Way to be “On Message”

To the gentleman representing the Star Kids movie in front of Central Co-op:

I appreciate being passionate about your art and your project. And, believe it or not, I’ve got some idea of what’s involved in making a movie and how much money is needed.

However, I don’t appreciate being harassed on my way into a grocery store. It’s the end of the day, I’ve a first grader who needs to get home, and we’re out of milk. I don’t particularly have the time (or frankly, the interest – I’ve heard the Star Kids pitch on my way into a lot of grocery stores in the last several years) to do anything but walk on past you.

And I especially don’t appreciate your comments when I refuse to allow you to give random free stuff to my kid. No, I don’t want the plastic animal, the bubbles, or the coloring page. We have enough of all of those things. (Not to mention that giving kids bottles of bubbles before they enter a grocery store seems pretty much a setup for disaster.) I’m attempting to teach my daughter that she shouldn’t expect free things/gifts/surprise toys/sample doughnuts whenever we’re out of the house. You don’t know if we have allergies, if my child is on some form of disciplinary restriction, or if we have faith-based guidelines that require us to eat organic and shun plastic.

So, hollering, “Gee, it sucks when you can’t give free stuff to kids!” after us as we entered the store was particularly uncalled for.

Star Kids claims to be about inspiring kids, to “teach positive values and show positive role models.” Well done. In your efforts to be inspiring to kids who might see your movie, you’ve completely forgotten to be inspiring (or gracious or well-mannered or respectful) to the kids and parents you see right now.