Pink Clothes Hangers

Hi Sharon,

I have had the luxury of no chemo brain... so I feel for you. I was lucky enough to avoid both chemo and radio therapy. You did very well and your ideas were fantastic and gave me a good basis. It conveyed all the emotion needed. It also gave me the impetus to do something too. Having the support of another person means a lot.

Please feel free to use this wherever you like ... I'm only too happy to get the word out there and with a little luck it may have some affect on the stores and perhaps suppliers too

Hope all is going well with your treatment.

Sheila xo

LOVE IT, love it, love it...

Mine was the best I could come up with, and chemo brain makes it hard - I LOVE your letter and will be copying it and sending it to my local stores as well. The more we get this out the better, the more stores hear about it the more they might want to do it.

Thank YOU SO MUCH so your letter, it is beautiffuly written and so very true.

Sharon xx

ps Is it OK if I share a copy of your letter with another online breast cancer ladies group I am a member of, so that they can also send it to their stores? to get this started and out in the world, to make life easier for us all.

As a woman who has had a mastectomy I would like to put forward a suggestion to you. Since my operation I have become somewhat frustrated that I cannot simply walk into a store and easily find garments that are suitable. This is particularly the case with swimwear but also to a lesser extent with bras. As a woman I love to browse, and whilst your sales staff are always extremely helpful, I sometimes feel like I’m taking up too much of their time or have to make a decision about a garment without due consideration.

My suggestion is to put all mastectomy products on pink coat hangers, and advertise this, so that those who have had mastectomy surgery can come in and choose bras, swimwear etc. without the embarrassment of having to ask staff where suitable products are located. Pink would seem a good choice as it is internationally known as the colour for breast cancer research and support. I feel something as simple as this would make shopping a more enjoyable experience for many women.

I am a member of a couple of breast cancer support groups and have found that many women find it embarrassing, especially in the beginning, to have to ask for mastectomy products, Many women are sensitive to their changed shape and this would allow more anonymity for them. And even for those of us who do not feel particularly sensitive, it does afford us more of an opportunity to browse and have some ideas of what we like before approaching staff for their expert opinion.  I really do feel such a simple measure would make a huge difference to the life of a breast cancer patient.

I hope you don’t mind me suggesting this to you and I do hope you will take time to consider it.

Thanking you in advance.

Here is a copy of what I sent to Myer and DJ's...

"I have a suggestion for you. Have you ever thought about putting all mastectomy products on say pink coat hangers and advertise this so that those who have had mastectomy surgery can come in and choose bra's and swimwear etc, without the embarrassment of having to ask staff where these products are, if it was something simple like pink coat hangers then people could shop for what they like and then get help if they need it. I am a member of a couple of breast cancer support groups and all of the women find it embarrassing especially in the beginning to have to ask for mastectomy products, it was suggested that if there was some kind of easy difference like pink coat hangers (pink being the breast cancer colour of course), this would make us breast cancer ladies much more comfortable when purchasing products. I just thought I would suggest this to you, as it would make a HUGE difference to many ladies with breast cancer who have had mastectomies and other breast cancer surgeries as well."

I am not sure if it even makes sense, as I wrote it with chemo brain (which I still suffer from :o) badly). Maybe someone else could read it through and edit it better and post it here for others, to copy and send to other stores.

You have done brilliantly ... I wonder if you might be able to post a copy of your original email on this thread so that others of us may be able to send it on to our retailers?

If you'd prefer not to, that's fine.

ta ... Sheila

I got some responses - Here they are...

From DAVID JONES...

"Thank  you for taking the time to provide us with your suggestion regarding the  display  of  the mastectomy products available in our Intimate Apparel departments in store.

At David Jones, we recognise that we are stewards of a great brand and that we  need to ensure the range we offer is in-line with our company vision of being the best branded multi-channel department store.

Our  Buyers  continuously  work  in  partnership with our suppliers and our Marketing  Team  to  ensure  the  best  range  and  brands are promoted and available  to  our customers. With this in mind I was disappointed to learn that  you  were  less  than  satisfied  with  the  current  display  of our mastectomy products.

May I kindly advise that I have passed your feedback onto the Buying Office and Merchandising team for their consideration.

Once again thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback.

If you have any further feedback or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards,
Customer Relations Assistant

And from MYER...

"Thank you for contacting us regarding your concerns relating to the availability and display of mastectomy products in our stores.

We acknowledge your concerns, and we respect your opinion on this subject.  Please be assured that we have forwarded your communication to our Intimate Apparel Team who will consider your comments.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact us.

Yours Sincerely,
Customer Service Representative MYER "

You are a wonder! You must write very persuasively! I haven't yet had the time to contact DJs and Myer myself, so thanks for taking the time to do so.

More power to you!

Great work ... let's hope we get a positive outcome!

Great work ... let's hope we get a positive outcome!

Great work ... let's hope we get a positive outcome!