An angry preteen complains to their parents about not receiving an iPhone for Christmas. While many people accept the commercialization of Christmas, we may be surprised that “Veteran’s Day Sales” are quite common in the United States.
In November 2010, Eddie Bauer advertised a Remembrance Day sale of fall items up to 75 percent off. Unlike Christmas, most Canadians are strongly opposed to the commercialization of Remembrance Day. Those who believed that the day was meant to respect veterans spoke out using Twitter, describing the situation as “unbelievably insensitive and tacky” (1). Ed Carter-Edwards, a Second World War veteran, was “outraged” (1) upon discovering the Remembrance Day Sale.
Personally, hearing about the Remembrance Day Sale came as a shock that a company would take advantage of this solemn day. Eddie Bauer failed to recognize the cultural differences between Canadian and American societies.
Following Remembrance Day, the President and CEO of Eddie Bauer, Neil Fiske, posted an apology on their Facebook page and claimed that the company wanted “to extend similar sale offers [from America] to… Canadian customers” (2) and to “please be assured [that] we will no longer market this promotion as a Remembrance Day sale.” (2)
1) http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/national/article/99280
2) http://www.facebook.com/notes/eddie-bauer/remembrance-day-response/158426524198964