmas to its ... holiday" with "Christmas." Macy's and Kohl's are some ... seem to be aggressively using "Merry Christmas" and my ...

Via Google search using kw walmart merry Christmas kohls



[edit on 11/26/2006 by shots]

What is the big deal?

"Happy Holiday" does not disclude Christmas. It is all inclusive.

If you say "Happy Holidays" to a stranger you are saying:
"Merry Christmas."
"Happy Hanukkah."
"Merry Sinterklaas."
"Have a pleasent Yule."
"Happy Kwanzaa."
and
"Happy New Year," all at once!

This is supposed to be the time of year for peace and happyness not bickering over Best-Buy flyers.

SHEESH!

[edit on 26-11-2006 by Guy Fawkes]

You want to know what's even funnier..??

They probably paid an outside management consulting firm about 150k to conduct a study on this with surveys and focus groups and then to have the decision made for them - which they then sent out in a memo to all their little worker bees....

This whole let's be PC crap has gone way too far.... And I'm an atheist. It's freaking Christmas - OK..?? It a part of this country's beginning - deal with it, just like Thanksgiving....

[edit on 26-11-2006 by UofCinLA]

Ive worked in retail and I just wait for the customer to say something then I just parrot it back to them.

I tell you this much I will not be doing business on that store during the holiday season.

I can not believe how politically correct our nation has become, I guess the next thing is to get away with the holidays just to make sure we do not make uncomfortable anybody that doesn't celebrate anything.

I tell you this all BS. To many people getting offended, uncomfortable and angry about anything.

Whats wrong with saying happy holidays? People shouldnt say "Christ"mas anyways, for one it means messiah which he never claimed to be.

If they want to say Merry Christmas, good for them. If they want to say happy holidays...thats fine too. It should be up to the person or business as to how they celebrate.

Wal-Mart this year declared they will be saying Merry Christmas. Is that because they are christian? No, its because they worship the all mighty dollar and thats how they believe they will get more of them.

I find this to be a really dumb ideology fight

Not that it maters, but Christmas is a federal holiday. Kwanzaa or Hannukah are not.

The fact that they banned it from their stores tells me that they are against it. Else they would ban the use of "Happy Holidays" for fear of offending atheists.

Why not just let it go and have people wish others a Merry Christmas? This fear of offending somebody is ridiculous. Anything you say can be sure to offend somebody. It's just an attempt by sour, bitter people hell-bent on ruining somebody else's day.

To Yeshua it would just simply be happy birthday

Originally posted by jsobecky
This fear of offending somebody is ridiculous. Anything you say can be sure to offend somebody. It's just an attempt by sour, bitter people hell-bent on ruining somebody else's day.

Well it seems a lot of people on this thread are offened of "Happy Holidays."

mrwupy nailed it. This is a really dumb ideology fight. The funny thing is Best-Buy, Wall-mart or whoever don't care! They will say whatever makes the most money

Who here is seriously offended by the saying Merry Christmas? I'm an atheist for crying out loud and I'm not offended by it one bit, I say merry Christmas to people and give/receive presents, it's traditional. IMO this PC stuff has gotten out of hand.


[edit on 26-11-2006 by WestPoint23]

Since the whole Holiday season really does seem to revolve around Christmas, why not just get with the program.

For all the Christians, yeah, Christmas is a religious holiday.
But, it's NOT a religious holiday for everyone.
Pagans celebrate it. People who clelebrate Kwanzaa celebrate it. As do those who celebrate Hanakkuh.
It's the main holiday during the winter.

Why can't folks quite trying to P.C. and homogenize everything they get their hands on :shk:
It's bad enough the almighty dollar is ruining so many things in the US, including Christmas.

Originally posted by marg6043
I tell you this all BS. To many people getting offended, uncomfortable and angry about anything.

That's kind of ironic because I could say the same of people being offended, angered and made uncomfortable by the decision to say "Happy Holidays."

Ultimately, it doesn't matter, but in terms of being inclusive to their customer base, Best Buy decided it does matter. Their choice. Everyone is still quite free and welcome to celebrate as they wish, as well as greet others how they wish. Who cares what Best Buy says to you?

Not me.

Originally posted by DontTreadOnMe
Why can't folks quite trying to P.C. and homogenize everything they get their hands on :shk:
It's bad enough the almighty dollar is ruining so many things in the US, including Christmas.

In my opinion, saying Merry Christmas and forgetting and/or ignoring other holiday celebrations is homogenizing just the same as "Merry Christmas" except one is more inclusive (and it's not Merry Christmas.)

I also don't think the all might dollar is ruining Christmas. Just people's greed and desire to consume, consume, consume. It would be very easy to change Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, etc. as holidays. Just don't buy. Don't fall into the trap.

Originally posted by parrhesia
Don't fall into the trap.

I tried that once. I told my kids that the terrorists had used a missile to shoot down Santa's sleigh and there would be no christmas this year.

They justed stared at me with complete malice in their eyes and my youngest snarled, "Give up the presents Santa.."

Originally posted by parrhesia
I also don't think the all might dollar is ruining Christmas. Just people's greed and desire to consume, consume, consume. It would be very easy to change Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, etc. as holidays. Just don't buy. Don't fall into the trap.

Certainly, a person is free to not indulge in the marketing madness.
But, at least in the US, Christmas/Holiday selling starts the day after Halloween. They may be catering to what the consmers want, but sales is the bottom line.
For many companies, Christmas either makes or breaks their year.

We have removed ourselves from the trap and do not buy each other gifts. I don't need a holiday to buy for those close to me.