So far this month we have highlighted companies that have created special pink product lines and have agreed to donate on the basis of the sale of those special pink items.
Today, on cue from my sister, I would simply like to pay special notice to a company that is making the pink ribbon so ubiquitous that we really cease to pay much attention to it. First is Kroger. As my sister mentioned yesterday, she made a trip to Kroger and thought of me when she ran across the Kroger brand bottled water with the pink ribbon on the label. I was in my local Kroger on Monday and was astonished at the prevalence of the pink ribbon throughout the store. I really didn’t take the time to stop and figure out what the actual deal was, in terms of what Kroger is doing as far as donations go.
The web page that I linked to above contains this confusing and ambiguous paragraph:
With the help of key vendor partners who share our commitment to eradicating this cancer – and providing support to those who face it – the Kroger family of stores once again will be Giving Hope A Hand by investing $3 million for breast cancer awareness, treatment and research in the communities we share.
How exactly are the “key vendors” helping? Here’s how.
I am thinking this morning that supporting breast cancer is like making the decision to open for business on Sunday. When I was a youngster, grocery stores (and other retailers) were dark on Sunday. Some of the larger chains built larger stores and began opening their doors on Sunday. Pretty soon other retailers followed suit, not because they had some epiphany that is was now OK to be open on Sunday, but they didn’t want to lose market share.
Breast cancer has reached that critical mass. Now companies are forced to market pink ribbons. It’s like Kroger admits, it has become “our commitment to eradicating this cancer.” While I don’t pretend to know much about cancer, I do know that there are many other kinds out there, affecting both men and women, and they are often times deadly.
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