A mattress store is closing “indefinitely” after it released a very disrespectful ad inspired by the events of September 11, 2001. When most people think of 9/11, they are overcome with emotion and recall watching the towers being hit by the planes. They also remember learning that close to 6000 innocent individuals, who were just working, lost their lives.
Most Americans also think of all the heroic firefighters, police officers, and first aid responders, who were running towards the burning buildings that were covered by clouds of dust and smoke. However, the staff at Miracle Mattress, a store located in San Antonio, Texas have other thoughts.
Some employees at the mattress store assumed it would be an excellent idea to create an ad to announce their big sale featuring elements from 9/11. The ad featured Cherise Bonanno, (the daughter of the store owner), along with two men standing in front of two towers of mattresses – two towers of twin mattresses to be precise.
Now this is where things went from bad to worse. The woman, who was laughing, told viewers that all of their mattresses would be on sale for the price of a twin mattress. Moreover, at the end of the woman’s announcement, the male employees stumbled backward, and the towers of mattresses collapsed like the two skyscrapers in New York.
At the end of the ad, the woman happily declared, “We’ll never forget.” The advertisement went viral with almost 8 million views, and Americans and foreigners bashed the store for being insensitive. On Friday, the mattress store said a statement it was closing “indefinitely” after running the tasteless ad.
Miracle Mattress also promised to help support the 9/11 Memorial and victims funds. The owner Mike Bonanno said:
“Effective immediately, our Miracle Mattress store will be closed indefinitely. We will be silent through the 9/11 Anniversary to avoid any further distractions from a day of recognition and remembrance for the victims and their families. We take full responsibility for our actions and sincerely regret the hurt and pain caused by this disrespectful advertising campaign.”
The company added:
“It is very little we can do to take away from the hurt we have caused, but we can begin with silence through the Anniversary and then do our best to follow up with actions that reflect the seriousness of our mistake.”
Cherise Bonanno told local media that she now sees that it was a “stupid idea” to launch the ad. Miss Bonanno will have to do more than say sorry because many people want her gone from the store for her lack of judgment. One person said:
“Hey Mike, not all kids are First Round picks, but do yourself and all of us a favor and get her off the payroll. She’s an idiot, not much more to say.”
Another individual stated:
“It will be a miracle if this place sees another dollar from a customer. My real question would be, what’s being done with the employees who made this video? Are they being fired or suspended? Family or not, If my brother made this video for our company, I’d have to make a very tough choice and let him go, or suspend him for quite sometime. Are the people in this video facing punishment? A letter is all and well, but I think some employees would be let go over this.”
Last week, a Walmart in Florida was under fire for a display of Coke cans that were stacked to look like the World Trade Center. They have also apologized.
