Subway (sandwich shops) against homeschoolers!

[nicholsmom]

Because of the grand prize involved, it only seems natural to exclude home schools. I doubt many home schools have room for $5000 of athletic equipment. The fact they recognize home schooling is a positive thing.

I have room! I wonder who gets to choose what form this athletic equipment must take - the winner, the school, or Subway. Maybe it's already all boxed up in a warehouse somewhere. If that's the case, it is possible that even public schools would not have space for this equipment specifically. If the "school" get's an expense account, then any homeschool could make good use of the $5000 in athletic equipment - a lap-pool, a weight-training set, a tennis court ...

 

[nicholsmom]

It's their contest. They are the ones giving away free prizes. They can include, or exclude, anyone they want. It is still a free country in that regard! I admire generosity in any form.

We already have enough regulations on business practices. Let's not snub, or boycott a business for excluding us, from their generosity.

That's my take!

The parable of the "day laborers" comes to mind.

Subway is now an exclusive organization & that's okay with you? Nobody here is suggesting that this exclusivity ought to be illegal, just that it is wrong to exclude a subset of children based on where they have school. Has anyone suggested that we boycott Subway? I think only letters have been mentioned to this point. Do you think that it is wrong to point out to Subway that their contest is unnecessarily exclusive?

 

[nicholsmom]

I don't see what the big deal is. There are also contests that are just for homeschoolers, where kids that in public/private school can't enter..

Who sponsors those? Quizznos?

 

[nicholsmom]

They obviously did think it through. That's evidenced by the inclusion/exclusion of homeschooling at all.

If they wanted the equipment to go to a school (which they obviously do), by including home-schoolers, they would have had to include quite a bit of legal to ensure that it did. "Home-school" can manifest itself in many different ways. It would mean they would have to set various conditions for the prize...

.."We'll 'give' the grand prize to the winner, but if the winner doesn't have a school, they'll have to give the prize they won away (to a school within these defined parameters that Subway sets), unless [maybe] that home-schooler is a part of a home-school group that falls within certain parameters, that Subway(?) defines as 'school-worthy'"

Can of worms? Hmm. Not to mention that so many homeschooling parents have a vendetta against public school (Huh? Wha??) that it could very easily become a soapbox opportunity where Subway all of a sudden is sitting in the middle of some sort of "pro home-school/anti public school" thing. How about if DX's kid won? Anyone think it wouldn't be used as some sort of anti-public school soapbox opportunity?* Please. Look at it now.

And what legal complexities would be involved with the conditional prize? Would all winners be required to be able to donate to any school they wanted? Or would that just be home-schoolers? I don't think they could do that? So all winners would be allowed to choose the school that got the equipment. Except home-schoolers would have to. Maybe. Unless their home-school group met a certain criteria. And since the school that received the equipment might not be determined by the child's enrollment, would the kid get to decide where it was donated, or would the parents? I suppose the parents. How does the winning kid benefit? They get to have their parents give away the grand prize? That's cool, but not quite the same as playing with the new equipment you won for your school. (I guess they'd get the gift basket, though). And what would the minimum requirements be for a home-school group to actually receive the prize?

Just a few things that came to mind.

But I do agree Nori, it's too bad that home-shool kids aren't included. It seems like there could have been another contest or something, so all kids could be included. It must be frustrating sometimes. But I don't see this as an "attack." I think that given this contest, which is obviously meant as a way to donate to a school, it makes sense that home-schoolers might not be included.







*No offense intended DX ... Just a hunch lain:

Couldn't they just designate that the school getting the equipment must be one with an attendance of 50 or more - to be chosen by the winner (regardless of school affiliation). What if some great kid wanted that equipment to be donated to a poorer school than his own? Why not?

This is what I suggested in my letter to Subway.

 

[kmoney]

Not that anyone asked but here's my two cents...

I don't blame Subway for doing what they did. Since they are giving athletic equipment it just is easier to include students who go to an actual school. Zoo had a good post going over several issues that would need to be thought through if homeschoolers were included. Could they have worked it out so homeschoolers were included? Sure, probably, but I don't think they are against homeschoolers because they chose not to. Now, if the prize would have been some sort of scholarship and they still excluded homeschoolers, then I would have more of a problem. But for this? Nope. :idunno:

 

[zoo22]

Couldn't they just designate that the school getting the equipment must be one with an attendance of 50 or more - to be chosen by the winner (regardless of school affiliation). What if some great kid wanted that equipment to be donated to a poorer school than his own? Why not?

This is what I suggested in my letter to Subway.

Sure, that's a good suggestion. I do not mean to say that there were not other options, and people letting them know that there were ways to include home-schoolers is good. I just don't think it was an attack. The prize was intended to go to a school. Home-schooling parents have opted out of the system the prize is intended for.

 

[Town Heretic]

Having now read every post I've come to the conclusion that the error was Subway offering 5K of athletic equipment. The prize should have been 5K worth of sandwiches (wholesale)...then if a kid at a school won it they could have a healthy picnic and if a homeschooler won he or she would have this enormous rotting pile of sandwiches...lain:

Okay, so I may have to work a few kinks out.

