Political signs at a business

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Zeus-cat

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I have seen political signs supporting both of the major presidential candidates in front of local businesses. Separately of course. This just seems like a terrible idea to me. These are not businesses that are overtly political in nature. They are things like roofing companies, small retail stores, etc. I just figure around half the people who come to your business support the other candidate and some of those people may decide not to do business with you. And do political signs really have any influence on other people? Especially for big races like the President?

We vote for judges, sheriffs and coroners and such in Ohio, and signs for them probably do help influence people. Judges can't really campaign or tell you how they would judge a certain case, so other than recommendations there is nothing to talk about.

Anyway, I am getting tired of all the political talk. It almost makes me wish Her Majesty still ruled over here. Almost. :tongue:
 
Politics and religion should not be debated for two reasons:

1: I don't know what I'm talking about

2: Neither do you
 
Not seeing this as a political or religious debate but rather a policy one.

some of our vendors are quite loud in their presidential candidate support on facebook, and i know it has turned away some of my friends.
 
I have seen political signs supporting both of the major presidential candidates in front of local businesses. Separately of course. This just seems like a terrible idea to me. These are not businesses that are overtly political in nature. They are things like roofing companies, small retail stores, etc. I just figure around half the people who come to your business support the other candidate and some of those people may decide not to do business with you. And do political signs really have any influence on other people? Especially for big races like the President?

We vote for judges, sheriffs and coroners and such in Ohio, and signs for them probably do help influence people. Judges can't really campaign or tell you how they would judge a certain case, so other than recommendations there is nothing to talk about.

Anyway, I am getting tired of all the political talk. It almost makes me wish Her Majesty still ruled over here. Almost. :tongue:

You vote for Coroners!? I know there must be jokes there, but I'm a little afraid to explore them.
 
Certainly the owners of those businesses have every right to express their support of whatever candidate they want. That said, they certainly do run the risk of chasing off customers but they also have the potential to attract like-minded customers. In the end, the only ones who can evaluate whether or not it is worth it is the one posting the sign.
 
Certainly the owners of those businesses have every right to express their support of whatever candidate they want. That said, they certainly do run the risk of chasing off customers but they also have the potential to attract like-minded customers. In the end, the only ones who can evaluate whether or not it is worth it is the one posting the sign.

I kinda like the fact that you can tell who the independent, owner-operated businesses are by whether they put their political affiliations on display. Businesses that are corporate-owned and run by professional, non-owner managers wouldn't dare do that, for fear that their executive management, board of directors, and stockholders freak out about alienating paying customers.

I won't go so far as to say corporations are evil or even amoral. However, I think you can argue that they are cowards when it comes to controversy.

Having said all that, I do hope that everybody remembers that 1) there will be life after the election, and 2) your neighbors will still be your neighbors, so act accordingly.
 
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The flower and butterfly community get offended so easily. Personally, I have a preference, but I am not offended if a business shows theirs, but if the gloat, I will not support them by purchasing there wares.
 
My business is co-located with an orchard. The orchard owners are politically vocal, while I am not. I'm happy to keep my opinions to myself.

We have usually seen a dip in fall business during presidential campaign years. The orchard usually has several hundred feet of roadside signage. And we would have customers who voiced their thoughts both ways: 'It's so nice to be able to support a really _X_ business', and 'I drove all the way to see you, but wouldn't come in the driveway of _X_ supporters. How dare you.'

We've always attributed the election-year dip to both national level sentiment - all the marketing telling people that the world either sucks as is, or that it will in the future. AND the on-site signage.

This year is a bit different. Minimal signage. And we did see a fall dip through September. But now we are recovering, and I'm reconsidering the magnitude of the 'its the weather, stupid' component.

All in all, I don't offend potential customers if I don't have to. So I self-censor. I think that's being polite, rather than a loss of speech rights.
 
Seeing political signs won't make me change my mind who I'm going to vote for, don't think too many people feel differently about that. OK with me if someone wants to show their support for someone.
 
Certainly the owners of those businesses have every right to express their support of whatever candidate they want. That said, they certainly do run the risk of chasing off customers but they also have the potential to attract like-minded customers. In the end, the only ones who can evaluate whether or not it is worth it is the one posting the sign.

Thank you for making sense!
 
America has been around since the dawn of man?

Yes- before America was around, mankind was in darkness. Then Cthulu arrived, founded America, and brought forth his baleful, grim light to the world. Then Yog-Sothoth saw it, and it was good.

Note- I may have slept through some of my American History classes, but I'm sure I'm only missing a few small details.
 
Cthulhu 2016 - Making America quiver in fear since the dawn of man.

Or as the sign in the cube next door reads, Cthulhu 2016 - Why vote for the lesser evil?

You vote for Coroners!? I know there must be jokes there, but I'm a little afraid to explore them.

We elect our state supreme court (plus all the lower court state and local judges) out here. When I said that to a lawyer a while back, he paused and then asked if we also elect our brain surgeons.

I don't think that yard signs influence much at the top of the ballot (honestly, who's undecided between the two/four we have running for President?), but I think they can make a difference way down the ballot where name recognition gets thin. For judges, I usually look at who's endorsing them. If the left wing weekly and the center-right daily papers agree on a judge, I'm pretty comfortable that's a good choice. If they disagree, there's more research to be done.
 
