Last month feminist pressure groups called on retailers to remove lads’ mags from display, claiming that businesses could find employees and customers claiming sexual harassment, but has the move worked?
Graeme Knowles
Nisa retailer
We’ve been quite dramatic with it and removed all lads’ titles from display. We’ve got an island magazine unit so there is no ‘top shelf’ as such. I just don’t think it’s right for a neighbourhood shop to stock magazines like that. It’s been exacerbated recently, the covers becoming more risqué – it’s almost as if the publishers are seeing how far they can push it. It’s been in the back of my mind for a while and when I saw the coverage last month, that sealed it for me. There’s a point where you say enough’s enough.
Linda Williams
Premier retailer
We’ve only ever stocked Nuts and Zoo and we’ll keep them because there are squaddies nearby who buy them regularly. But they’re on the top shelf, in the corner, as far out of sight as they can be. We don’t take any of the other lads’ mags and if Menzies ever send us them they go back. I find them quite offensive to be honest and I hope this campaign does change things. I’d be happy if they were only sold in specialist shops or online. Even newspaper covers can be offensive these days.
Des Barr
Independent retailer
It’s one of those subjects where you do have to be politically correct. We sell FHM, Nuts, Front, these kind of mags but they’re all on the top shelf, out the way, with the front covered. When you’re close to a school you do have to be careful. I do feel people buy them for the editorial content though as they are magazines aimed at males. I’m surprised they still sell, but they do – so is the onus on the publishers or on the retailers? We know we have responsibilities and so we sell them in a responsible way.
Donna Morgan
Best-one retailer
We do stock a couple so when the news broke the first thing I did was ask my staff if they found them offensive. Most found the whole thing quite funny. We were asked by customers if we could stock them and so we did. Both the magazines and the reaction to them are part of the world we live in today. It’s not my cup of tea but there are certainly worse things out there. We’ve got them on the top shelf, so no one can see anything they may find offensive.