And why not a bond equivalent for a homeschoolers to use toward college? Or why not a bond for any individual winner plus a donation of 5K made to the school of the winner, provided the school met certain standards (don't worry zoo, this is what lawyers do and it wouldn't be difficult ).

And for everyone who said a business can do what it wants with a contest, try hosting a "Caucasian or Latino or Black Only" (fill in the contest blank here). Or how about a contest where midgets or women (or midget women) need not apply...only saying that you aren't free to exclude everyone on a whim. :think: That's why you don't see "whites only" restaurants in Hicksville. USA. :squint:

It was senselessly short sighted of Subway and I intend on giving them my two cents by withholding my five to ten dollars for a while and letting them know why.

 

[kmoney]

And for everyone who said a business can do what it wants with a contest, try hosting a "Caucasian or Latino or Black Only" (fill in the contest blank here). Or how about a contest where midgets or women (or midget women) need not apply...only saying that you aren't free to exclude everyone on a whim. :think: That's why you don't see "whites only" restaurants in Hicksville. USA. :squint:

You don't think there are scholarships for specific groups of people?? It's not uncommon for a company or organization to have things like this where it's not all-inclusive. It's not like Subway is doing this as a direct attack on homeschoolers because they don't like them.

It was senselessly short sighted of Subway and I intend on giving them my two cents by withholding my five to ten dollars for a while and letting them know why.

 

[Town Heretic]

You don't think there are scholarships for specific groups of people?? It's not uncommon for a company or organization to have things like this where it's not all-inclusive. It's not like Subway is doing this as a direct attack on homeschoolers because they don't like them.

I was just illustrating the principal that it wasn't black and white...except when it's black and white, by way of example. :think:

 

[nicholsmom]

You don't think there are scholarships for specific groups of people?? It's not uncommon for a company or organization to have things like this where it's not all-inclusive. It's not like Subway is doing this as a direct attack on homeschoolers because they don't like them.

No, no, no. This was not a "poverty-stricken, minority, ethnic, with dance experience" only type of thing. It was an everyone except this one group of people thing. It was exclusionary - it excluded one specific group, while allowing all others.

 

[kmoney]

:doh: Nevermind.....

 

[zoo22]

Maybe they'll change it. That'd be good.

 

[Varangian]

When companies do these sorts of a giveaways a large part of their motivation is getting publicity. They want a photo-op at the end where they're installing all of this equipment at some school. If you have a homeschooled child who wants to enter the contest, rather than threatening boycotts and the like, why not just write and ask if your child can enter and specify a local school they'd like the equipment to be donated if they were to win?

 

[Door]

Subway has made an apology to homeschoolers...

Regarding your concerns about the Subway contest that excludes home schools from contest eligibility, Scholastic and Subway apologize to all individuals who have taken offense at this. Our intention was never to make independent schooled children feel discriminated against or excluded from this specific promotion.

Throughout the course of the year Scholastic runs a number of contests and sweepstakes that are open to all teachers and students. The eligibility of this contest in particular was solely put in place to award a large group of children with the grand prize of $5,000 worth of athletic equipment. We do however understand how home- schooled children could benefit from this type of prizing and will make sure eligibility is open to everyone in future promotions.

We appreciate your feedback and will make sure a similar situation does not happen in the future.

 

[ebenz47037]

I received a reply!

I received a reply!

I'm getting the standard form mail from them, I'm guessing, because this is the same thing I saw in the AFA newsletter today (And, no. I hadn't gotten the AFA alert on this yet.).

Regarding your concerns about the Subway contest that excludes home schools from contest eligibility, Scholastic and Subway apologize to all individuals who have taken offense at this. Our intention was never to make independent schooled children feel discriminated against or excluded from this specific promotion.

Throughout the course of the year Scholastic runs a number of contests and sweepstakes that are open to all teachers and students. The eligibility of this contest in particular was solely put in place to award a large group of children with the grand prize of $5,000 worth of athletic equipment. We do however understand how home- schooled children could benefit from this type of prizing and will make sure eligibility is open to everyone in future promotions.

We appreciate your feedback and will make sure a similar situation does not happen in the future.

 

[nicholsmom]

Hmmm... Sound's either fishy or lazy. Dunno which.

 

[Mr. 5020]

Hmmm... Sound's either fishy or lazy. Dunno which.

As d2i calls it, it was a "non-apology apology."

They didn't apologize for what they did. They just apologized that people like ebenz got offended.

 

[Lucky]

They "will make sure eligibility is open to everyone in future promotions."

Sounds like they repented to me.

 

[ebenz47037]

As d2i calls it, it was a "non-apology apology."

They didn't apologize for what they did. They just apologized that people like ebenz got offended.

Yep. And, that's why I'm not buying it at all.

 

[Mr. 5020]

Yep. And, that's why I'm not buying it at all.

Like Lucky said, they repented. There's no reason to hold it against them any longer.

I will say that I am disappointed in the AFA for jumping on this one. They really need to pick their battles more effectively.