UPDATE: Hobby Lobby apologizes, agrees to carry Jewish holiday items

[rug]

Published: October 7, 2013 Updated 1 hour ago
By LAUREN MARKOE — Religion News Service

The owner of the Hobby Lobby craft store chain, under fire because his stores did not carry Hanukkah merchandise and because of a reported employee’s remark that offended many Jews, has apologized and announced that some stores will begin to carry Jewish holiday items.

In back-to-back statements Oct. 3 and 4, company president Steve Green said Hobby Lobby is sorry for comments “that may have offended anyone, especially our Jewish customers and friends,” and that it will carry Jewish-themed items in New York and New Jersey by early November “to test the market.”

That’s in time for Hanukkah, which begins this year on Nov. 27.

The company credited “overwhelming demand in the Northeast” for its decision and added: “We appreciate the feedback we’ve received from our customers, and we hope these products will meet their needs.”

http://www.thestate.com/2013/10/07/3017598/is-christian-owned-hobby-lobby.html

[Happyhippychick]

1. Thanks but

fuck you. This Jew doesn't shop at Hobby Lobby anyway, this won't make me start.

[bulloney]

2. HL had not carried Jewish holiday items, but they've always been stocked with Halloween merchandise.

Does the owner of Hobby Lobby know the origins of Halloween? Or most of the prominent Christian holidays like Easter and Christmas, for that matters?

[cbayer]

3. LOL, nothing like an little internet exposure that hits your bottom line

for changing direction.

The fact that they are limiting it to NY and NJ says it all. Overwhelming demand, my ass.

[Gothmog]

4. I am still not going to do any business with this company

This change does not affect my opinion of this company

[AZ Mike]

5. Now,

let's pressure them to carry Muslim holiday decorations.

It doesn't matter to me. There's not a chance in hell that corporation gets one single penny from me . . . EVER.

They can decorate all their stores with ChristmaKwanzaaHannukah decorations and they will never earn my patronage.

Chik-fil-A and Barilla too.

[AtheistCrusader]

6. "may have offended" is a classic non-apology.