Dear Barnes & Noble,
My 11 year old daughter and I recently had the opportunity to spend a lovely Friday evening together, just the two of us. As said daughter had just celebrated a birthday and as we are a family known for our incredible love of books, someone had given my daughter a Barnes & Noble gift card. She was quite excited and knew exactly what she wanted to buy. She strode purposefully into your store, went back to the children’s department, immediately found what she sought, and then went to the register to pay.
While we were waiting in line, my daughter suddenly said, “Well, THAT’S rather inappropriate.”
What, pray tell, had caught her eye?
Barnes & Noble, I ask you, what in the hell possessed you people to put Cosmo on full display by the registers? You’re a family bookstore, for heaven’s sakes.
And I know this was your decision, national Barnes & Noble, and not the local store manager’s, because I asked a relative of mine who spent a couple of years in your employ and this person filled me in on how this stuff works. Apparently, real estate by the registers is sold to the highest bidder and apparently you Barnes & Noble whored yourself out to Cosmo. I’m curious, did you go with standard missionary position or did you try something more creative? Because we all know the sky’s the limit where Cosmo is concerned.
But did you not think for even a moment about what would be appropriate or inappropriate? About what might be off-putting to your customers? You know, customers such as myself who spend hundreds of dollars on books every year. Customers such as myself who would rather not have to explain Bad Girl Sex to an 11 year old girl during what was supposed to be a pleasant mother/daughter outing.
Barnes & Noble, I’m not asking you to censor what you sell in your thousands of stores nationwide. I am, however, asking you to just think before you whore yourself out. Think about what you display by the registers. Think about your demographic and who spends money in your stores. Think about what could make your customers’ shopping experiences unpleasant and/or uncomfortable. And think about the money you earned from your fling with Cosmo and compare that to the money you could lose when customers decide to shop elsewhere.
Because I can promise you, if I ever find myself in your store again with one of my daughters and I end up having to explain How She Outsmarted a Brutal Rapist (bottom right corner of the magazine above), I will never again shop in your stores or on your website. Instead all of my book purchases — including the dozens of books and gift cards I am about to buy for Christmas gifts — will be through Amazon or one of my local bookstores. At least then I wouldn’t have to discuss The Sexy Ass Workout with my daughter.
Pissedly yours,
Jen
Cosmo is at the registers at Target and the grocery store, too. It’s not even the worst thing kids might see waiting in line at the grocery register: tabloid headlines, anyone?
By: notjustbarbra on Monday, October 5, 2009
at 2:36 am
“Well, THAT’S rather inappropriate.”
You’re bringing that kid up right!
By: Jen on Monday, October 5, 2009
at 3:09 am
Notjustbarbra — Excellent point … EXCEPT … that our grocery store doesn’t have Cosmo or tabloids by the registers and I almost never take the girls grocery shopping with me anyway. As for Target, again, magazines, but usually Oprah, The Martha, and homes magazines.
By: Jennifer on Monday, October 5, 2009
at 6:36 am
This happened to me last weekend in CVS while waiting for a prescription. The magazine rack is there under the counter at the pick-up register. When it was my turn I reached down and put a Southern Living over the front of the cosmo rags. Cosmo jumped the shark for me several years ago.
By: Angie on Monday, October 5, 2009
at 6:57 am
Doesn’t Walmart allow Cosmo near the register with a blocker on it? I think so – I don’t see why that can’t be a compromise or better yet – just put the magazines in the magazine/periodical section.
By: Skywalker on Monday, October 5, 2009
at 7:02 am
When I worked for B&N the REALLY nasty magazines were kept behind the registers and the men had to ask me for the one they wanted.
We had been given a little pep talk by the manager about not reacting to the purchase.
I hope you forwarded a copy of this post to B&N corporate.
By: Little Miss Sunshine State on Monday, October 5, 2009
at 7:42 am
Ugh! I agree with Miss Sunshine State–you should absolutely forward to the marketing folks at B&N Corporate.
By: mpearl65 on Monday, October 5, 2009
at 7:58 am
Our grocery store has a ‘family’ checkout lane – no inappropriate magazines, and only healthy snacks, no chocolate bars or candy. I’ll be honest, I snickered a bit when they first put it in, but now that the Princess is starting to read….I’m going to be taking a harder look at all kinds of things.
