A major department store has silently removed the word ‘Christmas’ from its iconic gift catalogue – and workers are blaming ‘woke politics’ for the change.
For the first time ever, department store Neiman Marcus has rebranded its 98-year-old ‘Christmas Book’ gift catalogue, which has now been called a ‘Holiday Book’. Workers for the retailer have blamed ‘woke politics’ for the change to the holiday season staple.
The retailer had previously stated, following the Covid-19 Pandemic, that the ‘Christmas Book is tradition’ and something for shoppers to look forward.
‘Christmas is a time of celebration and our Christmas Book is about celebrating. It’s part our legacy and if you look back at our history, our founders and our brand, we’ve always been very strong about belonging and inclusion,’ chief marketing officer of Neiman Marcus, Daz McColl, told Forbes in 2021.
He added: ‘The title of our book is not exclusionary in any way. It’s part of our tradition.’ However, this year, attitudes toward the tradition of the catalogue appear to have changed.
A spokesperson for the retailer told The Dallas Morning News: ‘In the spirit of inclusivity as it welcomes customers of all backgrounds, religions and traditions to celebrate the season.’
Seasoned employees within the retailers Dallas headquarters, amid the restructuring of the brand, have expressed to the New York Post that the 117-year-old history of Neiman Marcus is being wiped out with the breaking of a tradition that’s been going since almost 20 years into their launch.
They’re also pointing fingers to the CEO, Geoffroy van Raemdonck, who just last year announced five percent of the workforce would be cut despite record cash bonuses in the two years prior.
‘If Geoffroy and his team put as much time into running the business as they did on expressing viewpoints about DEI, we would be buying Saks or launching an IPO. Instead, my job is at risk because of our business failure,’ one employee told the outlet.
Other employees were equally upset after feeling blindsided by the news, saying they found out through a media report.
One said: ‘The book didn’t need a name change. Personal opinions about inclusion – from Geoffroy and his leadership team – changed this.’
The subtle, under-the-radar change didn’t even make it on the front cover of the catalogue, which instead of being titled ‘Holiday Book’ instead reads ‘A Neiman’s Fantasy’.
The imagery on the front equally holds no resemblance to the Christmas period, as it has before, this issue depicts a woman over a blue background looking through a gold keyhole and sparkles across the cover.
Previous issues have been adorned with holiday colors of red, green and gold, or Christmas imagery, such as presents, antlers, sleighs or Santa.
