Please try the following: If you typed the page address in the Address bar, make sure that it is spelled correctly. home page, and then look for links to the information you want. Click the Back button to try another link. HTTP 404 - File not found Technical Information (for support personnel)SAN ANTONIO, Texas (CBSNewYork) — A mattress store in San Antonio, Texas, is apologizing after releasing video promoting a “Twin Tower” sale ahead of the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. San Antonio Express-News reported Miracle Mattress removed the video from its Facebook page following backlash. The video showed store manager Cherise Bonanno and two employees standing in front of two piles of mattresses, symbolizing the World Trade Centers. “What better way to remember 9/11 than with a Twin Tower sale?” Bonanno said in the video. At the end of the video, the two employees fell into the stacked mattresses. “Oh my God,” Bonanno screamed.
Bonanno apologized for the “stupid” ad. “It was a stupid idea that we sent out and we apologized for our stupidity and we really hope you forgive us for what we have done,” she told WOAI-TV. According to WOAI, the store was closed on Thursday due to death threats. “We are hate, we are love. We are somebody that stands out. We are Miracle Mattress – we make miracles happen,” Bonanno told WOAI. “And for our lives to be in danger, that’s not what we ever wanted.” The company also apologized in a letter posted to its Facebook page. “I say this unequivocally with sincere regret: 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,” store owner Mike Bonanno said in a statement. The store is going to donate 30 percent of its sales this weekend to the 9/11 Foundation.
Become A Patch Contributing Writer 'Beauty and the Beast' Review, Caset Interviews 5 Patchiest Stories Of The Week UTSA president Ricardo Romo Resigns From Post Americans Traveling To Europe Might Need Visas How to Become a Patch Contributor Patch Weekend Movie Guide, Plus Trailers Select to search all Patches San Antonio Mattress Store Mocks 9/11 In Tasteless Commercial [VIDEO] A commercial shows two men, seemingly bowled over by sales prices, knocking over two towers of mattresses as a joke. SAN ANTONIO, TX -- When it comes to the attacks of 9/11, it will always be too soon — too soon to make a joke, mock the day's significance or exploit it with crass commercialization. In Texas, though, one retailer somehow managed to joke, mock and exploit that day all in a 19-second video. Somehow, the company decided that it would be a good idea to shill mattresses by creating a commercial that showed this: A bunch of mattresses stacked up to depict New York's twin towers;
somebody then giving those mattresses a push to send them collapsing to the ground; and then "victims" screaming in horror at the toppled bedding. Customers showed a lot more sense and a lot more decency. LATEST: Texas Mattress Store That Aired Offensive 9/11-Themed Ad To Close Indefinitely The commercial produced by the Miracle Mattress store in San Antonio unleashed a storm of protest. One Facebook user posted a video of the commercial, sharing it with television station KENS 5. The commercial shows a pitch woman raving about the firm's planned Sept. 11 "Twin Towers Sale," alerting customers they can buy any size mattress on the day of remembrance at a twin-mattress price. "We'll never forget," the pitch woman says in mock solemnity after the mattress toppling. See the video for yourself below, recorded off of someone's phone: "This is beyond disgusting and disrespectful," one person posted on the Facebook thread. Another predicted the backlash might have the company back on the airwaves soon, for a going-out-of-business sale.
Miracle Mattress apologized early Thursday afternoon with a post on its Facebook page: Later Thursday evening, Miracle Mattress owner Mike Bonanno released a longer statement on the Facebook page, calling the video "tasteless and an affront to the men and women who lost their lives on 9/11." He added that he will "hold my employees accountable for this serious lapse of decency." Bonanno did not elaborate on what exactly that would entail. >>> Image via Shutterstock More from Across America Patch Daily Newsletter - The latest Across America news delivered to your inbox every morning Breaking News Alerts - Real-time updates on breaking stories in Across America By clicking "Subscribe", you agree to have read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Get Daily Dallas News HeadlinesSign Up Updated Sept. 9: Revised to include store's latest response.A San Antonio mattress store says it will donate 30 percent of its sales this weekend to a 9/11 charity after drawing widespread criticism for an advertisement promoting a "Twin Towers Sale."
In the video posted to Facebook, Miracle Mattress manager Cherise Bonanno says that there's no better way to remember the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks than the sale, which offers any size mattress for the price of a twin mattress. Two employees stand in front of a pair of towers of mattresses and an American flag.At the end of the video, which has since been removed from the store's Facebook page, Bonanno swings her arms and the employees tumble into the mattress towers, knocking them over.Bonanno shrieks, then turns to the camera and says, "We'll never forget." It is unclear whether the advertisement was also aired on TV; the company also tweeted about the promotion Wednesday night. All Mattressses at twin prices! #miraclemattress #worldtradecenter #twinsale #sale #america #neverforget https://t.co/5mfqt0gvIf— Miracle Mattress (@MiracleMattress) September 8, 2016 On Thursday, the store responded to a sea of criticism by posting an apology, saying "Our intentions were not to hurt anyone at all."
The apology said the store's staff is "full of military" and that they had lost relatives "due to 9/11." Hundreds of commenters on the post didn't think the apology — which was later deleted — went far enough, however. "You're sorry you offended me? That's not an apology I accept," wrote Heather English. "Apologizing for creating it in the first place would be a start. Admitting you were WRONG for creating it is another step. There will never be an appropriate time to mock 9/11, and to do it to promote mattress sales?! Are you kidding me?"Mayrita Perez Kent added that "no one that was directly impacted by that horrible day could EVER joke about it." Store owner Mike Bonanno — the manager's father — posted a statement on the store's Facebook page Thursday evening, calling the video "tasteless and an affront to the men and women who lost their lives on 9/11.""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," Mike Bonanno wrote.