PhotoFriday: Purity

Woolworths, Safeway, Liquor and Fuel - but not food

Miss Eagle has sent the following email to Liz in Victorian Regional Office of Safeway (the name used by Woolworths in Victoria). It is self-explanatory. If you, dear Reader, agree with Miss E, please feel free to write to Woolworths in your state. If you are writing in Victoria, please send to ejamieson@woolworths.com.au.

This afternoon, I was in the Safeway store at Burwood Highway, Ferntree Gully (not the Mountain Gate store). I was stunned to see an advertisement stating, that if customers purchased $60 of goods from Safeway Liquor, they would receive a 20c a litre discount on fuel.

I am amazed at the ethics of such a campaign. I have been told by Kerry in the Area 5 office that this was part of a national campaign organised by the Marketing Division of Woolworths. M

The campaign has certainly not been well thought through. It sends very mixed messages to the community:

1. Alcohol is more valuable than food because it attracts a larger discount on fuel at the bowser.
2. $60 worth of alcohol far outweighs in value at the bowser any amount large or small spent on food.
3. The campaign links alcohol to driving in an encouraging way - in more or less the same way that large car parks at suburban hotels encourage a drink and drive mentality.
4. Woolworths, whose income is derived - in the main - from families, encourages a significant slice of the family budget to be devoted to alcohol.
5. The campaign seeks to encourage a significant amount of spending on alcohol which is the root cause of violence and road deaths in our society and ties the name of Woolworths/Safeway to it.

I would ask you to immediately withdraw this marketing campaign from all Woolworths and Safeway stores and to refrain from any similar type of marketing in the future.

I also wish to complain about the way complaints are handled within Woolworths and Safeway.

I am told that the Woolworths system means that someone in the local regional office will email someone in Sydney but that the system does not allow for me to be cc'd. So I have no way of knowing the accuracy of material forwarded to the responsible person regarding my complaint. I have rung the corporate office in Sydney who referred me back to the local regional office. Sydney refused to give me the name of the person with responsibility for the campaign. I then asked for the title, the phone number and the email of the person responsible for the marketing campaign. This too was refused. There is clearly no way for the customer to be in direct contact with the person with corporate responsibility. I am told that the matter will take two business days and I am familiar with the time limit that Woolworths sets itself to respond.

I fear that the manner in which Woolworths deals with complaints means that the complaint will not be acted upon in a positive manner leading to the withdrawal of the campaign and that Woolworths will go on its merry way regardless.

Yours sincerely,
[Name supplied] [address supplied]
Email: [supplied]
Phone: [supplied]
Blogs: Oz Tucker at http://oztucker.blogspot.com/
The Trad Pad at http://tradpad.blogspot.com/
The Eagle's Nest at http://eaglesplace.blogspot.com

We'll wait to see what - if anything - happens.

Martha, the Glitter Fairy, and Table Talk

For those of you who are fans of the Glitter Fairy - she will be on Martha this afternoon at 4pm on Foxtel in Australia. GF talked about it on a post on Wednesday - yesterday Australian time. Now Miss Eagle knows that Martha comes to Australia 24 hours after the USA - but she only knows this with her head and not her heart. Now she believes. Miss E read about it on the GF and she has now seen the promo this morning on Martha's 10am show on Foxtel. The way it works in Australia is that the latest Martha is shown at 4pm AEST on the How To channel.

Martha's most recent program had as special guest Whoopi Goldberg. Whoopi has published a children's book titled Whoopi's Big Book of Manners. The purpose of the book is to teach children manners - the pleases, the thank yous, the excuse mes, - that are missing from modern life.

At question time from the audience, a guest got up and asked Martha a question about blackberries in restaurants - and she was not talking about fruit. Well, the polite and evenly spoken Martha had a spray about people watching television in restaurants and similar behaviour.

What about - said Martha - conversation, what about the food. Martha said that this was the sort of thing Whoopi was talking about in her book. Martha said one day she might do a program about America to-day. Perhaps she could organise an international program series - UK To-day and Australia To-day as an instance.

