Argos bans ‘sexist’ phrase from catalogue following complaints

Argos has banned a term from its catalogue after receiving complaints over claims of sexism.

Over the weekend, the retail company removed the term “two-man delivery” from signs in stores and on the pages of their catalogues after people claimed that it was “sexist”.

“I noticed in one of your stores your ad was sexist – two-man delivery,” one person wrote on Twitter. “Hopefully moving forward you’ll change this to two-person delivery.”

Another person added: “Can you explain why you put up a ‘two-man delivery’ sign in your brand new Lewisham shop? Do you only hire men to deliver heavy goods? It’s a very outdated and insensitive phrase.”

According to Birmingham Mail, Argos has responded to the complaints by changing the term to make it more gender-neutral.

They’ve replaced it from “two-man delivery” to “two-people delivery.”

Watch: Women on TikTok debate the double standard of using emojis in work emails

According to The Sun, Argos had previously defended the usage of the word “man” by saying it was used as a non-gender term – similar to “human” – and that the company had many female delivery drivers.

But it was “updated” earlier this year. The wording is still on signs but that is expected to change soon.

“We updated our wording earlier this year to ensure we reflect the diverse communities we serve and colleagues we work with,” the company told the outlet.

In 2020 Argos was forced to defend an advert featuring an all Black family after “racist” critics said it “wasn’t representative of modern Britain”.

In response, the retailer said: “We proudly represent modern Britain and the people and communities that we serve.

“This ad is just one example of that.”