I understand the problem of single use plastic bags.  I also understand that sometimes they are necessary.  This petition is advocating for the use of small, inexpensive steps to reduce their use in commerce by training point of sale employees to simply ask customers, "Would you like a bag?"  This would prompt the consumer to check other options.  I often have a reusable tote in my purse that I forget about until bagging has begun.  If the item is small, I may just want to throw it into my purse.  If I'm already carrying several shopping bags, I may just combine it into another bag.  And if none of these options are available, I can say "sure, I'd like a bag today."  If people were hearing this question at every retailer, it may create a shift in their thinking regarding bag use; it goes from "of course I'm getting a bag" to "do I really need one?" or "should I bring my own today?" It could make employees more aware of bag use and less on "autopilot" when bagging.  I sometimes find that employees are annoyed when I say I have my own because it throws off their bagging process.  If they've already bagged something, they will just take the item out of the bag and THROW THE BAG INTO THE TRASH rather than try to use it with the next customer.  I understand that once the bag is off the dispenser, it becomes more difficult to work with, so by simply asking a customer first if they need a bag, rather than assuming, they could save themselves this hassle. As leaders in the retail field, I hope you'll seriously consider this proposition.  It requires minor retraining of your employees on your part, but may ultimately lead to your company saving on plastic bags, while positioning you as a responsive leader in the area of environmental concerns.  Thank you for reading and sharing.

A small owner operated business in Champlin, MN has been asked to change their name by the retail giant Nordstrom's. "The Kids Rack" has been in operation for 10 years selling new and used kids items. Nordstrom's Rack" trademarked the words "Rack" and "The Rack" 5 years ago and has since been asking the owner of "The Kids Rack" to change their name. Please sign this petition and let big business know that they can't push small business around. "The Kids Rack" should NOT have to change their name. Kare 11 covered the story here: http://www.kare11.com/story/news/local/2015/03/13/racks-battle-nordstrom-sterken-gehlar-the-kids-rack/70295922/

The LDS church (aka The Mormon church) is once again overstepping its bounds as a religious organization in an attempt to affect the outcome of an election. This time it involves the church's opposition to the 2018 Utah Medical Marijuana Initiative. The Church has already issued direct statements opposing the initiative in its church-owned newspaper, and the church will be giving direct instructions to its members to vote against the initiative just as they promoted the anti-LGBT Proposition 8 in California. The 2018 Utah Medical Marijuana Initiative is heading to the Utah ballot after receiving over 200,000 signatures from Utah voters. The initiative's passing would allow life-changing and life-saving treatment for thousands of Utah residents with serious illnesses. If the LDS church gets its way these patients will continue to suffer and die needlessly. In yet another example of the LDS church overstepping its bounds, the church owns and operates the City Creek Center mall located across the street from the LDS temple. We call on the tenants of this mall to relocate their stores and end their business relationship with the LDS church until the LDS church promises to enact and maintain a policy of political neutrality. A list of City Creek Center tenants can be found here.

If these businesses want our support, they should take a strong stance against Donald Trump's bigotry by pledging to discontinue his and Ivanka Trump's products in their respective stores. By continuing to line Trump's pockets, these stores are supporting his effort to threaten the lives of marginalized people not only in the US, but worldwide. >>> Please sign this petition and make the pledge to boycott these 28 stores until they pull all Trump products off their racks: 6PM Amazon Belk Bellacor Bloomingdales Bluefly Bed Bath & Beyond Burlington Coat Factory Century 21 Dillards DSW Hudson's Bay Home Shopping Network Lord & Taylor Macy's Marshalls Neiman Marcus Nordstrom Overstock.com Perfumania Saks on Fifth Stein Mart TJ Maxx Wayfair Zappos   If you would like to email these companies to explain your reasoning for boycotting their stores, feel free to copy and paste this list of customer service emails into your CC box: cs@6pm.com, belk_customer_care@belk.com, flyrep@bluefly.com, customer.service@bedbath.com, investorrelations@dswinc.com, mediarelations@dswinc.com, investorrelations@hbc.com, ir@hsn.net, info@lordandtaylor.com, pr@neimanmarcus.com, boardofdirectors@overstock.com, customer.service@perfumania.com, e-customerservice@steinmart.com, pr@wayfair.com, customerservice@wayfair.com, ceo@zappos.com, tony@zappos.com   *To contact Amazon, call this number: 1-888-280-3321 and/or go to www.amazon.com/customerservice *To contact Bellacor, call this number: 1-877-723-5522 and/or go to http://www.bellacor.com/contact.htm *To contact Bloomingdales, call this number: 1-800-777-0000 and/or go to https://www.customerservice-bloomingdales.com/app/help/other *To contact Burlington Coat Factory, call this number: 1-855-355-2875 and/or go to http://www.burlingtoncoatfactory.com/ContactUs.aspx?Category=Corporate *To contact Century 21, call this number: 1-877-350-2121 and/or go to https://www.c21stores.com/contact *To contact Dillards, call this number: 1-817-831-5482 and/or go to http://www.dillards.com/c/ContactUs *To contact Macy's, call this number: 1-800-289-6229 and/or go to http://survey.medallia.com/?mcy-tuwyt-com *To contact Marshalls and TJ Maxx, go to https://www.tjx.com/contact/contact.html *To contact Nordstrom, call this number: 1-888-282-6060 (US) 1-877-794-5304 (CANADA) and/or go to http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/customer-service-contact-us *To contact Saks, call this number: 1-877-551-7257 and/or go to http://www.saksfifthavenue.com/Email  

