Okay, during my lunch break I headed to Books A Million to grab a book I was wanting. Before I even opened the front door to the store, I could see through the door to the main display. You know what they had on the front main 4-foot tall display? The 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue with the title in bold font: "Barely Bikinis". If you have not seen it yet (as I had not at the time), I WILL NOT post a link that shows it. It has a model with a bikini bottom on, but NECKLACES for her top. Necklaces. But, that is not the point.
As soon as I walked passed it, the Spirit prompted me and reminded me of what Ray Comfort had done in a similar situation. So, I walked down the aisle, collected my composure and thought about what I would say after I picked out my book. Believe me, I'm not the kind to stir things up.
So, I walked passed a person that had an ID tag that said "Manager". My Christian obligation was more than obvious to me at this point. So, I said with a shaking voice and a cherry red face, "Excuse me, are you the manager?" Without even looking up from her work, she said, "Yeah, one of them." I said, "Can I talk to you", moving down the aisle away from all the people (the last thing I wanted was a scene, and it seemed like she agreed with me as she followed me). I said:
"Look, I'm not a whistle-blower by any means, and in fact, if something's ever wrong with my food at a restaurant, I usually eat it anyway, not to cause a big stink. But, as I was walking in, I saw the new display of the swimsuit issue with the half-naked woman displayed for all the world to see, and frankly, I just think it's totally inappropriate to be displayed there. I don't have kids or anything, but if I did, I wouldn't want them seeing this, and I know you are a family bookstore, and you've got kids coming in and out at all times. Now, I know that you've got a section for that kind of stuff, and you could put it over there, but not as you walk in the store!!" She was a good sport and said, "Okay, I'll have to call corporate about it, because they made us do this, but I'll call and see what they say." I said, "Okay, I appreciate it. I know it's like a best seller and all that, but putting it in front of the store for little kids to see is a little too much for me."
I went to talk to the other manager about it in order to make sure they both knew, and she was understanding, too, saying that it probably wouldn't last long up there anyway. As I walked out, I was glad to see the first manager taking the display down. Score one for the Kingdom.
As soon as I walked passed it, the Spirit prompted me and reminded me of what Ray Comfort had done in a similar situation. So, I walked down the aisle, collected my composure and thought about what I would say after I picked out my book. Believe me, I'm not the kind to stir things up.
So, I walked passed a person that had an ID tag that said "Manager". My Christian obligation was more than obvious to me at this point. So, I said with a shaking voice and a cherry red face, "Excuse me, are you the manager?" Without even looking up from her work, she said, "Yeah, one of them." I said, "Can I talk to you", moving down the aisle away from all the people (the last thing I wanted was a scene, and it seemed like she agreed with me as she followed me). I said:
"Look, I'm not a whistle-blower by any means, and in fact, if something's ever wrong with my food at a restaurant, I usually eat it anyway, not to cause a big stink. But, as I was walking in, I saw the new display of the swimsuit issue with the half-naked woman displayed for all the world to see, and frankly, I just think it's totally inappropriate to be displayed there. I don't have kids or anything, but if I did, I wouldn't want them seeing this, and I know you are a family bookstore, and you've got kids coming in and out at all times. Now, I know that you've got a section for that kind of stuff, and you could put it over there, but not as you walk in the store!!" She was a good sport and said, "Okay, I'll have to call corporate about it, because they made us do this, but I'll call and see what they say." I said, "Okay, I appreciate it. I know it's like a best seller and all that, but putting it in front of the store for little kids to see is a little too much for me."
I went to talk to the other manager about it in order to make sure they both knew, and she was understanding, too, saying that it probably wouldn't last long up there anyway. As I walked out, I was glad to see the first manager taking the display down. Score one for the Kingdom.
