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Tesco's Are Air Brushing Out ENGLAND
Sile_Mairin
Posts: 12 Forumite
Below is a letter I have recieved today showing what Tesco's think of the English, if you feel insulted as I do I hope you will make your feelings known to their head office. I should add that recently Sainsbury's did the same thing but under protest they changed their policy and now acknowledge the flag of St George and the country England..
As the saying goes if we don't use it we will lose it.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
FEAR AND LOATHING OF ENGLAND AT TESCO...
After an illuminating telephone conversation with some bolshy Scottish woman at Tesco Customer Care Centre, yesterday, I have received some disquieting news.
I was informed, that due to specific, constant and deafening requests by their English customers, the existing, very few own brand references to English products in Tesco stores are to be dumped – and replaced with the ‘British’ moniker.
I really do have to say that the conversation was one of the most surreal I have ever had – even by Tesco standards.
I thought I should ring them to discuss ‘CountryLife-Gate’ – and that company’s shameless rebranding of English butter to British butter. I thought it would be a good opportunity to talk (yet again) to Tesco about their branding policy.
I told the Tesco lady that I was looking for another butter to buy with ‘English’ written on the pack – and couldn’t help noticing that Tesco own brand butter did indeed say ‘English Butter’, but unfortunately, the accompanying flag was not the flag of St George but was the flag of the Union.....
I then tried to expand the discussion, sort of telling her that I would like to buy English stuff in Tesco, but there are precious few products in Tesco with the English ident on – and how I thought it was about time they expanded their English range – and as a start, they could change the flag on the Tesco English Butter pack to make it consistent.
“But we are changing it to make it more consistent”
“Well that’s bloody great!”
“Yes, in the very near future, our butter will be labelled as British butter – and of course we will keep the Union flag to make it all consistent”....
“WHAT?”...
She repeated it – and then added “In fact all the remaining products with England of English on them are to be rebranded as British”.
“WHY?”
“Because all our customers in England want their products labelled as British – while all our customers in Scotland, Wales and Ireland want their produce labelled as Scottish, Welsh and Irish”....
“Well who decided that then?”
“Our customer focus groups”
“So let me get this straight – customers in England have specifically demanded that the very few English branded products that Tesco sells must be rebranded to British – because, presumably they find it all too upsetting? “So why haven’t the Scots etc demanded that their products are to be labelled as British also?
“Well they don’t see themselves as British – they see themselves as Scottish – it’s the same with the Welsh and the Irish”...
“How very convenient..... So what you are saying is that the few remaining English products are soon to be bulldozed from the shelves in favour of British ones”....
She did indeed confirm that rogue products like Tesco own brand English Butter and Mild Cheshire Cheese are to be axed for a more apparently palatable British version.
She then read out a communiqu! from Head Office –
“Regarding product branding, this is what our Customer Forum has asked us to do”
‘As most English inhabitants look on themselves as being British first – therefore, a Union flag is used to identify the region. NOTE: Regional information is printed on the pack to indicate which area within the region it comes from’.
There then followed a deep and meaningful discussion. The Scots lady said that every time she came south of the border she couldn’t move for union flags – because apparently, all English people are revelling in their British ident... While in her own country she and all her fellow compatriots were Scots first, second and third.
The whole conversation ended in a vexatious row. She just couldn’t grasp how insulted I felt to have my country rebranded as both a ‘region’ and as default Britain’. There is now a definite shift in strategy. They are now quoting ‘Focus Groups’ from the region of England as justification to rebrand to a British ident – and it’s all coming to a Tesco near you.
As the saying goes if we don't use it we will lose it.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
FEAR AND LOATHING OF ENGLAND AT TESCO...
After an illuminating telephone conversation with some bolshy Scottish woman at Tesco Customer Care Centre, yesterday, I have received some disquieting news.
I was informed, that due to specific, constant and deafening requests by their English customers, the existing, very few own brand references to English products in Tesco stores are to be dumped – and replaced with the ‘British’ moniker.
I really do have to say that the conversation was one of the most surreal I have ever had – even by Tesco standards.
I thought I should ring them to discuss ‘CountryLife-Gate’ – and that company’s shameless rebranding of English butter to British butter. I thought it would be a good opportunity to talk (yet again) to Tesco about their branding policy.
I told the Tesco lady that I was looking for another butter to buy with ‘English’ written on the pack – and couldn’t help noticing that Tesco own brand butter did indeed say ‘English Butter’, but unfortunately, the accompanying flag was not the flag of St George but was the flag of the Union.....
I then tried to expand the discussion, sort of telling her that I would like to buy English stuff in Tesco, but there are precious few products in Tesco with the English ident on – and how I thought it was about time they expanded their English range – and as a start, they could change the flag on the Tesco English Butter pack to make it consistent.
