to be flippin annoyed with 'The Entertainer' toy shop?

[onelittleclara]

Went into a branch of this toy shop yesterday with my boys. Was walking round and I noticed that they now have the shop divided into two sections:
'boys toys' and 'girls toys'. Was so angry I dragged my children straight out. If my sons wanted a doll (which they do play with) as soon as they see it labelled a 'girls toy' they are going to reject it outright. Surely a toy is a toy? Surely they are losing a potential 50% of their customers into the bargain.
Grrrrrr.

Shops have to segment products. You would not have bananas next to baked beans and toilet clean in a supermarket so why get so het up about the toys. It is not logical to have dolls next to swords and footballs and tiaras ...how do you expect them to separate the toys?

Unless the sops had a line down the middle with signs saying boys this way, girls this side?

And they're not open on Sundays. Cue one long and wasted journey some years ago

It's a religious shop. I can't go in there knowing their views.

YANBU!!!! I'm really quite surprised they would do that in 20&fucking12.

They should order them by age not gender. I hate gender stereotyping so am very glad that I have a DS as it doesn't seem so over the top for boys. I played with lots of 'boys' toys when I was little but the gap between the two (especially with everything girls being luminous pink these days) was nowhere near as wide. If I have a DD I will really hate feeling that I have to buy her those things, and it only seems to be getting worse.

cookcleanerchaufferetc -I don't object to them segmenting toys. Of course it makes sense to have cars next to trains etc etc, but what makes that a boys section anymore than the section with the dolls and the toy kitchens is a girl section? Surely any signage should state the type of toy, not who they think it is only designed for?

Where've you been living for the last 5 years?

Toys r us, elc, Hamleys etc did this years ago.
Hamleys just 'made news' because they have stopped the practice.

It is unreasonable to dislike the separation, though I'm not surprised given the type of toys they sell.

They didn't do Harry Potter toys.

"Mrs Gledhill, 40, from Wakefield, said: 'I asked the store manager for help in finding the new Harry Potter Lego and he said "Look, we're a Christian company, we don't believe in teaching children evil".

'I felt insulted as if he was trying to brand me or my son evil.

'I replied saying that I didn't teach my son evil - he just wanted to buy some Lego.'

Mr Grant, who is managing director of The Entertainer chain, the largest independent toy retailer in the country, says he isn't trying to push his values on to customers and hopes Mrs Gledhill will return to the store soon.

However, he remains adamant that Harry Potter merchandise will never be sold at any of his stores."

not unreasonable.

Ohhhhhh, is that why they don't sell Barbies? Is she a Devil-worshipper or summat?

Yes, it's horrid that it's segregated so obviously

Yes owner is Christian that's why try don't open on Sundays

But it's a big jump to assume the blue and pink sections are a theological issue

I wondered why you never see Harry Potter stuff there Tiggy. I did know they were a christian company, hence the being closed on Sunday, but didn't make the connection with HP.

Not selling barbie dolls, perhaps because they don't like the way she is soo thin that she is lik photo shopping models photos and putting pressure on girls to diet?

There is one of these opened near here. On the way past one way I thought we could go in with the DDs and have a look, coming back the other way and from a long distance and without my glasses on I could see one side of the shop was pink, with girls toys sign, other side was blue, with boys toys sign. So we didn't go in, we veered off

And they are religious? And have banned certain toys they feel are, what, satanic? Even more pleased I am giving it a wide berth then.

Our 2 local toy shops are not "segregated". One is ELC and one is toymaster.

I'm pretty sure the Entertainer is not a religious shop.

There is a Christian bookshop here in my town and they sell books, CDs, toys and ALL of them are Christian-themed/produced.

From what I can see of their website they seem to sell things like Chuggington and so on, a search for 'Bible' or 'Jesus' gives zero results.

So, no, not a religious shop.

I know they are closed on Sunday, which gives their staff a presumably welcomed day off, but they don't even mention it on their website: careers.theentertainer.com/company-values.htm

Unless you don't like them BECAUSE they are religious, which is stupidly bigoted, then I'm not aware that they've done anything objectionable. Profiles: www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/dec/17/gary-grant-entertainer-toyshop news.bbc.co.uk/local/lancashire/hi/people_and_places/religion_and_ethics/newsid_9044000/9044348.stm www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/8846084.Toyshop_owner_offers___100k_to_help_save_school/ www.pennies.org.uk/2012/01/the-entertainer-customers-donate-100000-to-charity-through-micro-donations/

Lots of countries in Europe, many more secular than ours, have shops closed on Sunday and people go for a walk with their families rather than yet another day of shopping in identikit high streets.

Weird that they wouldn't sell Harry Potter toys but they did sell Lord of the Rings stuff. I wonder what makes Gandalf more acceptable to Christians than Harry.

He has a nice beard.

Yeah the owners are religious and will not sell toys that conflict their beliefs.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Entertainer_(Amersham)_Ltd.

Are children banned from going into the section of the shop if they are not the correct gender then?

Otherwise, I dont really see the point in dragging your children out.

Poor kids

IT makes things simple for us. DSs don't want to go down the 'pink' aisles. They are 9 and 12 though.