Boycott JL and Waitrose? : James Esses' latest Substack on John Lewis LGBTQIA++ 'Identity' mag

[PersephoneSeethes]

I saw it this afternoon on Twitter and read the article with utter horror.

I was hoping it would be uplifting stories about people being accepted and living full lives

John Lewis and Waitrose are seemingly actively promoting and policing
pronoun usage by colleagues, Stasi-style. This seems like it is a court case, a-la-Forstater, waiting to happen.

They have an article about 'raising non-binary and transgender children', not from an information position in case Partners come across such families in their stores, but with a heavy activist slant.

I think I have finally been pushed to the edge with this beloved company. I can no longer shop with them, and I shop at Waitrose every week for our main shop, have done for over a decade.

This is a real gut punch because I believe in what Waitrose does, or used to do: they pay their farmers better, their animal welfare is better, their shops don't have the bright lights and loud noises that set off my migraines and irritate family members autistic temperaments. But as someone who grew up a tomboy, and would have been thrown under the gender bus by Stonewall and all the other organisations if I had been a child today, I can't stand by and accept all this nonsense.

I feel really sorry for him. His first week back after ten years away…and this happens…

Exactly! I think another poster put it well too, that it ShOULD be that her son (who works there) doesn’t realise it’s an inclusive workplace because they just are.

JLP shouldn’t have to coerce its staff or intimidate them into silence with the curse of ‘bigotry!’ because what they are asking is actually reasonable, fair and neutral.

JLP, as have many businesses, have gone totally over the top with the pride flag blazoning everything. It just feels and looks like performative and cheap marketing.

Apparently the wide use and promotion of celebrating pride is leading to consumer fatigue and seemingly from the statistics a brewing international backlash against the LGBTQAI++.

I was listening to the latest episode of the Queens Speech podcast and the blokes (Dennis Kavanagh and Clive Simpson) were saying that, as two older gay guys have never worn a pride lanyard in their lives because their sexuality is not their identity.

From: Peter Ruis
To: Sharon White
Subject: Identity Magazine

Hi Sharon,

WTAF

Kind regards,
Peter

Latest. How "inclusive" of everyone's opinions.

@WookeyHole that was posted today at 14:58, that's what the last 20 messages were about.

Sorry, I realised too late.. I think he retweeted it again this evening and yes, I should have RTFT first.

Hateful to be angry about promoting the idea that an 8 year old girl who likes comfortable ‘boy’s’ clothes is trans?

That is what I would call hateful and reprehensible, not to say unscientific and illogical.

If Ruby is Sharon going high I dread to think what her low is.

Actually we know don't we, her customers that don't want fetishes rammed down there throats whilst buying food and clothing are her "low".

Dreadful woman.

I really admired Sharon White before this, but she has shown utter contempt for women and children with that comment.

Sharon White stands shoulder to shoulder with some staff who are better than others.

I wonder if at some point when the full scope of the damage is done, JL and others can be sued for coercive influence.

LWS and Wild wymen workshop sell stickers, and most stationers sell sharpies if you fancy a bit of loo graffiti. I wouldn't deface small businesses though, they're probably finding the current environment difficult enough without having to remove graffiti off their walls.

https://www.letwomenspeak.org/store.

https://wildwomynworkshop.com/tag-product/stickers/

Well, if they were high that explains everything.

I’ll stop shopping with them and stick to Aldi.

I used to work for them when I was young. I find it hard to conceive how far they have fallen from the great company they once were.

That ffing woman. Someone get rid of her fgs!!!

I think I saw earlier in this thread that a lot of this is coming from ex Sainsbury's employees. I wonder if Sainsbury's had a bit of a clear out of the trans activists before they caused trouble there.

I only worked for a few years at Waitrose to tide me over between redundancy and retirement. Those few years spanned the appointment of Dame Sharon White. It’s been a downhill plunge.

It is already known that she isn’t continuing when her current tenure expires. How low can they go in the choice for her replacement?

https://amp.theguardian.com/business/2023/oct/07/was-john-lewis-boss-sharon-white-too-clever-for-the-cruel-retail-world

That's hilarious of the Guardian.
Evidently, she has not been clever enough.

Do you know, if the Graun told me I'd had sausages for dinner today, I don't think I'd believe it

(I did have sausages, meat-free as it happens.)

https://www.standard.co.uk/business/sharon-white-john-lewis-waitroise-windrush-b1111131.html

https://www.ft.com/content/ce775915-36f2-4dbd-9539-e9452365136b

https://news.sky.com/story/amp/john-lewis-chairman-white-to-leave-next-year-as-turnaround-stumbles-12974896

https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/waitrose/sharon-white-should-never-have-been-appointed-john-lewis-chairman/683826.article

Other opinions are readily available. She’s been a disaster from day one.

Now John Lewis are trying to connect with female led businesses https://www.johnlewis.com/content/fashion/women/international-womens-day-female-founders - pointless when it could include men of course, though.

According to The Grocer (one of the articles that @YourWinter linked to) John Lewis planned to diversify into the buy-to-let property business.

"The key tranche of that has been a plan to transition the partnership to ensure 40% of its profits come from outside of retail, significantly through building up to 10,000 buy to let houses."

They what?

https://www.johnlewispartnership.media/pressrelease/jlp/details/17085

https://www.drapersonline.com/news/john-lewis-defends-rental-homes-project-while-flagship-conversion-delayed

Off topic for this particular thread though!

It's kind-of relevant in my head because of JL's ethical stance, and I guess their diversity 'n' inclusion is also part of that. It's reassuring to know that they were aiming for affordable key worker type housing and not standard buy-to-let properties (which is how the Grocer presented it!) but it makes me wonder (a) how JL expect to make a profit from affordable housing when every other property developer aims to minimise it and (b) whether the affordable stuff is just window dressing for a development that would end up as mostly conventional and profitable buy-to-let.

One former adviser said missteps emerged as White built a team who were “all theory people”, and made changes without listening enough to long-term members of the retail business who knew the details of its supply chain and operations.

White controversially ditched the ‘never knowingly undersold’ pledge. Rival supermarket bosses took to walking the aisles of Waitrose stores in bemusement, confronted with gaps on shelves, tired interiors and confusing layouts.

“Some people are too bright for retail,” the former adviser said. “Retail is all in the detail. It’s shopkeeping, not management theory.”Another source and several former staffers agreed: “Her people judgment has been really poor.”

Well, she can't have been that bright, can she? It's entirely contradictory. Not bright enough to realise that she was arrogant and felt that she didn't need to listen to experienced people, when she did.

I totally agree with you and am relieved someone else out there feels the same. I was completely unaware of their stance on celebrating pride until last week when I went into my local Waitrose to shop and was “thrown” by their enormous sign over the customer service desk. IMO people should be left in peace to get on with their lives .The majority of people are openly supportive of all and do not need to have the John Lewis agenda pushed in our faces. I emailed them as I was in shock because as an older customer, I have shopped with both JL and Waitrose for yonks. I’ve had no reply from them and sadly feel I will now have to boycott them which I really regret. What has happened to this once amazing and wonderful partnership? They were the best!