You vote for Coroners!? I know there must be jokes there, but I'm a little afraid to explore them.

I work in pathology, and when I lived back East, my team had a contract with the county Medical Examiner's office to conduct the medicolegal autopsies (unattended or suspicious deaths). All of the coroners in the area were elected officials, but not all of them had medical background. A few were EMTs, many were board certified forensic pathologists (what you'd expect), but others were just regular people.
 
Personally, it's in bad taste for business to displays their (the boss, the manager, the majority, etc..) preferred candidate on their business front. While it may attract some, it'll also deter others. It also shows they don't hide their opinion, and that might be bad for business down the road. If they don't see it as a faux-pas, what other business decisions have they / will they make wrong?

And while Mr. Boss might be a support of "that guy" what's to say his workers, his star sales guy really doesn't like 'that guy' and might make an unintended comment or remark, or not work as quickly until after the election date... Not just customers, but employees might very well be put off..

On your home lawn, in private conversation, in a little bit of small talk, fine.. Work should be neutral for all concerned.


I once had a regular sales guy (I'd talk to him at least once a week) go on and on about hockey. How great the Team was, how he loved this player, what the game was like last night, what they did wrong. After a while I had to tell him: I really don't care for Hockey, and I really don't want to talk about hockey. I want my parts.. While it may not be politics, it shows that not everyone is into the same things you are, nor like the same things, or appreciate the same things you do. (and it's pretty naïve to think so!). Make it small talk to get to know me, but know when to stop. Don't rant about it, thinking everyone else likes the same things you do..
 
Can I just say...the fact that no one's locked this thread yet (or instigated the locking of the thread) gives me hope that we're all gonna get along just fine after the election.
 
I tend to avoid stores that promote extreme politics / hate / discrimination.

What really bugs me is when I’m in a store and an employee gets political. Has happened twice this year, never any before now *

In both cases this year it was simply the employee at the register bringing up political crap that I had not brought up or solicited in any way. It wasn’t a company thing or a business thing, so I don’t blame the stores in general. Although had it gotten much further, or if I ever had it happen again at the same store, I’d have contacted the manager and if not satisfied with their answer I’d have taken it to corporate. BTW - those were not fringe or politically charged stores, VERY mainstream middle of the road. One was a major chain drug store, and the other was a major package shipping company.

Each time it was an employee just going off on their own, apparently assuming everyone agrees with their politics (if they gave any thought at all to what they were saying. And, uh, not much “thought” involved, more like pre-programming). Not considering (or caring) for a second that customers might not agree, and what impact that might have with the business they represent and possible ramifications to their job security.

* - I won’t count the barber shop I went into in 1996 , for the first time, where a barber and customer used the N-word a lot…. and it became obvious this was not unusual but the way of life at that barber shop. I wished I’d heard that and known before the haircut started (I’d have left), I never went back. And sure that was 20 years ago, but that BS was totally unexpected by the 1990’s. Indeed I never had been in a barber shop or other business I can recall where the N-word was used even in the 1960’s when I was a kid! I will say that the barbers were all old guys, late 60’s or older, and that barber shop went out of business a couple of years later. Only reason I had gone there was the barber I used to go for many years closed his one-chair shop and retired.
 
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We have a number of friends that own small businesses that have signs out front promoting their local candidates. In many cases the candidates are personal friends of the business owners. Nothing wrong with that. However, no business owner in their right mind is going to put out a sign for a statewide or presidential candidate... it's just not good business.
 
My roomie is on the other side of the fence from me. I won't talk politics because I need a roomie way more than I need to "win" any argument.

Besides, I plan on "wasting" my vote on a Third Party candidate ;)

elvira foe prez.jpg
 
Can I just say...the fact that no one's locked this thread yet (or instigated the locking of the thread) gives me hope that we're all gonna get along just fine after the election.

Indeed. We're all citizens of this bizarro-world we live in, and no matter who's in office at any level, I'll still buy a motor from you, still launch beside you, still loan you masking tape or dog barf...
Fortunately, the federal government is enough of a bureaucracy that who's in office doesn't have much of an effect overall.
As to the topic of the thread... A business that I gave up on after a bad experience has been very vocal this year about their political stance. And I'm actually going back now. Not a yard sign, but same idea. Yes I would stop shopping somewhere if they posted a certain national candidate's yard sign because it's my right to do so. I'm quite sure that there are places i do business that I disagree with but they're smart enough to keep it quiet at the level of their business. Local politics, though... I would have no problem disagreeing with local politicians. I disagree with many local pols, but they're all just people trying to make my city and county run well. So, no matter their "side," I still appreciate the work they're doing. And luckily, I've got good local politics. For the most part.
 
Cthulhu 2016 - Making America quiver in fear since the dawn of man.

This^!

Businesses around here always have political signs and even their own "what they think about things" signs up, and they really don't care what anyone thinks.

I'm still trying to figure out how to get a sign, because I don't really know what to do if you would like to display one or three.
Seems like everyone has some but me!
 
s-l1000.jpg


Guaranteed to piss someone off!
 
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