I was walking past an Argos recently when I had a random thought. What would happen if I went inside and searched the digital catalogue for the word vegan?
Read more below.
I’m always curious about how veganism is represented in mainstream shops, so I decided to have a little look. And guess what came up as the top search result? Something called The Vegan Card.
Argos is selling a £25 gift card marketed specifically at vegans. At first glance, I thought this was an interesting discovery. A gift card that someone could buy for a vegan friend or family member sounds like a potentially useful idea.
But then I started looking at the list of businesses where the card can be redeemed and things got a little confusing.
Some of the listed brands are fully vegan businesses. Honestly Tasty, Grubby, and Plant Faced are among the names included and I’d be very happy to see more people spending money with these vegan companies.
However, other brands listed are not exclusively vegan such as Krispy Kreme. This left me wondering how the card actually works. If you redeem it with a company that sells both vegan and non-vegan products, are you restricted to purchasing the vegan options? Or can the card be used to buy anything from that retailer?
I don’t know the answer and it seems like a fairly important detail when you’re marketing a gift card specifically to vegans.
I can see the appeal of a gift card that introduces people to some fantastic vegan businesses and is certainly something I can get behind. But I also think the idea needs to be clear about what vegan customers are actually supporting when they spend the money.
So I’m curious about what you think.
Would you be pleased to receive a £25 Vegan Card as a gift? Would you buy one for another vegan? Does the inclusion of businesses that also sell non-vegan products make you question the idea, or is it simply a convenient way to discover some new vegan-friendly brands?
See The Vegan Card on the Argos website.
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It’s a fab idea but I personally would like to see vegan only options. It’s too confusing having both. It’s hard enough constantly trawling through shops, menus etc looking for vegan choices If you’re going to advertise a ‘vegan gift card’ then that is exactly what it should be…. vegan!
yeah, I think I’d prefer just vegan businesses