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Red Letter Days - VIP TopShop Experience

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    Hiya,

    Just wanted to say that Red Letter Days - VIP TopShop Experience is now a TG friendly one!

    I have'nt been on it yet, but may well treat myself.

    I initially found it through a link on AOL and it sounded fun. VIP lounge, personal shopper, refreshments. A fun afternoon shopping - what more could I ask for????

    Except the small print declared the experience was 'for females only'.

    Well, that made me feel a bit miffed. There is'nt a female shop anywhere that has'nt happily taken my money and I did'nt see why we should be excluded here!

    So I emailed them immediately with my best unimpressed head on and said, amidst my barrage:

    ''...I am absolutely appalled that, through a quirk of nature, I can be born with many secondary female attributes but simply because my gender is inaccurately notated as 'male' you feel that its perfectly ok to exclude me - and the thousands like me - from taking advantage of this gift by boldly proclaiming 'females only' in the 'small print'.

    It may be, of course, that you meant to say 'genetic females and those actively identifying as females only', in which case all could easily be forgiven. You need to clarify.

    Life for many transgendered people is tough enough without more needless discrimination...''

    And I had a fairly speedy and pleasant reply:

    ''...I was sorry to learn of the distress caused by the wording of our experience description for the VIP TopShop Experience. We have previously received a number of queries from men wishing to use the vouchers for purchases from Top man. As the experience is for TopShop only and cannot be used to purchase items from Top man we had noted in the experience description that the experience was for females only. I can confirm that we have clarified with TopShop that the experience is open to anyone who wishes to purchase clothing from TopShop and is not limited to genetic females only. Please be assured that our wording was not intended to cause offence, however, in light of your comments, we have now amended this to state; 'This experience offers female clothing only'...''

    May only be one small step but I'm pleased!

    10/10 for Red Letter Days and TopShop.

    Much love

    Rae xxx
    www.raekelcou.com
      December 25, 2007 1:33 AM GMT
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  • Rae .................

    Good on ya girl !!

    Well done !!

    It's "little" victories like that, that add up, in time, to a better acceptance of our Buying Power in the market-place !

    An interesting bit of info about Red Letter Days is, that the Chief Executive is G/G, and she is also very much involved in other well known companies in the UK, so maybe, your little bit of "education" of the Company, will filter through to the others in her Group.

    Have a lovely Christmas ................. I hope it brings you everything and more that you wished for !!!

    Hugs,

    Angela.
    What matter if I stand alone? I wait with joy the coming years; My heart shall reap where it has sown, And garner up it's fruit of tears.
      December 25, 2007 9:39 AM GMT
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  • Moderator
    1980
    Hi Rae-

    I echo Angela's comment, hon. "Good on ya!" Another blow struck for recognition and for equality.

    Hugs...Joni Marie
    "Be yourself, everyone else is already taken." -Oscar Wilde
      December 25, 2007 1:54 PM GMT
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  • Thank you, Rae. Whittling one brick away, over and over, will lead to the wall falling down, in time. Many businesses, in fact, welcome anyone purchasing from them even if they don't specifically state TG/TS persons. Many have instructed their workers to give us service and take our money like any other customer. Some of us buy TWO wardrobes and are quite valuable customers to them. They may not, however, specifically state this in writing, but some do. Nevertheless, they are in business to make a profit.
    "A live lived in fear is a life half-lived." - Native American proverb. "Inside every man is a woman who was drowned in testosterone before birth". - Wendy Jeanette Larsen "It is better to be hated for what you are than loved for what you're not." - Andre Gide (French writer)
      December 26, 2007 5:02 AM GMT
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  • Well done Rae, it's nice to see someone change their policy/wording for the benefit of us all. As Wendy says, businesses are there to make money and will happily take your cash no matter who you are or what your gender is. The same goes for high street stores, I have never had nay problems since a shopper is a shopper after all.

    Besides, GG or TG, women are likely to spend more on clothes than men and are therefore welcomed with open arms. (At least that is my experience).

    Nikki
    Every woman is beautiful, some show it with their faces, others show it with their hearts.
      December 26, 2007 9:44 AM GMT
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