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09-26-2013, 09:34 AM
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Supermarket chains Tesco and Asda have withdrawn Halloween outfits from sale after widespread criticism.
Asda's "mental patient fancy dress costume" is no longer available while Tesco followed suit by removing its "psycho ward" offering.
Following criticism, including from one "stunned" mental health charity, both stores have apologised.
Asda said it would be making a "very sizeable donation" to mental health charity Mind as a result.
The Asda outfit, which included clothing, fake blood, a mask and a fake meat cleaver, was priced at £20 while Tesco's orange boiler suit offered to "complete the look" with a machete.
A Tesco spokesperson said: "We're really sorry for any offence this has caused and we are removing this product from sale."
In a statement on Wednesday evening, Asda, which is owned by US retail giant Walmart, said the sale had been a "completely unacceptable error".
"[The costume] should never have been sold and it was withdrawn as soon as it was brought to our attention."
Asda added: "We're deeply sorry one of our fancy dress costumes has upset people."
It is understood the costume had been on sale through Asda's clothing outlet George for two days, before being withdrawn from sale on Wednesday morning after being spotted internally.
Asda said the product had been removed from the website in the afternoon but the relevant page remained visible for a few hours.
It disappeared after the criticism on Twitter started to emerge.
Katie Dalton, of Welsh mental health charity Gofal, wrote on Twitter: "Dear @asda, how on earth did you come to the conclusion that this is an appropriate fancy dress costume? Disgraceful."
And former Downing Street director of communications Alastair Campbell, who has written about his experiences with mental health issues, tweeted: "Look what Asda's selling... what possesses these people?"
Former footballer Stan Collymore, who has had a well-documented battle with depression, also criticised Asda for using a "stereotype".
"Do you actually realise how many people are hanging themselves because of being frightened of the stigma?" he tweeted.
The charity Rethink Mental Illness also took to Twitter to say it was "stunned" by the costume's description, but later thanked Asda "for responding" to the "concerns".
'Terrifying Halloween option'
Sue Baker from Mind told BBC Radio 5 live that the worst thing about the costume was it reinforced outdated stigmas about people with mental health illness.
"Some of the worst myths that fuel this stigma is the assumption that we're going to be dangerous, knife-wielding maniacs and that is simply not the case."
She added: "The stigma can be life limiting and life threatening because people don't think they can talk to anybody and sadly for some people they take the option of not being with us anymore."
The internet link to the website page where the costume was being sold used the words "zombie fancy dress costume".
But the product was titled "mental patient fancy dress costume" on the page itself.
The product details read: "Everyone will be running away from you in fear in this mental patient fancy dress costume.... it's a terrifying Halloween option."
Ms Baker had called for retail giants Tesco and Amazon to withdraw from their websites a Halloween outfit of an orange boiler suit with "Psycho Ward" written across the front and back, along with a "committed" stamp below. It also has a plastic low jaw restraint.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24278768
Supermarket chains Tesco and Asda have withdrawn Halloween outfits from sale after widespread criticism.
Asda's "mental patient fancy dress costume" is no longer available while Tesco followed suit by removing its "psycho ward" offering.
Following criticism, including from one "stunned" mental health charity, both stores have apologised.
Asda said it would be making a "very sizeable donation" to mental health charity Mind as a result.
The Asda outfit, which included clothing, fake blood, a mask and a fake meat cleaver, was priced at £20 while Tesco's orange boiler suit offered to "complete the look" with a machete.
A Tesco spokesperson said: "We're really sorry for any offence this has caused and we are removing this product from sale."
In a statement on Wednesday evening, Asda, which is owned by US retail giant Walmart, said the sale had been a "completely unacceptable error".
"[The costume] should never have been sold and it was withdrawn as soon as it was brought to our attention."
Asda added: "We're deeply sorry one of our fancy dress costumes has upset people."
It is understood the costume had been on sale through Asda's clothing outlet George for two days, before being withdrawn from sale on Wednesday morning after being spotted internally.
Asda said the product had been removed from the website in the afternoon but the relevant page remained visible for a few hours.
It disappeared after the criticism on Twitter started to emerge.
Katie Dalton, of Welsh mental health charity Gofal, wrote on Twitter: "Dear @asda, how on earth did you come to the conclusion that this is an appropriate fancy dress costume? Disgraceful."
And former Downing Street director of communications Alastair Campbell, who has written about his experiences with mental health issues, tweeted: "Look what Asda's selling... what possesses these people?"
Former footballer Stan Collymore, who has had a well-documented battle with depression, also criticised Asda for using a "stereotype".
"Do you actually realise how many people are hanging themselves because of being frightened of the stigma?" he tweeted.
The charity Rethink Mental Illness also took to Twitter to say it was "stunned" by the costume's description, but later thanked Asda "for responding" to the "concerns".
'Terrifying Halloween option'
Sue Baker from Mind told BBC Radio 5 live that the worst thing about the costume was it reinforced outdated stigmas about people with mental health illness.
"Some of the worst myths that fuel this stigma is the assumption that we're going to be dangerous, knife-wielding maniacs and that is simply not the case."
She added: "The stigma can be life limiting and life threatening because people don't think they can talk to anybody and sadly for some people they take the option of not being with us anymore."
The internet link to the website page where the costume was being sold used the words "zombie fancy dress costume".
But the product was titled "mental patient fancy dress costume" on the page itself.
The product details read: "Everyone will be running away from you in fear in this mental patient fancy dress costume.... it's a terrifying Halloween option."
Ms Baker had called for retail giants Tesco and Amazon to withdraw from their websites a Halloween outfit of an orange boiler suit with "Psycho Ward" written across the front and back, along with a "committed" stamp below. It also has a plastic low jaw restraint.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24278768