To admire Marks and Spencer's ambitious in store advertising?

[MrsDustyBusty]

Today I was in Marks and Spencer's in Dublin and they have a display advertising special celebration foods for bonfire night. That's an ambitious project, I thought to myself.

AIBU to admire the gung-ho spirit of commerce against the odds?

We have bonfire night every year in cork. Bonna night was always a good celebration. Had nothing to do with guy fawkes. We just liked to set stuff on fire.

Yeah Bonna's nothing to do with Guy Fawke's....For starters, it's in June....

Yes Squiggle, I believe I may have mentioned that in the statement you quoted..

Scottish here and often buy Union Jack merchandise in Scotland after all I am as much British as I am Scottish

Brie - the vast majority of English people are well aware that The Republic of Ireland is not in the UK. But thanks for the generalisation.

Do M&S still have other stores in other countires? Are they classed as regions too? Do the Bonfire Night displays go up in France, Germany, Spain?

I worked in M&S on the graduate scheme and quit as was so fed up of the inability to make decisions. You HAD to just comply with Head Office all the time. Often with stupid results in individual situations as this thread proves perfectly!!
You had no freedom at all yet we’re accountable for takings. It was daft!!

enceladus read the thread more carefully before you wade in.

The OP never mentioned Halloween. As it happens m&s was stuffed with Halloween merchandise in Dublin prior to the 31st. I know because I bought a goodly amount of it.

The OP is talking about specifically marked bonfire night food that's appeared post Halloween.

Bonfire night has never been celebrated in Ireland for good reasons.

M&S has a small number of stores in France and a couple in places like Hong Kong.

I presume they would market bonfire night stuff there as expats form a big part of their customer base. Very different to Ireland.

*Repeatedly see England footy kit/memorabilia on sale in Tesco/Asda etc up here in Scotland which doesn't sell.

Likewise union flag stuff*

Agree about the England football stuff - that's just lazy marketing putting it into the other home nations stores......but It's my Union Flag 🇬🇧 too and I have bought bits in the past for certain events and know many people the same (In Scotland btw)

A few scots may buy Union flag items but given swathes of it ends up unsold and massively reduced in price would suggest most scots aren't interested in this particular type of product

Yeah, sure

The British Isles do include Ireland though. It's basically a geographical term.

What was to squoosh by the way.

I amat "regions", it says so much about the way manyEnglishpeople refer to Ireland and the Irish.

Eh? Isn't is completely normal for businesses to have Regional Managers? I work in the mining industry and a friend is Regional Manager: Africa. What's it got to do with Ireland in particular?

Loving this regions chat. I worked for M&S too, and the regions were by and large geographical areas. Scotland was split into a couple of regions, NI was its own region, Ireland occupies a bit of a weird spot as it was sometimes included with the UK business, sometimes viewed as part of international. Wales was a couple of regions with English overlap. I'm fairly sure Candy was in no way being condescending, it really is a fairly regular retail description!

Boatrace sorry you had an awful time. I was on the grad scheme too and found it a fairly depressing existence. Fortunately the (whisper it) regional HR person took pity on me and sent me into Head Office where I could do less damage!

The British Isles do include Ireland though. It's basically a geographical term.

Nope. It's basically a geo-political term. There's a difference and that difference is why the term British Isles isn't used in Irish atlases by the Irish govt.

In Irish atlases or by the Irish govt.

Or the Good Friday Agreement. It is considered outdated and chauvinistic to use the term British Isles these days.

irishpost.co.uk/difference-uk-britain-british-isles-north-south-ireland-explained/

Guess the Irish Post has a different view.

But I take the point that the Irish feel offended by the term.

So the British Ordinance Survey and a geography lad from a British university think it's fine? We must all fall into line so.

Pipe down Ireland and know your place, eh Tinkly?

No, I said I take the point that the Irish are offended.

I think British people tend to assume that everyone sees the world from the same perspective as them, ie, historically the islands have collectively been called this so why not?

Obviously this ignores a big history of oppression from the Irish point of view.

And I'm Welsh, so I do have a small inkling of where you are coming from.