UPDATE: Miracle Mattress announced on Friday, September 9, that the San Antonio, Texas, store will be shutting down after posting a 9/11 Twin Tower-themed commercial to Facebook. “Effective immediately, our Miracle Mattress store will be closed indefinitely. We will be silent through the 9/11 Anniversary to avoid any further distractions from a day of recognition and remembrance for the victims and their families,” owner Mike Bonanno wrote in a statement on Facebook.
Original story below
Epic fail is an understatement. A mattress store in San Antonio, Texas, is under fire for an extremely insensitive commercial (posted on Facebook) that advertises a “Twin Towers sale” — timed to the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks — and shows two stacks of mattresses collapsing with an American flag in the background.
In the Miracle Mattress ad, store manager Cherise Bonanno says, “What better way to remember 9/11 than with a Twin Towers sale. Right now, you can get any size mattress for a twin price.” Two employees then fall back and topple over two piles of mattresses while Bonanno says, “We will never forget.” (Warning: This video contains offensive content.)
Critics on social media were absolutely outraged that the company tried to use the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil as a marketing ploy.
“This makes me and countless other Americans sick. With as many people who were involved in the making of that video, not one blew the whistle? Not one person thought it was a bad idea? Poor judgment,” one Facebook user wrote. Another said, “Your actions have proven to me that you have forgotten. The terror of that day was never felt by you or anyone who worked on that commercial or even came up with the idea of a sale gimmick on that day. While I don’t care you disrespecting me (as a paramedic, I’ve gotten used to it), but you have disrespected nearly 3,000 people who no longer have a voice.”
After the intense backlash, the commercial was removed and Bonanno told local news channel WOAI-TV that she regretted making the video. “It was a stupid idea that we sent out and we apologize for our stupidity and we really hope you forgive us for what we have done,” she said.
Store owner Mike Bonanno, Cherise’s father, issued an official apology on the store’s Facebook page on Thursday, September 8. “The video was posted on Facebook without my knowledge or approval from our corporate office in Houston,” he wrote. “The video is tasteless and an affront to the men and women who lost their lives on 9/11. Furthermore, it disrespects the families who lost their loved ones and continue to struggle with the pain of this tragedy every day of their lives. All I can say is I am deeply sorry and on behalf of the entire Miracle Mattress family, I accept responsibility for this thoughtless and crude advertisement.”
According to WOAI-TV, the store was closed on Thursday due to death threats.
