Shirin Delsooz

My Life Adventures and Thoughts

Banana Republic forgot ‘u’

I was passing by Banana Republic at Yorkdale Mall the other day (Toronto, Ontario CANADA) and was dismayed to see a lack of the letter “u” in the word “colour” posted on their display. It may seem like a small error, but its errors like these that make me feel like these companies have no respect for the country they are doing business in.  I assume it’s an issue of time constraints. It’s easier to smear American marketing around the world rather than taking the time to develop sensitivities around the communities they make money in. I e-mailed them this post. I hope that might be some sort of impetus for change. I will keep you posted.

* Update:

Hello Banana Republic,

I noticed that your recent display in CANADA didn’t include the ‘u’ in
colour (the Canadian way of spelling). It may seem like a small error,
but such errors just show the disregard you have for the country you are
doing business in. I wrote about this on my blog, and I will be happy to
write a happy ending to this situation.

http://www.vanessadelsooz.ca

Response:

On Tue, May 11, 2010 at 1:54 PM, BananaRepublic.com Customer Service <custserv@bananarepublic.com> wrote:

Dear BananaRepublic.com Customer,

Thank you for your comments regarding the use of the word “color” in our
store displays.  Please be assured, it is never our intent to cause any
offense.   We appreciate the time you’ve taken to contact us to share
your thoughts.  Please be assured, we have forwarded your comments on to
our marketing team,  as customer feedback is an important consideration
when planning future marketing materials.  Again, we do apologize and
appreciate the time you have taken to share your comments.

We appreciate your business and look forward to shopping with you again
soon.

If you have further questions or concerns, please feel free to call us
at 1-888-BR-STYLE, and follow the prompts to share your store
experience. We are available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to
9:00 p.m. and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Please note all hours are
indicated in Eastern Time.

Sincerely,

Jennie
Customer Service Consultant

Nygard. Why did they work for him?

I applaud the CBC’s fifth estate for their work and courage in exposing Peter Nygard. During and after the recording of the show, he has been actively suing the CBC and the interviewees. It’s not easy to tackle on a guy that is one of the top 100 richest Canada.

My question is, how did he get there in the first place? He couldn’t amass a fortune of $817 million alone. Who were the employees that submitted to his treatment to boost him up to his fortunes? In Canada? Why did his employees put up with what they claim to have their pays docked and being routinely harassed? Why did the aspiring “models” stick around after they claimed to realize they were duped into prostitution? He’s been charged in the past, why haven’t more people spoken out against him?

I am not impressed with the people who got him there. McKeown raised the question to one of his disgruntled employees who said in her defense that she was really financially strapped and had no choice but to work for him. Did she really have no other choice? I realize finding a job isn’t easy, but maintaining your dignity isn’t either. Whether you are angered or apathetic to the story, I think the Nygard story serves as a lesson on how successful a person can be at the expense of push overs.

You can view the piece the fifth estate did on nygard here. http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/ID=1464891175

You can also join the Boycotting Peter Nygard facebook group here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=114918605200938&ref=search&sid=48301978.3364622229..1&v=info#!/group.php?gid=114918605200938&ref=ts

And you can also just boycott his clothes. But to be honest, I’ve never heard of it until I saw the documentary.

Who is this shameless clown?

(A facebook note that I wrote)

So I get a facebook “friend” request from a random dude who is in the network of T.dot musicians I have been tangled into lately. Not the type to start burning bridges before making them, I begrudgingly ‘accepted’ this request and wrote a funny little message to him about making his acquaintance in the real world some day (messaged through e-mail, not on his wall).

I thought nothing of it, and continued on with my life. But then the facebook invites began flooding into my account. I can appreciate getting updated with the happening’s of the local music scene, but I don’t like when friendship starts off with shameless self-promotion. It makes me feel kinda… used.

Not the type to crack under life’s small blows, I moved on. Then the other day I get a request to…. HIS FAN PAGE! What… The … Kazoo?!

I spared no second into rejecting it. The audacity of some people! “FAN!”?! I don’t even know the freakin’ guy!

So if you are that guy, just apologize and I will forgive you and perhaps our friendship will be saved.

Oh and since it is so trendy to self-promote, I will not limit this tale to my facbeook friends, I will broadcast it on the WORLD WIDE WEB! That’s right. You can read this story and more on my blog, http://www.vansooz.wordpress.com .

Fighting the war to perserve the independant book industry. Catch the thieves!

Wanted: Thieves at Book City

I was at Book City the other day (my favourite bohemian book store franchise) to purchase the latest issue of Spacing magazine (my favourite bohemian independent magazine). It’s the small contribution I make to support this under appreciated industry that is constantly threatened by corporations and mainstream culture. At the counter, I realized another enemy is at hand… thieves.

The poster reveals two guys from surveillance footage, and reads, “We are Thieves! Do NOT let us in!”. To think its written as if they actually said it is absolutely hilarious, especially if you imagine it being played out. Like… who says that? I laughed for about 20 min, and I still laugh each time I think about it- even now as I write this. I suppose the clerks are as creative as the work they store!

I had to take a picture, and I’m glad I did so my readers can laugh and register the faces of the guys who are robbing us of our books and culture!