14 DAY TRIAL // It's a complete 180 in perspective, as Cracker Barrel officials announce the complete reinstatement of the Duck Dynasty merchandise on their shelves. The removal was caused by the sudden uproar following Phil Robertson's anti-gay comments in an interview for GQ Magazine.
Cracker Barrel was the first major retailer to react to the Phil Robertson scandal, right after TV network A&E decided to fire him over the incident. Now, less than two days after the incident, the company is coming back on its decision and do the complete opposite.
On their Facebook page, the company stated that "When we made the decision to remove and evaluate certain Duck Dynasty items, we offended many of our loyal customers. Our intent was to avoid offending, but that’s just what we’ve done. You told us we made a mistake. And, you weren’t shy about it. You wrote, you called and you took to social media to express your thoughts and feelings. You flat out told us we were wrong. We listened."
"Today, we are putting all our Duck Dynasty products back in our stores. And, we apologize for offending you. We respect all individuals right to express their beliefs. We certainly did not mean to have anyone think different. We sincerely hope you will continue to be part of our Cracker Barrel family," the statement concludes.
There is a lot of money involved in the Duck Dynasty franchise, the highest rated reality show on cable TV in America, about the family that made its fortune selling duck calls and other duck-hunting paraphernalia.
After Phil Richardson was fired from the show for his anti-gay comments, the rest of the family said they weren't going to be doing the show anymore. This sparked rumors that the show might be canceled altogether, or moved to an entire network.