When Bloomingdales went viral on Twitter for all the wrong reasons, the struggling department store swiftly pulled the “offensive” item from its stores’ shelves. Now, the department chain has issued an apology for selling a t-shirt with the words “Fake News” on the front. The store only hoped to make a lot of money from the shirt celebrating the famous tagline of President Trump and never meant to offend their shoppers.
However, the “Fake News” t-shirt did offend at least one person. Allison Kaden snapped a photo of the shirt and tweeted her complaint directly to Bloomingdale’s Twitter account.
She wrote: “This isn’t funny or fashionable. It further delegitimizes hard-working journalists who bring REAL news to their communities.”
In a matter of hours, Bloomingdales removed the design from their physical locations as well as their online stores. The shirt came in a variety of colors and styles and sold for prices between $18 and $38.99.
Allison Kaden is a journalist herself. She saw the offensive shirt in White Plains, New York, and decided to expose Bloomingdales for their inappropriate item. As soon as she shed light on the item in Bloomingdales’ inventory, the store tried to mitigate the destruction to their brand by swiftly issuing an apology.
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and we apologize for any offense we may have caused. We take this feedback very seriously and are working quickly to remove this t-shirt. Again, thank you for taking the time to alert us.”
Bloomingdales’ apology was hardly enough to appease hard-working journalists around the country. Pamela Wood, another journalist from the Baltimore area, tweeted the department store, writing:
“Hi, @bloomingdales. Apologizing ‘for any offense we may have caused’ is not a sincere apology. This is not about journalists’ hurt feelings. This is about the damage done to our democracy when your brand joins in perpetuating and celebrating the idea of ‘fake news.’ Please try again.”
However, some people loved the shirt and were willing to stake their reputations on defending it despite Bloomingdales already having removed it from their shelves and clothing racks.
A Washington Times writer claimed, “It’s your responsibility as a journalist to support free speech — even the kind that offends your delicate sensibilities. your tactics are shameful.”
Bloomingdales tried to remedy the situation as quickly as possible. When Daily Mail reached out to the company for comment, a spokesperson wrote back: “Bloomingdale’s carefully researches and selects the brands that are featured in our stores.”
Meanwhile, Fox News wants the shirt to go back on sale. According to the pundits on The Five on Fox News, Bloomingdales should not have to remove a shirt about fake news just because journalists don’t like it.
The pundit referred to himself as a “dummy” just like the mannequin and claimed that the t-shirts with slogans that he wears do not influence any person’s beliefs. In reference, the Fox News host spoke about how he has a shirt celebrating “anarchy” but has yet to topple a government, although there is still time.
Do you find the shirt offensive?
