When in Doubt, Send a Hallmark

Hallmark recently unveiled a new line of greeting cards targeted at soothing the unemployment woes of recently displaced workers.  Yes, that's right.  When your dad, neighbor or best buddy loses his/her job, you can send some much-needed cheer, courtesy of the cardmakers who supposedly care.  Categorized under the company's "Loss of Job" section, as found at your local stationery store, sympathetic shoppers can choose from up to eight different selections of recession- and layoff-themed cards (http://www.hallmark.com/occasion/encouragement/loss-of-job).

 

Creative soul I am, even I could not make this stuff up.  Giving Hallmark the extreme benefit of the doubt for a very brief moment, I'm tempted to say that this new card line is possibly well-intentioned and probably harmless.  After all, isn't sending a greeting card with a kindly note a genuine show of support for the unfortunate?  Hallmark does have a card for every occasion -- or so it seems -- so why draw the line at job loss?  Maybe it's me, but somehow a handwritten letter with one's own sentiments seems more sincere. 

Personally, I suspect that this marketing ploy has less to do with compassion for the currently unemployed and more to do with attempting to boost sales.  Call me a cynic, but I can't believe big business has a big heart.  It's may be a good thing for Hallmark employees as this latest line may very well keep some copywriters, graphic designers, printers, et cetera, off the unemployment line, as card sales have declined of late.  And it's probably a good thing for Hallmark as this latest card line will surely generate some revenue.  All indications point toward the line's success, so perhaps Hallmark does have a winner here.

While I'm not at all certain that I'd welcome an influx of job loss-related greeting cards in my mailbox, others may be thrilled to receive them.  According to an online article published by a Colorado-based NBC affiliate, Lost Your Job, There's a Card for That (http://www.9news.com/money/221309/344/Lost-your-job-Theres-a-card-for-that), job loss greetings may actually cheer and inspire recipients.  Just ask jobless outreach worker, Michelle Crowthers of Work One, who believes that receiving such a card in the mailbox may actually motivate a displaced worker.  "Getting a card like that and somebody caring is fabulous," said Crowthers.  "At least someone's caring enough to, you know, get a card and say 'I'm thinking of you.'"