In all three instances the staff were either totally unaware of the campaign or were very misinformed about what their store was supposed to be doing to promote this effort.

The campaign started on April 11th. A week later we were in a Zellers store where they were supposed to be selling stop signs that you put your name on and they then post them on a wall within the store. They did not have any stop signs for sale at the cash registers. After much confusion and inquiring with the supervisor we discovered that the signs were at the customer service counter where nobody would ever be able to find them or buy them.

Another week later, two weeks into the campaign, we went shopping there again and discovered that the purchased stop signs were not being displayed in the store. When we inquired, the supervisor explained that they couldn't find a place to put them. This was a complete cop-out because I saw many potential spots that would be great. They are now displaying them but only because we took the time to ask what the heck is going on.

Today, almost three weeks into the campaign and with only one more week left, we visited a Home Outfitters store where they are supposed to be selling bookmarks for a dollar. Half the proceeds go to local women's shelters / programs and the other half goes to the Canadian Women's Foundation. We arrived at the checkout counter to find the bookmarks hidden behind a store display. We only found them because we were looking for them. When we asked the clerk what these where for, she said that they were free and that we could take a few if we liked. Obviously they aren't going to raise much money for women's shelter if they are giving them away. Although the store manager knew they were for sale, he didn't know much about what the program was all about and obviously hadn't trained his staff.

My question to everyone is this: Have you noticed this campaign being prominently displayed and actively promoted by informed staff at The Bay, Home Outfitters, and Zellers? Or has it been as invisible as it seems to me.

Has HBC not diligently rolled this program out or are store managers and their staff not taking it as seriously as a cancer or heart disease campaign because violence against women makes them feel uneasy.

Please let us know what you have seen out there.

Edited to fix spelling.

[ 29 April 2005: Message edited by: kellis ]