To think the job of supermarkets is to sell groceries?

Sainsburys are actually in the top 10 of companies who do work hard to be ethnically diverse, on both their shop floor and in their management team, so to be fair, they do "put their money where their mouth is".

But while I appreciate that appearances can be deceptive, their management team of 9 seems to contain 6 white British men and at least 2 white British women. That certainly doesn’t reflect the diversity of my area.

Perhaps it was meant to be a jokey aside but it came over as rude rather than inviting., unfortunately.

Sainsburys are actually in the top 10 of companies who do work hard to be ethnically diverse, on both their shop floor and in their management team, so to be fair, they do "put their money where their mouth is". A quick Google also confirms that they were one of the first retailers to embrace not just Black History Month, but also to formally support several ethnic charities with % based financial support. So they are doing a great deal to help support a diverse society behind the scenes. Which makes it all the more perplexing as to why they felt the need for their somewhat aggressive bit in their tweet. Tweets, like SMS messages, sometimes don't come across as they were intended maybe?

What on earth has that got to do with selling groceries? Not offensive,no, but just duh. Never heard anything like it. Have they got a guilty conscience or something because that is what it sounds like.Perhaps they should have a good hard look at their employment strategies.

To think the job of supermarkets is to sell groceries?
They also sell alcohol, kitchenware, soft furnishings, ornaments, clothes, stationery, petrol, lottery tickets, have a café etc
So I think that argument has passed years ago.

They dress up for Comic Relief etc.
Actually, I don't think they do sell poppies but allow a RBL volunteer to stand in the foyer outside, as they do people selling lottery tickets for the Air Ambulance, RNLI and very many other charities.

Urgh my typing. In my defence am not well at all at the mo.

Thank you Gagajo for mentioning poppies - indeed.

Well done Saisnbury's - BRAVO

Doesn't bother me that that they basically said racists can shop elsewhere, I'd be happy for all racists to be elsewhere quite frankly.

Although I don't shop at sainsburies so if this makes racists more likely to shop where I am..... I might need to...

Oh clever Sainsburys

I think it was Trevor Phillips OBE ( don't know if he is still the Chair of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission) who made the point recently that Black History Month has been happening in the UK since the 1980.

As far as I know Black History Month is a very different concept with different aims to the BLM campaign and as others have pointed out supermarkets support many campaigns for many different reasons.

I wonder how many people know about The Mary Seacole Centre (think I've spelt her name right) as opposed to The Nightingale Hospitals ?

Much needed facility and very respectful of the NHS in naming the facility but where I wonder was the fan fair about Mary and her work?

I think that they very probably do want to shop with an inclusive retailer, as any socially conscious person would; they just don't appreciate the bad manners and poor attitude.

Absolutely, Chewbacca

I think, though, that the staff in our local Tesco are far more ethnically diverse than the staff at the nearest Sainsburys which is in a large city.
Odd, that. Is Sainsbury's practising what it preaches?

Oldwoman70

Why are people getting upset about this? Black History Month has been going for some years (nothing to do with Black Lives Matter) so I don't understand why it is becoming an issue now.

Me neither. Sainsburys have been highlighting Black History week for quite some time now.

I think the issue this time is the invitation to customers which is couched in rather challenging terms.

Agree flopen. I also wish supermarkets had never been allowed to sell newspapers and magazines, pharmaceutical products, hardware, alcohol etc. All this has meant the demise of small independent shops.

Why are people getting upset about this? Black History Month has been going for some years (nothing to do with Black Lives Matter) so I don't understand why it is becoming an issue now.

The sentiment was laudable, the wording questionable.

Callistemon

That's fine by me if they wish to support Black History Month if it's a charity.

But I do take issue with their second paragraph which more or less says - if you don't like it you can bugger off elsewhere.
That is rather offensive.

Yes, Galaxy, I'd be more impressed if I saw more black people working in our nearest Sainsbury's and I'd be interested to see a portfolio of their managers.

Anyway, we can't go there, they are in a lockdown area.
They're not my favourite supermarket; I'm avoiding them because they could not give me a priority slot and were very offhand about it.

You have saved me typing my thoughts.?

So what are they actually doing to support Black History Month?

In the 1960's, the origin of the loyalty card was founded, it was called: Green Shield Stamps. Tesco saw an opportunity an embraced the concept. Sainsbury's on the other hand claimed that the trading stamp companies were a blood sucking leech on the retail industry.

Come the early 1970's and the six day war, the quadrupling of fuel prices, trading stamps were forgotten, motorists were just grateful to get a tank full of fuel.

Green Shield had nowhere to go, or so it seemed. They had a distribution centre, a fleet of trucks and they had a chain of retail outlets. Rather than go down the mail order catalogue route, they re-invented themselves and became: Argos.

After changing owners a number of times who now owns that leech on the retail trade? Sainsbury's, that's who. Now they hope that by taking the moral high ground on a racial issue they will be seen as a kind of, people before profit, organisation. Yeah right!

lilypollen, flopen, Callistemon and others: anybody would think you see what Sainsbury's are saying as directed at you. Don't you want to shop with an inclusive retailer then?

I think that they very probably do want to shop with an inclusive retailer, as any socially conscious person would; they just don't appreciate the bad manners and poor attitude.

Honoria
You're just not getting it, are you!

Don't you want to shop with an inclusive retailer then?
Don't try that tactic, it just doesn't wash.

If you are finding it difficult to understand:
It's not the message, it's the way it's put across.

lilypollen, flopen, Callistemon and others: anybody would think you see what Sainsbury's are saying as directed at you. Don't you want to shop with an inclusive retailer then?

(I agree that the lack of diversity in Sainsbugs senior management does rather undermine their case but even so...)

I don't know about you but the history I was taught at school seemed to assume that the rest of the world just sprang into existence when the English came along to rescue it from darkness and ignorance.

I'm not sure how old you are, LadyHonoriaDedlock but it's a good few years since I was at school and I know that the curriculum has changed somewhat since then.

Maggiemaybe

Hmm. I think I’d be a little more inclined to support that slightly aggressive attitude if Sainsbury's management reflected our diverse society.

www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/about-us/our-management

With you all the way Maggie!

I think Sainsbury's Twitter responder is a BYT seeking to make a name for themself. Be controversial. I've come across the same thing writing to my MP. Initially courteous replies which I think were penned by himself. Now he is a Cabinet Minister and I get dismissive responsive responses which I perceive are from a junior who doesn't have a clue about who he/she is alienating. To those who seek to control us remember: Shoppers and Voters count

October has been Black History month in schools for many years, it's an opportunity for children to learn more about black people who have contributed to our history and also to celebrate diversity.

flopen

I think people have got odd ideas of how much time is available in the curriculum to learn any history.

I don't think that is relevant to the topic, although there is always a case to be made for learning more about the past and how it informs our present.

Given that there is any time at all in the curriculum, why not use it to teach about the whole topic, rather than select bits of it that make no reference to the heritage of some of the children in the class?

David Olusoga's example was a good one, IMO. Why concentrate on the mills and machines, but leave out references to the slaves who picked the cotton, and the slave owners, many of whom became famous statesmen who are taught about in other contexts?