She Saw Some Wrapping Paper At Walgreens And Immediately Pitched A Fit…

Walgreens is removing a holiday gift wrap design from its shelves after a complaint the design featured swastikas.

Northridge, CA resident Cheryl Shapiro picked up the paper while shopping with her grandson last weekend and, naturally, was alarmed to find the Nazi emblem displayed on gift wrap marketed toward Hanukkah shoppers. Or, any shoppers.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes,” she told NBC. “I had no idea what to do.” Shapiro first called her rabbi, then the store manager, then the news. Walgreens spokesman Phil Caruso said simply, “We’re in the process of removing the product from our stores.”
Hallmark, which licensed the paper, ordered retailers nationwide to stop selling it after receiving the complaint.
A company spokeswoman delivered her sincere apology to anyone who has been offended, “We apologize for the oversight and apologize to anyone who was offended. That obviously was not our intent. It was an oversight on our part to not notice the intersecting lines that could be seen as a swastika pattern.”
The spokeswoman said the design was based on an old vase from China where, as in some other cultures, the swastika is an ancient symbol of good luck. (Last year, 120 tattoo parlors around the world offered free swastikas for a day in an effort to “reclaim” the symbol.)
Photo Source: NBC Los Angeles, Wikimedia Commons
But, historical relevancy aside, most shoppers probably associate swastikas with genocide, not good luck. It’s an odd oversight we’ve seen with other brands in recent years.
In 2007, Zara pulled a handbag printed with flowers, bicycles, and bright green swastikas. Last month, Sears apologized for letting a “punk rock” swastika ring wind up on their Amazon marketplace page.
Let this be a lesson to quality control managers everywhere: No one’s buying it.

Sources: OpposingViews, NBC Los AngelesWhatrends.com

By joe

Related Post