By: badness jones on Monday, October 5, 2009
at 8:32 am
ack! Headlines that make me blush should not be front and center where curious 11 year olds can question them!
By: paperdiva on Monday, October 5, 2009
at 9:08 am
Skywalker, that’s how our Walmart and Kmart are. I was thinking there was an uprising about this years ago and I thought all stores had to have a blocker on magazines like this if they were displayed by the registers. But, apparently not.
When I was in my early 20s I used to read Cosmo religiously. But, even a girl in her early 20s can only handle so many articles on how to satisfy her man. And just for the record, I didn’t even read those stories because I thought they were stupid.
By: Alex on Monday, October 5, 2009
at 9:32 am
OY. Unbelievable. And can I just say…? Cosmo (which I used to consider quite racy when I secretly bought it in high school), is insane now. I can’t believe some of the cover taglines! Is this a product of a new generation so desensitized by media that magazines have to be more and more sensational to catch their attention?? *stepping off soapbox*
By: jenn on Monday, October 5, 2009
at 10:07 am
Hahahaha! You are awesome. It’s bad enough my kids ask me what herpes and erectile dysfunction are, OH! and the new KY commercials. Makes me sick!
By: Debbie on Monday, October 5, 2009
at 11:22 am
Ugh. I’m so not looking forward to those days. A few of our grocery stores are just as bad. But luckily the Boy is more interested in the toys and the car cart than the magazines at this point. Unless there’s a football player/golfer on the front. Which there usually aren’t….
I agree with the others. Send it up the chain to someone official.
By: bdaiss on Monday, October 5, 2009
at 1:17 pm
I love that your girls are sophisticated enough to think along those lines! You’re doing an awesome job! I’ve been more of a Borders fan lately. More laid back and quiet than our B&N here. Last time I went to B&N I asked if they carried a particular magazine & was treated SO badly its not even funny. Lets start the boycott!
By: Sarah on Monday, October 5, 2009
at 3:17 pm
The sad thing is that Cosmo is so targeting girls not much older than 11.
I hope you send this on to B&N!
By: Kristabella on Monday, October 5, 2009
at 4:31 pm
That’s just icky.
By: Lori Anderson on Monday, October 5, 2009
at 6:13 pm
AMEN to the AMEN!!!!!
By: Carol on Monday, October 5, 2009
at 8:24 pm
You have to threaten their bottom line – well said and hope you mailed this!
By: Brightside-Susan on Monday, October 5, 2009
at 9:04 pm
Publix (a grocery store chain in the south), opts to put screens in front of magazines with offensive headlines on the front. I’m a little surprised that Barnes and Noble would have Cosmo up at the front, you’d think something like the Economist or the New Yorker would sell better there.
That is also hands down the most offensive cover of Cosmo I’ve ever seen. And I used to read that magazine religiously.
By: The Tutugirl on Monday, October 5, 2009
at 10:39 pm
Cosmo began offending me while I was still in my twenties. That’s saying something, isn’t it?
By: Green Girl in Wisconsin on Tuesday, October 6, 2009
at 1:21 pm
Well personally I believe that it was a good thing your daughter saw the magazine, well at least one part anyway.
Let me explain, (Bear in mind I don’t know how relevant this is to you because I don’t know the age of your daughter)
1) I don’t think “The sexy ass workout” is the worst thing your daughter could have seen, in fact she’s probably heard worse language at school. (However it is up to you to decide what is and what is not appropriate for your _ year old daughter)
2) The rapist story title, I believe that parents should discuss such things with their children, because unfortunately, “brutal rapists” are out there, and could very well be closer than we think. It is always good to be cautious and it’s definitely something that young girls should be aware of. (Again, obviously if your daughter’s 3 or 4 or so, you wouldn’t be discussing it with her just yet and I would totally see your point.)
By: Michelle on Wednesday, October 7, 2009
at 8:36 pm
I really think this should be forwarded onto Barnes & Noble. Let them have to explain themselves.
By: Kirstin on Saturday, October 10, 2009
at 8:38 pm