“But we are changing it to make it more consistent”
“Well that’s bloody great!”
“Yes, in the very near future, our butter will be labelled as British butter – and of course we will keep the Union flag to make it all consistent”....
“WHAT?”...
She repeated it – and then added “In fact all the remaining products with England of English on them are to be rebranded as British”.
“WHY?”
“Because all our customers in England want their products labelled as British – while all our customers in Scotland, Wales and Ireland want their produce labelled as Scottish, Welsh and Irish”....
“Well who decided that then?”
“Our customer focus groups”
“So let me get this straight – customers in England have specifically demanded that the very few English branded products that Tesco sells must be rebranded to British – because, presumably they find it all too upsetting? “So why haven’t the Scots etc demanded that their products are to be labelled as British also?
“Well they don’t see themselves as British – they see themselves as Scottish – it’s the same with the Welsh and the Irish”...
“How very convenient..... So what you are saying is that the few remaining English products are soon to be bulldozed from the shelves in favour of British ones”....
She did indeed confirm that rogue products like Tesco own brand English Butter and Mild Cheshire Cheese are to be axed for a more apparently palatable British version.
She then read out a communiqu! from Head Office –
“Regarding product branding, this is what our Customer Forum has asked us to do”
‘As most English inhabitants look on themselves as being British first – therefore, a Union flag is used to identify the region. NOTE: Regional information is printed on the pack to indicate which area within the region it comes from’.
There then followed a deep and meaningful discussion. The Scots lady said that every time she came south of the border she couldn’t move for union flags – because apparently, all English people are revelling in their British ident... While in her own country she and all her fellow compatriots were Scots first, second and third.
The whole conversation ended in a vexatious row. She just couldn’t grasp how insulted I felt to have my country rebranded as both a ‘region’ and as default Britain’. There is now a definite shift in strategy. They are now quoting ‘Focus Groups’ from the region of England as justification to rebrand to a British ident – and it’s all coming to a Tesco near you.
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Comments
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I had noticed things like that in chatrooms- if someone says that they are from the uk they mean england etc
I can see tesco's point of view- if the majority of customers prefer 'british' to 'english' then they are going to change it, kind of makes sense, but at the same time I can understand why you feel upset
Why not write to them showing your disapproval, if as many people are as upset as you anticipate then it may make some difference.0 -
Thank god I don't shop at Tescos.I'd rather be an Optimist and be proved wrong than a Pessimist and be proved right.0
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pffffttttt is it really worth getting your knickers in a twist about it? lol i cannot believe some of the tosh that gets put on here........spanky xx
DFW weight watchers 28lbs to lose
lost so far 11.5 lbs0 -
Your'e obviously one of the Tesco Clones then?Thomson 757 Man0
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Sile_Mairin wrote: »Below is a letter I have recieved today showing what Tesco's think of the English, if you feel insulted as I do I hope you will make your feelings known to their head office.
Are you sure it was a letter, and you didn't just copy and paste all this from someone else's blog?
DFW Nerd 0350 -
crikey!!!!!!!! get a life!!!!!!!!!!!0
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How sad is the original OP? Honestly...There are so many other important things that need attention in the world, that people should be trying to change, but all this person is doing with their sad little existence, is trying to argue with Tesco customer services about butter being re-branded.... Get a life..honestly some people have nothing better to do..0
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You actually have the time to phone Tesco and complain about things like this? Do you hear anybody else moaning about something so pathetic? nobody from Scotland is getting upset because the butter doesn't have 'scottish' printed all over their food! Just another example of English thinking they are better than everyone else!0
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Pink_fluff wrote: »You actually have the time to phone Tesco and complain about things like this? Do you hear anybody else moaning about something so pathetic? nobody from Scotland is getting upset because the butter doesn't have 'scottish' printed all over their food! Just another example of English thinking they are better than everyone else!
But that is the point! Scottish butter DOES have Scottish printed all over it. I take exception to your last point. The English don't think they are better than everyone else, but they have a right to celebrate their identity just as much as the Irish, Welsh and Scottish. As an English woman I get angry when silly jobsworth councils or universities ban the use of flags in case anyone else is offended. This country is my home. I am proud of being English.
Things like this just reinforce the lack of identity that our once proud nation now has. I wouldn't bother to complain about it, but maybe I should and Tesco would realise that these details are important.Sealed Pot Challenge #8 £341.90
Sealed Pot Challenge #9 £162.98
Sealed Pot Challenge #10 £33.10
Sealed Pot Challenge #11 Member #360 -
I'd just like to say my last post is to the original poster of this thread and is not meant to insult anybody from anywhere in the Uk.0
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