As you know, dear Reader, this topic of tabling is rather dear to Miss E's heart. Our lack of understanding of food and the culture surrounding it is working its way outwards, like ripples in a pond, into civil society - with wide ramifications.

Please, dear Reader, do your bit: a lovingly and skilfully prepared meal, a nicely set table, discussion about interesting doings of the day - sans television and computers. Go for it!

Chai and browsing in Sassafras

Miss Eagle did coffee with a friend at Ripe in Sassafras yesterday. Miss E has posted on Ripe before. This time Miss took some photos to show you. Because Ripe has no sign outside to tell you it is Ripe. There are an ice-cream sign and some tables and chairs so you might think it is just a cafe/ice-creamery not a fully-fledged eating establishment reviewed and blogged here and here. Miss E and friend did chai: chai latte for friend, black tea-based for Miss E. And passionfruit cheesecake. Miss E does have to comment on the predictability of dessert and pastry cake offerings at coffee and cake time across Melbourne. Time for a re-think and re-jig if some culinary brains could be set in motion on this dilemma.
Before going home to Upper Gully, Miss E popped into Tea Leaves because she was nearly out of chai at home. This time she is trying a green tea based chai. Tea Leaves is wonderful - wall to wall teapots and everything tea. Stacked and packed on shelves.

In the window and beautiful settings.
And then into another favourite place, Antiques in Sassafras. A delight to eye and spirit.

And these give a whole new meaning to "getting the blues", don't they?
And then the signs.
But, if Christmas really was in July and Santa could be expected on 25/7, here is what I would be seeking. Paris stamps! Everything from the Eiffel Tower to a post mark!
And there's news!

Antiques in Sassafras will soon be opening a home and giftwares establishment across the road behind Quirky's, the funky clothing place across from the plant nursery. Miss E expects it will be as beautiful and spirit-lifting as AiS.

Cats, Cheezburger, and hitting the headlines

If you love cats, if you are a fan of I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER, you will love this cute bit of business that is doing the rounds. Miss Eagle has picked it up from Lucy at Sorrow at Sills Bend where you can get details. What a link to this does is generate random cat macros with your post titles on. You will note, dear Reader, that the words above are the title of Miss E's previous post. Have fun!

Leunig: The path to your door

Michael Leunig is one of Australia's great cartoonists. Michael is a spiritual man and insightful in his art, his text, his comment. Miss Eagle is currently listening to Billy the Rabbit which the gifted Gyan has set to music. The CD comes beautifully packaged with a little book of the poems which have been set to music. Here is the last, but not least:

The Path to your Door
The path to your door
Is the path within:
Is made by animals,
Is lined by flowers,
Is lined by thorns,
Is stained with wine,
Is lit by the lamp of sorrowful dreams:
Is washed with joy,
Is swept by grief,
Is blessed by the lonely traffic of art:
Is known by heart,
Is known by prayer,
Is lost and found,
Is always strange,
The path to your door.

Whatta place - Howey Place!

On Friday night, Miss Eagle was having a wander in the city and found herself in Howey Place. Aaaah!

Howey Place is a laneway of lovely shops off Little Collins Street. The circle on the map above marks the spot.

Dear Reader, if you are living overseas, you should know that Melbourne is the shopping capital of Australia. It is also the artiest city in Australia and the most European. Mmmm...

At the entry to Howey Place is Oroton on the left...
and French Connection (FCUK) on the right.
Special occasion elegance is in the window at Stellini...
and the latest trends at Jason Grech.
Accessorising is done at Glass Tree ...
... and sheer class comes from Andrea Yasmin.
David Medlow Chocolates are a recent addition...
...with fruity delectables...
...and liqueur choclates.

And then there is Miss Eagle's favourite - Alannah Hill.

Miss E has written about her before.

Funky, feminine elegance...
...mixed and flaunted...
And in the door Miss Eagle went, dear Reader...
...into the luscious foyer...
...with the glowing red portholes and signature Alannah flowers...
...and more flamboyant fashion...

...under red canopies of light.
All in all, a stimulating walk, daydreaming, musing, enjoying.