Subway Apologizes

[jejily]

To HSLDA:

 

We at SUBWAY restaurants place a high value on education, regardless of the setting, and have initiated a number of programs and promotions aimed at educating our youth in the areas of health and fitness.

 

We sincerely apologize to anyone who feels excluded by our current essay contest. Our intention was to provide an opportunity for traditional :001_huh:schools, many of which we know have trouble affording athletic equipment, to win equipment. Our intent was certainly not to exclude homeschooled children from the opportunity to win prizes and benefit from better access to fitness equipment.

 

To address the inadvertent limitation of our current contest and provide an opportunity for even more kids to improve their fitness, we will soon create an additional contest in which homeschooled students will be encouraged to participate. When the kids win, everyone wins!

[CookieMonster]

The fact that the contest had the restrictions it had based on the prize made perfect sense to me. It was reasonable. It was not discrimination.

 

I do not like it that now the company is cowtowing to unreasonable expectations and trying to make nice with everyone. I don't like it because I don't think they should have to! They didn't do anything wrong!

 

Also, the version I read is this:

 

a newly released apology from Subway by its partnering Scholastic public relations department.

 

The apology reads:

 

Regarding your concerns about the Subway contest that excludes home schools from contest eligibility, Scholastic and Subway apologize to all individuals who have taken offense at this. Our intention was never to make independent schooled children feel discriminated against or excluded from this specific promotion.

 

Throughout the course of the year Scholastic runs a number of contests and sweepstakes that are open to all teachers and students. The eligibility of this contest in particular was solely put in place to award a large group of children with the grand prize of $5,000 worth of athletic equipment. We do however understand how home- schooled children could benefit from this type of prizing and will make sure eligibility is open to everyone in future promotions.

 

We appreciate your feedback and will make sure a similar situation does not happen in the future.

 

Regarding the line: We do however understand how home- schooled children could benefit from this type of prizing and will make sure eligibility is open to everyone in future promotions.

 

I think this is an over-the-top, ridiculous reaction. Grow a spine people!

 

:rant:

[jejily]

I think it's all in the wording. This was a semantics problem. Could have been solved by saying the contest was open to anyone, but should a homeschool family win, they'd get $XX of personal play equipment for their home, and be allowed to choose a public or private school to receive the rest of the equipment. Or something like that.

 

What raised everyone's ire was the "no homeschoolers allowed" phrase. Had it just been worded differently... they probably would have avoided a huge mess.

 

I don't think they're spineless to keep eligibility open to HS'ers in the future (not backing down for THIS contest)... that's just good PR.

[Brigitte]

I think it's all in the wording. This was a semantics problem. Could have been solved by saying the contest was open to anyone, but should a homeschool family win, they'd get $XX of personal play equipment for their home, and be allowed to choose a public or private school to receive the rest of the equipment. Or something like that.

 

What raised everyone's ire was the "no homeschoolers allowed" phrase. Had it just been worded differently... they probably would have avoided a huge mess.

 

I don't think they're spineless to keep eligibility open to HS'ers in the future (not backing down for THIS contest)... that's just good PR.

 

:iagree:

[Narnian]

The fact that the contest had the restrictions it had based on the prize made perfect sense to me. It was reasonable. It was not discrimination.

 

I do not like it that now the company is cowtowing to unreasonable expectations and trying to make nice with everyone. I don't like it because I don't think they should have to! They didn't do anything wrong!

 

 

I agree. Further, I don't think whining about not getting to participate in a contest hosted by a privately-owned business such as Subway does anything to improve public opinion of homeschooling and/or homeschoolers.

[anewday]

This whole thing bugged me! I hate that the hs community whined on and on about being excluded. WHY did they have to include us? I don't at all get it. We want groups and opportunities that exclude ps'ers, why do we not allow others to do the same?

 

Subway wouldn't have to be apologizing if we didn't make such a stink to begin with. I don't feel they owe us one. I think we set a poor example in this circumstance.

 

:rant:

[browneyedgirl]

I disagree that this was not a form of discrimination against homeschoolers. Many people still don't see hs'ing as legitimate education. Hince, look around at all the legal struggles happening across the world.

 

First of all the said $5,000 equipment could have been donated to an organization of the hs'ing family's choice. I mentioned in another post ideas such as a church, parks and recreation, or other school. I am sure that our hs association would have benefited had someone won and donated it to a place that would allow then to use it at anytime. Our hs association has over 150 families and continues to grow.

 

Also, there was more than just that grand prize. There were Subway giftcards and Scholastic gift baskets and goodies for the home. (Now explain why we should not have been eligible for these?)

 

You guys have got to remember we are still in the forefront of the homeschool movement. We are still ground breaking and when stuff like this comes up we have to let our voice be heard. There was a time when book stores and businesses that offered educator's discounts would not let homeschoolers recieve them,(i.e. Barnes and Noble, Books a million, Office Depot, etc.) until a hs mom stood up and said "Hey we are educators and we should be allowed to get this discount too!"

