Businesses and Politics

[blueash]

As we head into the election, certain to be as contentious as any we have had, I ask about the wisdom of a business or provider choosing to take sides. Is it wise for a Bernie Sanders supporter to have his business vehicle include Feel the Bern bumper stickers when she arrives at your home to give you an estimate on a project? Is it good business to slap a Hillary for Prisoner poster in the window of your truck when you show up to install a solar tube?
Of course businessmen and women can have and express their choices, but why would you do it on your car? Is it far more likely to alienate a customer than gain one? I have yet to see the TV Commercial saying Burger King supports Carson or Toyota supports Planned Parenthood. Do you care whether your physician is a Democrat or a Republican? If she makes an issue about it, then you may wonder about her judgment should she be on the "wrong" side of the issue. Keep to practicing medicine not politics please.

Richard Branson said
..If it’s early in your career or you’re a budding entrepreneur, it’s not a great idea to limit your potential by unnecessarily declaring where you stand on controversial issues, unless of course you don’t mind losing half the opportunities available to you in an already highly competitive world.

If, by chance, the words “If my views bug them that much, I don’t want to work with them anyway” come to mind, consider this. They may just want business to be about business and to keep the political drama out of the equation, which, if you stop and think about it, is a pretty sensible and professional objective.

[zcaveman]

Personally, I could care less what their political standing is. All I care about is the level of work that they do.

Z

[Arctic Fox]

If their political allegiance were positive then I wouldn't mind either way, but if their stickers/signs/etc. were negative or insulting towards the "other" party then I would certainly consider not using their services.

[joldnol]

I never could understand businesses in Jacksonville that would plaster their establishment or business vehicles with Gator or Nole signs or stickers(or even their business name, such as Gator Roofing). In the rest of Florida, outside of TV, college football is more important than politics (Go Noles!). Why alienate a large group of potential customers?

[Sandtrap328]

It is up to a business to decide if they want to risk displeasing a customer or potential customer by advertising for or against a candidate.

Yes, I would cancel an order over an insulting sign on a truck. I would not if the sign were just for political support for the opposing party.

So,to me, it is the content of the political poster and not the candidate.

If I owned a business, I would keep politics out of my business world and make sure it was a standing order with my employees, too.

[bagboy]

Mixing business with anything other than your business is a good step toward failure. Why risk alienating even one potential customer?

[Topspinmo]

If I had business I would put what ever sign up to please customer. The way I can charge more so they thought they're got good deal from "Conrad" All in the deception!:shocked:

[Taltarzac725]

Personally, I could care less what their political standing is. All I care about is the level of work that they do.

Z

Depends on how far they take it. If a veterinarian starting trying to get me to vote for so-and-so I would probably switch vets before switching my candidate.

And also who does this. If a dog park employee started talking politics then I would just nod at what he/she says and exercise my dog.

And far as bumper stickers it depends on how much class they have or that they do not.

[Walt.]

Maybe they don't want customers who refuse to see/admit that small business owners (who provide 70% of jobs in this country) are being choked to death by tax laws, lawsuit judgments, high cost of employing people, feeble economy, foreign trade deficits, etc.

Right... then by dropping these potential customers they could be an even smaller business. That'll show 'em!