Madeleine Online Store... what next?

Question

Now they have a tshirt - cost £10 for adult sizes and £6.50 for children.
That's a pretty good margin on a blank white cotton tshirt with a transfer.
How can justify making a profit from their daughter's disappearance?
http://store.findmadeleine.com/index.html

Faith: if I had a million pounds donated by good-hearted members of the public to help me find my missing child, the last thing on my mind would be to try to milk them for more with a deliberate marketing ploy.

A desperate attempt to find my child would be producing these tshirts using fund money and GIVING THEM AWAY FREE TO ANYONE WHO WOULD WEAR THEM! Not charging retail prices and then some...

Answer 1

WELL i assume the McCann's themeselves don't see it as making a profit out of Maddie's disappearance....But I personally find the whole T Shirt and Wrist Band thing very TACKY.....and i do believe it goes against the grain with the bulk of the British Public..regardless of whether you think they are guilty or innocent..i know someone will slate me for saying that..but that's what i believe !
I just feel there are other ways of keeping Madeleines story and memory alive without making all this money...and i must question as to how ALL these funds are going to be used ??
It really makes me wonder exactly WHO is advising them, if anyone ? As surely Clarence Mitchell with his PR experience and their Lawyers don't see this as a good move ???
If the McCann's and friends are totally innocent then i fully appreciate their absolute need to find either Maddie alive or find her body...there's no closure or chance of moving on until then...However i still find what comes across as 'arrogant and matter of fact' attitude that the McCann's appear to have as disturbing...and i know EVERYONE grieves differently..im not saying that WE as the public should have the right to witness them on TV in a heap on the floor sobbing..i personally won't get any satisfaction from that either...BUT i think most people and especially women would agree that pure grief and despair provokes a certain kind of behavior that we humans cannot control under these circumstances..and even more so where our children are concerned....BUT I'M JUST NOT SEEING ANYTHING THAT RESEMBLES THAT !
Im sorry if my personal view offends anyone..but thats my opinion !
By all mean's keep the 'Find Madeleine' campaign in the news...but a virtual online store is pushing your luck and doing the McCann's no favours !

Answer 2

What next indeed? You can virtually guarantee there will be a book deal on the table already, with newspapers falling over themselves, chequebooks in hand, for the serialisation rights. Then there will be the film.
T.V. companies are no doubt queuing up for the exclusive interview with the McCann's, I would guess Sir Trevor McDonald would be the frontrunner for this, again for a large fee.
You will also notice that Gerry McCann has been saying for some time now that he intends to return to work, but thus far has not done so. Indeed one of the reasons given for their return home from Portugal was that they had run out of money.
Strange then that they seem to have done OK since their return?
The sad fact is that they have a lot of support from people in the UK but stunts like selling t-shirts at inflated prices make people suspicious of their motives.
They keep going on and on about wanting to put the focus back onto finding Madeleine.
Well perhaps if they stopped giving the impression that they are trying to profit from her disappearance people might start to beleive them.

Answer 3

Actually, my 8 years old daughter asked very early on in the search for Madeleine why they were charging for items. She said if someone she knew had gone missing then she'd give them away free in the hope of finding that person and then worry about the money afterwards.
It's sad that a 8 year old can point this out and yet many people can not see a problem with it.

Answer 4

Well It leaves a bad taste in my mouth personally. I remember what Madeleine looks like so seeing her face on a tshirt is useless. I think they have enough money right now. If they run out in their search for her and it actually being used to search with her then do some more campaigning. Again just something to add to the what makes them look suspicious list.

Answer 5

This is absolutely wrong. How quick they were to start a company for donations, and now they've opened a 'shop' for selling items.

If they had put more effort into finding their daughter, as they have in, 'G's Blog, 'T'Shirts, Wrist Bands, 'ScreenSavers, TV Interviews, Travelling to see the Pope and whatever else they've done (too much to mention), it's possible, Madeleine would have been found.

Thinking of ways to make money, so soon after your child goes missing is grossly distasteful. One wonders where their true priorities lay.

Answer 6

Forever 21

Answer 7

When are this couple actually going to go and do something about finding Maddy apart from sitting thinking how they can make more money.
They already have a million pounds...wealthy millionaires giving them handouts, and the press too bl**dy sh*t scared to say anything bad about them.
I'm just waiting for the book and then the Hollywood film. And don't tell me that any profit from them will all go into the Maddy fund!
I'm going to shout now about what everyone is waiting for.
WHY HAD NOTHING BEEN DONE ABOUT THE PROVEN FACT THAT THEY ABANDONED THEIR THREE BABIES TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES WHILE THEY WENT OUT AND GOT MERRY. WHAT ARE THE SOCIAL SERVICES GOING TO DO AND WHEN?
For Gods' sake this poor kid is gone, probably for good, and nothing is about her anymore, no one is looking for her.
Somebody has got to get to the bottom of this. There are too many lies, conspiricies and cover ups. I have always said the parents know more than they are letting on and i also firmly believe so do their friends.

Answer 8

It seems that right from the beginning, all the McCanns seemed to concentrate on was the marketing side of Missing Madeleine. It's a pity they didn't put as much thought into actually looking for her, or, answering the questions the police need answers to, which might just help find her.
I don't agree with the fact that this fund is a Ltd Co. it should've been set up as a charity in the beginning.

Answer 9

I don't have a problem with folk buying these goods if they think it is going to help but what I do have a problem with is how much of a mark up is going to the manufacturers of these goods?

Wales where these goods are manufactured is not that far from Liverpool... Do you get my drift?

I think that someone is on the make big time over this poor wee mite and not necessarily the McCanns but maybe a friend of theirs..

Answer 10

It just proves how cold, calculating, ruthless, bombastic people like them are. Its no wonder the finger is pointing at these horrible so called parents. They are discusting. I personally have a bottle of "Bolinger" on ice waiting for when they get charged