Many years ago, I was working as a court advocate for victims of violence and abuse. We were a few months away from October, Domestic Violence Awareness month, and wanted to host a Clothesline Project awareness campaign on the college campus nearby.
We were always trying to save every penny for the next sudden crisis, so we needed to get creative and figure out how to get boxes of white t-shirts donated to us for as close to free as possible. I went to the local Target up the road and asked to speak to the manager.
In a short elevator speech form, I informed him who our organization was, what we did, who we served, and what we planned to do with the shirts and ended with an ask for t-shirts or cash or coupons to purchase the t-shirts.
That wonderful man went to the back, got boxes of white t-shirts in assorted sizes (including small sizes for the children), and helped me put them in my car. That day.
In parting, he told me to call him personally if we needed more.
We did not consider them "allies" in the sense that they would now do anything that we wanted them to do from here on out. They would not be "allies" in the sense that they would never sell anything we disagreed with.
Expecting anything more than what we graciously received would be potentially setting ourselves up for disappointment AND potentially damaging any chance for future mutual benefit in future.
I don't think that I would have ever called them "allies". It never crossed my mind to think of them that way.
We were comfortable publicly thanking them for their donation and support of our event. That's the extent of that.
A retailer who sells items for Valentine's Day doesn't make them an ally to people in love.
A retailer who sells items for Black History Month doesn't make them an ally to Black people.
A retailer who sells items for St Patrick's Day doesn't make them an ally to the Irish.
And so on, and so on, and so on....
Businesses are simply trying to make products available to people who may be interested in buying them during certain times of the year.
In the United States of America, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the agency responsible for overseeing consumer rights when it comes to Retailers in the United States.
The FTC enforces laws related to advertising, marketing, privacy, and consumer protection.
The agency investigates and takes action against businesses that engage in unfair or deceptive practices, and provides resources and information to help Consumers make informed decisions.
In the United States, consumers have the following rights when making a purchase from retailers:
1. The right to information: Consumers have the right to receive accurate and complete information about the product or service they are purchasing, including its price, features, and quality.
2. The right to safety: Consumers have the right to purchase products that are safe and will not cause harm.
3. The right to choose: Consumers have the right to choose from a variety of products and services that are competitively priced and of high quality.
4. The right to be heard: Consumers have the right to voice their complaints and opinions about products or services they have purchased.
5. The right to privacy: Consumers have the right to privacy when making purchases, including the protection of personal information.
6. The right to a refund: Consumers have the right to return products and receive a refund if they are defective or do not meet the advertised standards.
7. The right to fair treatment: Consumers have the right to be treated with fairness and respect by retailers.
You will note that we do not at this time, have the right to allyship from retailers. We have never had that right.
You must remember this..........
Remember during the 2012 election campaigns when Mitt Romney asserted that: "Corporations are people too?"
At the time, most of us were on the same page with this. Corporations are NOT people. There are pros and cons to this but at the time we were in agreement that the benefits far outweighed the drawbacks.
