Marks & Spencer

[Yodaisawally]

My mum was in m and s today trying to buy a happy birthday granddaughter card.

Apparently their cards are now all gender neutral and non-binary. So no references in any of the cards at all.

Now I wasn't there but I think my mum has the gist of what is going on.

This is ducking madness.

Oh dear God, you really cant understand? You sure?

Methinks you are having a laugh.
But anyway
Some people prefer cards to mum/dad/son/sister/aunty etc
And some people dont. They are all covered with named cards and blanks cards.
Truly amazing what card companies can do now <<<<sarcasm for the hard of thinking

Doesn't matter to me, until they change their stance on changing rooms, I will not buy a thing from there. I think it been 3 years and I haven't missed them.

PurpleDaisies I've never seen them quite so similar, just different names/titles on the front

They are so bland - take a generic card and stick the appropriate relative name on it. No thought required whatsoever. The card equivalent of garage forecourt flowers. Buy them if you want , but that's as far as I'm concerned that's the message they send.

This is a strange card DH got recently

I was a bit sceptical when I first read this (sorry Yoda), but your post came into my mind when I was in my local M&S yesterday looking for a card, and you're right, there were no cards specific for family members, just generic happy birthday stuff. Maybe they're only doing it in certain M&S stores to test the response?

My kids really wanted a 'you're the best grandad' type card, so took my business elsewhere.

I was in a largish M&S very recently and I couldn't find a single card that had any sex-based wording on it. No 'Happy Birthday Mum/Sister/Dad/Nephew'. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

Now, I have never been one for such cards, generally speaking I prefer the more generic arty ones where you write your own message. But it did feel that choice was restricted and it felt manipulative in some way. Relationships that can be precious to us are being undermined, even in a seemingly insignificant way like lack of words on greetings cards.

We'll have to make our own - 'Happy Birthday Top Terf!'

Well this is a giant load of steaming bullshit designed to whip up a nice froth isn't it?

www.marksandspencer.com/l/gifts/greeting-cards/birthday-cards

"Mum", "sister", "son", "husband", "dad" all feature.

All I can say @Lockheart , is not in M&S in Leeds Trinity.

They are in M&S in the Peoples' Republic of Camden but very bland, very little differentiation other than the printed words. The patterns and designs are all very neutral

Thats a sad, random lot.
Husband, no wife
Son, no daughter
Sister no brother
Son @ 1 and dad @ 60
M&S must be getting out of the card business.

I thought Yoda's mum had simply been unable to find the card she wanted due to store layout, but I'm rethinking that, due to the testimony of JustcleaningtheBBQ and Rightsraptor.

I have two possible explanations so far.

1. this is a matter of small stores vs big stores, in which small stores only carry very generic ranges, because they can't afford to allocate shelf space to all the differentiated types (sister, daughter, mum, dad, uncle) of Happy Birthday card.

2. it's about who they think the local shopper is, and some management teams at individual stores think their local demographic tends to object to cards with words like "mum" on.

I need more information, and funding to go on a fact-finding tour of M&S branches around the UK.

Doesn't matter if you think it's sad or random. The premise of the thread is that M&S only sell gender neutral or non-binary cards. Which is demonstrable bollocks.

As the OP had already updated the thread with that little gem you are a day late and dollar short with your outrage.

Good point I assume each foot of floor space needs to make money.
Plus the cards could be on a automatic reorder too with a cut off it a card is not selling at x rate by y quantity.
I noticed during covid that some retailers did a big rethink of shelf space allocation
The paperstock buyer would be the one making the decisions at company level and is going for bland rather than unique.

I asked an assistant in my local m&s, a smallish market town in the Midlands. It's to do with best use of available space & local demand apparently, also generally, demand for cards with relationship words on them is reducing.

Lol 😂😂😂😂😂

My mother's birthday was Christmas Day. Once she discovered "Happy Christmas Birthday" cards, we kids were in big trouble.

(Relevance to thread - some people take specific albeit mass-produced greetings cards very seriously)

Not in my M&S either. Maybe it is in more urban/city/student town areas where the staff are more woke and are filtering what is put out for sale?

If they have Happy Ejaculator Day, I'd be onboard for that