Sleepwear Nightmare at the Supermarket

Looks like our sleepwear stories will almost write themselves this year with a sleepwear nightmare reported on social media in the first week of 2017. What started as a simple customer complaint on Tesco’s facebook page quickly turned into a storm in a D cup with accusations of racism and cultural insensitivity. A shopper complained about two female customers in the Salford store who were shopping in pyjamas and dressing gowns. Tesco’s response was “Many of our customers have told us that they feel uncomfortable when they see other shoppers wearing unsuitable clothing in our stores and we do try to find a balance that everyone is happy with.” The post was subsequently deleted but the story caught the tabloid’s interest and a social media debate ensued. Some focused on the issue of whether it is appropriate to wear pyjamas in public but others were more concerned with whether it’s acceptable to take photos of people without their knowledge. Pretty soon TV viewers got involved when Eamonn Holmes made his views clear on This Morning, “If you don’t know what’s wrong with this then there’s something wrong with you. There is such a thing as standards.” Radio stations too got in on the debate with one London station sending out a reporter to Harrods to see if they could get served in their pyjamas (yes, as it happens). It then transpired that the two women are part of the traveller community and when tracked down by the Sun one of them commented, “I’ll be honest, I was kind of hungover and just wanted to get something for my baby and some snacks with my mum. We had already put our pyjamas on for the evening so didn’t think anything of it, we didn’t think we would be internationally shamed…We are travellers and we feel like it is sexist and racist. It’s an attack on our culture and way of life.” We probably couldn’t have wished for a better start to the New Year than a media storm about pyjamas. If you are concerned about a sleepwear nightmare at your supermarket may we suggest our Wild funzee onesie. A classic leopard spot print that is always in fashion and won’t look out of place next to the marmite and cornflakes.