This petition is regarding retailers dumping Ivanka Trump products because of her father President Donald J Trump who holds the most powerful seat in office. This direct hit towards Ivanka Trump is a direct hit towards every women and business owner who hold different views politically, religiously and personally. The attack on Ivanka is dangerous thinking by the corporate liberal elite who are directly involving consumers in a political feud because of who the American people have voted and chosen to lead this nation.  Ivanka Trump has proven to be a very educated, articulate, hard working, courageous, visionary and motivated business women. Her brand is nothing less than classy, sophisticated and chic and speaks to women of all backgrounds. Please sign this petition to voice our support for Ivanka Trump.  

All over the world, plastic packaging is not disposed of properly, harming the environment. Plastic packaging can suffocate, entangle, and be ingested by wildlife. When it is ingested, it moves up the food chain, ultimately affecting humans. This affects our physical health and may lead to unforeseen problems. By signing this petition, you are helping persuade main stream companies to change their packaging to a biodegradable, eco-friendly, bio-plastic that will not negatively impact our earth. -Valley View Middle School, 2 Period Honors Life Science

80% still use animals as their test subject for their products. Tens to hundreds of animals are killed annually for the purpose of cosmetic testing. This is not necessary anymore. With technological advancements three dimension skin models can be used to test products. These models are cheaper, faster, and produce more accurate results. There is no reason for companies to continue to harm animals for their own benefits. 

As a mother of two young children being raised in today's society,  I would like to formally ask Rags to Raches to retire the "Chief Romper".    We need to raise our children to respect other people's culture.  And in order to respect the Native Americans who see this object as sacred and have repeatedly requested that their sacred object not be used in the fashion industry, it should no longer be sold.   "Cultural appropriation is “A term used to describe the taking over of creative or artistic forms, themes, or practices by one cultural group from another. It is in general used to describe Western appropriations of non‐Western or non‐white forms, and carries connotations of exploitation and dominance. The concept has come into literary and visual art criticism by analogy with the acquisition of artefacts (the Elgin marbles, Benin bronzes, Lakota war shirts, etc.) by Western museums. The term emerged during the last twenty years of the 20th cent. as part of the vocabulary of the post‐colonial critique of Western expansionism” (Oxford Reference). It can also be simply defined as the act of “borrowing” or outright stealing an element from an entire culture and utilizing it for a purpose it was not originally created for (specifically those items of religious/spiritual importance). Cultural appropriation has many negative effects on cultures. Minorities have long been the victims of violence and injustice and as a result, those cultures have become rightfully sensitive to content that utilizes their culture and beliefs. In some cases the sharing of cultures is acceptable and positive however, it is the intent behind the desire to participate that is the deciding factor. When a person who is not a member of a culture decides to utilize an element of a culture without permission, it then becomes appropriation. That person is exercising their privilege over the spiritual/religious significance of a culture and desecrating the sacred item at issue. Most of these cultures have been in existence for thousands of years and the traditions within those cultures are still practiced today. The cultures which are being appropriated are not an ancient part of history, they are traditions which are honored and protected to this day. Appropriating cultures means disrespecting their struggle as a mass, and also belittling the hardships of the individuals."  From the Coachella Petition regarding the same issue.     As cultural appropriation is quite a vast topic, and is sadly impacting multiple cultures I am including some articles on the topic to encourage further research by your staff at Rags to Raches.     http://apihtawikosisan.com/hall-of-shame/an-open-letter-to-non-natives-in-headdresses/ http://www.native-languages.org/headdresses.htm http://apihtawikosisan.com/2012/01/the-dos-donts-maybes-i-dont-knows-of-cultural-appropriation/ http://www.indians.org/articles/native-american-headdress.html https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2014/jul/30/why-the-fashion-headdress-must-be-stopped http://nativeappropriations.com/2010/04/but-why-cant-i-wear-a-hipster-headdress.html     Problems with this romper include The type of headdress depicted is specific to men’s ceremonial dress. Reproduces stereotypes Commodifies without contributing The sale of these rompers does not benefit Indigenous people in any way even though the company who makes them capitalized on the popularity of Indigenous imagery. Shows blatant disrespect for sacred elements These headdresses play a very important role in the spiritual life of the communities from which they originate. Please see http://www.sfu.ca/ipinch/sites/default/files/resources/teaching_resources/think_before_you_appropriate_jan_2016.pdf 

Donald Trump campaigned on a platform of misogyny, xenophobia, and racism. He is now involving members of his family, including his daughter Ivanka, who all profit from his name and businesses, at the highest levels of his transition, all without the proper vetting and security clearance.  This entwining of government and business is the very definition of fascism. Don't let the Trumps or the companies that carry their products profit from this association. Tell these corporations that you will not support them as long as they carry Trump owned products, and that you will support their rivals instead.  Use #GrabYourWallet as a reference.