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Sunday 29 August 2010

Clinton Cards - homophobic or just plain lazy?

As some of my readers know, my partner Roger and I will be holding our Civil Partnership next January.

This has led me into every card and stationery shop wherever I go.

I've been surprised how many companies have embraced not just the wedding market but also the civil partnership market too.

And when gay marriage becomes law, the whole wedding marketing scene will become so much easier.

However, Clinton Cards have not embraced the Civil Partnership aspect at all.

I popped into their branches on Princes Street and in Ocean Terminal and was somewhat shocked to see the photo below.
The advertising banner in the wedding section
So, although the photo isn't the end of the world, in this day and age it shows a major High Street chain very much stuck in the past.

Its a sad day when a major chain cannot admit the world has moved on.

I asked staff in both branches why they didn't have any Civil Partnership products or stationery.

The staff at the Princes Street branch giggled and said what's a Civil Partnership.

The staff at the Ocean Terminal branch said they sometimes do but only a few items.

So my question to the senior management Board of Clinton Cards is this;

Is the decision to not market products aimed at couples about to have a Civil Partnership based on homophobia or just plain laziness?

Either way Clinton Cards you need to change your marketing team.

So, now comes the time for you to help, will you now join me and contact Clinton Cards and ask them (a) why do they not stock any cards, stationery or products for Civil Partnerships and (b) was this a pro-active or homophobic decision or just an oversight and plain laziness?

When I checked out the website to confirm the contact details and to see the board members I also searched on there in the wedding section for Civil Partnership products and got this message;
Search Results for civil partnership

We're sorry but there are no matching results for your search this time.

Please select a new search and try again...
However, if you search for gay cards you get a selection of just 30 items mostly semi naked men, if you search for Civil Partnership in the general categories you get a pathetic 3 items.

So, if you are happy to ask the two questions I posed above the online enquiry form can be found here or you can do it the old fashioned way by writing to Customer Services (Website), Clinton Cards, The Crystal Building, Langston Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 3TH.
 
Let us see if we can achieve a success story and change the mind of the Board of Clinton Cards.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Just as a stop gap until you get back, here is the website:

http://www.clintoncards.co.uk/

They have an online customer enquiry form:

http://www.clintoncards.co.uk/customer_support/

Or an address to write to:

Customer Services (Website)
Clinton Cards
The Crystal Building
Langston Road
Loughton
Essex IG10 3TH

Last month, an online capaign persuaded the Early Learning Centre to change the wording of their dressing up outfits (nurses for girls, doctors for boys, unbelievable) so let's hope that your actions spark off a campaign which brings Clinton Cards into the 21st Century.

Nich Starling said...

I suspect its a very small market. However, www.moonpig.com do a great range of cards, so there are alternatives. I bought a fab card for my best mate Richard who got married to Liam (they went to Canada to do it as you can actually get married there) last week.

Tim Moore said...

If Clinton Cards decides to be proactive, I hope they will be more innovative than the naff "Mr & Mr" or "Groom and Groom on a wedding cake" cards that everywhere else does. It's either that or you send a rather dull card with a painting on it.

There are very few cards on the market that are tasteful, yet designed for a civil partnership celebration.

Wrinkled Weasel said...

Hey look.. I don't know much about this gay lark, but Western Culture has been dominated, at least officially, by heterosexual relationships for at least a couple of thousand years. Less than a hundreed years ago, your lot were being put to hard labour. Its absurd for you to expect that 2000 years of one way of thinking can be overturned in less than fifty years. Plenty of people are still what you would call "homophobic". In reality, they are just behind the times. Insisting that everything in the world pays homage to your sexual preference, and in particular, cheesy wedding stationery, is one of the crassest things I have read. Of course, you are a Lib-Dem, which kind of explains it, though, don't misunderstand, some of my best friends are Lib-Dem.

Apart from that, enjoyed the blog.

Anonymous said...

There are many different places in Edinburgh to buy cards from. Clinton Cards is at the cheap-as-chavs side of the market. Expect to get what's generally paid for.

Anonymous said...

as i work in clinton cards i can only stick up for them yes we do civil partnership cards but like u said we only stock 2 or 3 all the people that ask for them always say dont know wot it is i'am meant to get is it this! clintons is always open to new things iam sure they will in the future start to sell such items...and as for 1 of the comments who called it the chav end of the market does not know wot they are talking about i dont think u can call £5-£10 cards chav end...

Anonymous said...

I also work for clinton cards and we cater for all genders.if your local store doesnt stock it we will get it for you from a store that does.

Anonymous said...

I have just read your comment about clinton cards. Teh shops you went into obviously it was the memebers of staff that were niave not clinton cards itself.

While clinton cards do only have a few designs of cards for a civil partner ship they do atleast stock them. As well as for example at christer they have cards for. Son& boyfriend, husband etc. As well as the female girlfriend. so dont tar everyone with the same brush
On a lighter note hope you enjoyed yr special day.

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