Who’s Been Naughty and Who’s Been Nice?
TUPELO, Miss.—This Christmas shopping season, American Family Association (AFA, www.afa.net) and Christians around the country are proclaiming that Christmas is special—not just any other winter holiday. And the gift buying that Americans do for one another is because of Christmas.
“Just a few years ago, roughly 80% of the nation’s retailers ignored the use of ‘Christmas’ in their stores and in their advertising, choosing instead to use the politically correct terms ‘Happy Holidays’ or ‘Holiday Sales,’” said AFA President Tim Wildmon. “At some stores, thankfully, that has changed—we hope, in part, due to American Family Association’s annual Naughty or Nice List.”
With the 2019 Christmas shopping season already in full swing, AFA has prepared its 12th annual list by reviewing the websites, media advertising and in-store signage of top national retailers in an effort to help shoppers know which companies are Christmas-friendly—and which are not.
AFA reviewed up to nine areas to determine if a company is Christmas-friendly or naughty. Print media (newspaper inserts), broadcast media (radio/television), websites, and/or personal visits to the store helped determine a retailer’s rating. If a company’s ads had references to items associated with Christmas (trees, wreaths, lights, etc.), it was considered an attempt to reach Christmas shoppers.
Over the years, AFA’s Christmas boycotts have been extremely successful, the pro-family organization reported. Lowe’s, Walmart and Big Lots are just three national retail chains that completely changed their marketing programs as a result of an AFA Christmas boycott. Now, these companies not only recognize Christmas in their advertising, they have also designated a Christmas area inside their stores.
“We believe this change is the direct result of outspoken Christians’ efforts in conjunction with AFA’s dedication to keeping Christ in Christmas,” Wildmon added.
In all, 48 retailers made the 2019 Nice List, from Ace Hardware to Zappos.com—and everything in between, from Bed, Bath & Beyond, Hobby Lobby and Home Depot to Marshalls, Michael’s and Walmart. For this year’s list, nine retailers are ranked as “Marginal,” meaning these companies refer to Christmas infrequently or only in select advertising mediums: Academy Sports, Amazon.com, Best Buy, CVS Pharmacy, Dollar General, Safeway, Sears, Starbucks and Whole Foods.
The 20 retailers on the Naughty List may use “Christmas” sparingly in a single or unique product description, but as companies, do not recognize it. These include: Barnes & Noble, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Family Dollar, Foot Locker, Gap Inc., Kohl’s, The Limited, Maurice’s, Nordstrom, Office Depot, Office Max, Old Navy, PetSmart, Staples, Stein Mart, Supervalu, T.J. Maxx, UncommonGoods.com, Victoria’s Secret and Walgreens.
View AFA’s full 2019 Naughty or Nice List here.
Shoppers may notice that Target is not listed in any of the categories, because for more than three and a half years, AFA has been reminding families as they shop to #BoycottTarget altogether. Target’s restroom and fitting room policy puts women and children at risk, and company executives have done little to respond to the concerns of the 1.5 million who have signed AFA’s pledge.
View the media page for AFA here. For more information on American Family Association, visit www.afa.net or follow AFA on Facebook or on Twitter @AmericanFamAssc.
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To interview an American Family Association representative, contact [email protected], Jeff Tolson,610.584.1096, ext. 108, or ext. 102.
