To think the job of supermarkets is to sell groceries?

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.

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.

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?

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?

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

Thank you Gagajo for mentioning poppies - indeed.

Well done Saisnbury's - BRAVO

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

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.

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.

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?

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".

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.

This is from 2018, so is maybe out of date now but:

Here at VERCIDA we conducted research to find out how our clients are tackling BAME in the workplace. Who is going the extra mile to ensure equality, opportunity and fair treatment for all, irrespective of race. Here are our top 10 BAME-Inclusive Employers of 2018.

10. Sainsbury's
9. Crown Prosecution Service
8. Lloyds Bank
7. Royal Mail
6. Cabinet Office
5. BBC
4. Reed Smith
3. Bank of England
2. Sky
1. UK Athletics

Although I didn’t realise it Black History month has been going for many years. I saw nothing offensive in Sainsbury’s tweet and didn’t really understand why Lawrence Fox was so anti. I don’t approve of U.K. BLM and Critical Race Theory, and I don’t approve of giving jobs to people solely because they are black as that is plain insulting. We need to make sure the opportunities are there for all to achieve their potential and be their best whatever race or colour, and more importantly to accept that so we achieve true inclusion.

I see a black barrister who has problems with people thinking she can’t possibly be a barrister because she is black. I had to chuckle as she was able to put them right. Annoying for her though. I remember when I was the boss of a section at work anyone visiting always headed for the blokes as boss because as a woman I must be the secretary.

25Avalon, when you say you don't approve of BLM and Critical Race Theory, do you mean you don't approve of them and believe they shouldn't exist, or do you mean you disagree with them? The latter is fine, the former is very iffy in terms of free speech!

There's really no need to engage with Critical Theory of any kind unless you're an academic working in the social sciences. It's just a tool for analysing the way society works.

I've boycotted produce from certain countries for years ,it annoys me when they print where it comes from so small I cant see it without my specs .I must say I long for the return of Malcolm Campbells where everything was loose and the name and origin written in huge letters on the front of the shelf.
I did return several items yesterday when my delivery from Morrisons arrived but the delivery man knew I wouldn't accept them before I told him.I know Israel is supported by many on here but I support the Palestinian cause and hate the persecution visited on these people by their invaders.Politics and Supermarkets isn't new ,its just largely ignored by most

LadyHD I said UKBLM and what I dislike about critical race theory is that people are being forced to take it or lose their jobs. That doesn’t seem like freedom of speech to me and plenty of BAME people agree.

The Tesco Superstore I go to is very inclusive though I've never thought about it till Sainsburys decided to make an issue of it. It is simply well-manged and employees there give very good service to all and especially since March lockdown. Waitrose is near and 2 locosts and Asda are alternatives so Sainsburys can be avoided.

I think Sainsburys were bring proactive - getting in before the inevitable Twitter storm of those who wanted to proclaim they are boycotting Sainsburys for being inclusive. But there are two issues here - the rather silly criticism of Sainsburys for not just selling groceries and secondly the words about shopping elsewhere ( which isn’t a silly opinion)
When I stopped shopping at M and S because of their changing room policy, although they didn’t use the words ‘well shop elsewhere’ they did in fact imply that when I emailed them. Most of us can choose between different retailers and equally retailers are free to support whatever legal cause they wish.

Btw my local Sainsburys has an excellent reputation for employing staff with a range of disabilities ( I must live in one of the whitest areas in the UK)

So (serious question) what are Sainsbury's doing differently? Words are words - is there any difference to shopping there?

Got black and mixed in extended family and even they don't know what it is all about. Maybe because they are all 2nd/3rd generation Brits and never been treated any differently? Not sure but they hate all this. Feel it is pointing the finger at them that they never felt before.

Why would shopping be different because a shop supports BHM. Is the shopping different because it supports the poppy appeal?

I asked what they were actually doing in my previous post on page one.
Are they just saying that they support Black History month or have they actually decided to do something differently?

I don’t know. I’ve only seen a statement saying they have a number of activities planned instore and online, and an article in the Guardian about a producer called The Black Farmer, whose range they’re promoting.

Black Farmer has been going for years. His sausages are excellent and I've often bought them. No big deal, he's successful through his endeavour and I believe his neighbours used to refer to him as the black farmer, so he used that as his brand.