Issues@Hand
AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs
September 2001 – Kmart has decided to return to the pornography business. Following a successful boycott of the company by AFA in the early 1990s which ended with Kmart getting out of the porn business and being a socially responsible company, new Chairman Chuck Conaway has made a decision to return to wallowing in the muck for bucks.
A decade ago Kmart was one of the nation's number one sellers of pornography through its Waldenbooks bookstores. The resulting AFA boycott was so effective that in 1995, when Floyd Hall was appointed chairman and chief executive officer of Kmart, he wrote AFA President Donald E. Wildmon a personal letter, saying he had directed Kmart to get
out of the porn business.
"The purpose of my letter today is to inform you and your supporters that Kmart, under my leadership, will honor its tradition as a family-oriented store that shares many of the same values as your organization," Hall wrote. "Our mission is to be a store of choice for America's families. .Kmart will continue to uphold our social responsibility through good citizenship.."
However, when Chairman Charles Conaway took over, he decided to take Kmart back into the porn business by selling obscene, violent music CDs. Much of the music promotes activities such as killing parents and law officials, gang-raping girls, and having sex with animals. Many also include the most vulgar profanities.
Wildmon said, "The content of these CDs is sick, and for a retailer that purports to be a family store to distribute such filth to our children is inexcusable."
Wildmon has written twice asking Conaway to stop selling such music, but Conaway has steadfastly refused. Instead, Kmart has labeled the CDs with stickers noting their objectionable content.
In a press release, the company said, "Please be assured that Kmart does not condone the lyrics contained on Parental Advisory CDs and tapes," but that nevertheless, the music will be sold at Kmart stores. In a letter to Wildmon, Conaway said the decision to carry "explicit music" was merely in response "to customer demand."
Lack of protection for children
In what amounted to Kmart's only justification for the new policy, Conaway assured Wildmon in his letter that no one under age 17 would be allowed to purchase music which contained warning stickers.
Wildmon, however, said such words were hardly comforting. "Those labels are nothing more than neon signs shouting out to young people: 'Here's the good stuff! Here are the lyrics and songs your parents don't want you to listen to! Get your older friends to buy them for you,'" he said.
In order to prove that assertion, AFA sent two 13-year-old girls, accompanied by a 17-year-old friend, into a Kmart store to purchase a stickered album. The 13-year-olds purchased the CD without even being questioned by the cashier.
"Kmart's policy is a sham, meant only to give cover while the company trades in pornography," Wildmon said. "Even in stores which follow the policy, all a minor has to do to purchase pornographic music is have a neighbor, an older friend, a total stranger - anyone over age 17 - give their age to the checkout clerk. And then Kmart can boast, 'No one under age 17 has purchased one of these explicit albums!' That policy will not protect our children, and our communities will suffer for it. Anything for a buck is still the Kmart way."
AFA is once again calling for a boycott of Kmart. Wildmon said he is asking concerned supporters to:
Make a toll-free call to Kmart at their customer care desk (1-866-562-7848) and tell them, in a kind way, that you will not shop at their stores until they change their policy, and that you plan to tell your friends about Kmart's involvement with pornographic and violent music.
Call your local Kmart and give the manager the same message.
E-mail Chrm. Conaway at cconaway@kmart.com. 