[Maria/ME]

Ah, voices of reason!!:hurray:

[jejily]

I disagree that this was not a form of discrimination against homeschoolers. Many people still don't see hs'ing as legitimate education. Hince, look around at all the legal struggles happening across the world.

 

First of all the said $5,000 equipment could have been donated to an organization of the hs'ing family's choice. I mentioned in another post ideas such as a church, parks and recreation, or other school. I am sure that our hs association would have benefited had someone won and donated it to a place that would allow then to use it at anytime. Our hs association has over 150 families and continues to grow.

 

Also, there was more than just that grand prize. There were Subway giftcards and Scholastic gift baskets and goodies for the home. (Now explain why we should not have been eligible for these?)

 

You guys have got to remember we are still in the forefront of the homeschool movement. We are still ground breaking and when stuff like this comes up we have to let our voice be heard. There was a time when book stores and businesses that offered educator's discounts would not let homeschoolers recieve them,(i.e. Barnes and Noble, Books a million, Office Depot, etc.) until a hs mom stood up and said "Hey we are educators and we should be allowed to get this discount too!"

 

:iagree: It feeds on a perception that homeschooling isn't really... school. Subway/Scholastic aren't opening THIS particular contest up to homeschoolers now, just because many were vocal about their disapproval. But, they have agreed to open future contests up to homeschoolers -- in essence, recognizing that our children are legitimate "students" in a "legitimate" form of school.

 

My guess is that most people outside of the homechool realm don't even know about this "issue." It's hardly a hot news topic -- I haven't seen it anywhere but on homeschool forums. I don't think it puts homeschoolers in a negative light that we stepped up and asked why our students were excluded from a writing contest. I don't see it as whining, I see it as standing up for our rights, in the same way that other groups asked to be recognized and not discriminated against.

 

I am sure some homeschoolers who contacted Subway and/or Scholastic about this issue weren't as diplomatic as we all wish they'd be. But, I have no doubt there were just as many families who voiced their disapproval with tact and as a means of informing these companies that 1) we are heavy users of their company's products (especially in the case of Scholastic) and that it is ill-advised to discriminate against a strong component of your customers; and 2) that homeschool families ARE schools, and could benefit from the prizes awarded and/or would be happy to help enrich another non-profit organization, such as private school, daycare facility, church school, etc., with the "big ticket" prize.

 

So, I really have to disagree that asking for equal consideration in these kinds of contests was whining and that it put homeschoolers in a bad light. Probably we may just have to agree to disagree on this issue. I certainly didn't mean to stir up a hornet's nest by posting this response from Subway! :001_huh:

[Oak Knoll Mom]

 

I think this is an over-the-top, ridiculous reaction. Grow a spine people!

 

:rant:

 

May I gently point out that Subway is a business and any contest they hold is an advertisement for their restaurants. They realized, after many people pointed it out, that their advertisement offended a group of customers and they are now trying to make amends. Adding this additional contest is a business decision, a pure and simple business decision. No company wants their advertisements to offend their customer base! (Of course there are advertisements that offend me, but I'm usually not part of their customer base. :) )

 

Just for clarification, I'm not one of these people who rant and scream at being left out, but I do think Subway was foolish (not wrong, not discriminatory) to exclude homeschoolers in the first place. :D

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Heehee! This bugged me so much, without even reading this thread, that I started a new thread about it. It's been bugging me for days. See my post about "Whining Moms".

[jejily]

Heehee! This bugged me so much, without even reading this thread, that I started a new thread about it. It's been bugging me for days. See my post about "Whining Moms".

 

Ouch. :sad:

[Jumping In Puddles]

Heehee! This bugged me so much, without even reading this thread, that I started a new thread about it. It's been bugging me for days. See my post about "Whining Moms".

 

I hope you do read the replies in this thread so you see that it's not all about "whining". While I couldn't care less that homeschoolers were excluded I do see some good points from the other side.

 

I think it's the people complaining about the people complaining are being hypocritical and in some instances are being more whiny than the people their complaining about (NOT directed at you, Suzanne. In general).

 

I, for one, think some good may have come out of the complaints because it does make people look at their contests and maybe think "how can we be more inclusive?" in which case, truly, everyone would win.

 

 

May I gently point out that Subway is a business and any contest they hold is an advertisement for their restaurants. They realized, after many people pointed it out, that their advertisement offended a group of customers and they are now trying to make amends. Adding this additional contest is a business decision, a pure and simple business decision. No company wants their advertisements to offend their customer base! (Of course there are advertisements that offend me, but I'm usually not part of their customer base. :) )

 

Just for clarification, I'm not one of these people who rant and scream at being left out, but I do think Subway was foolish (not wrong, not discriminatory) to exclude homeschoolers in the first place. :D

 

Very well said. How could anyone call that whiny? :confused: