You’re not the OP nor is the OP bound by how you or I think. There was another thread where people basically didn’t have their ass kissed enough on tasting room visits and were up in arms. The fact that it doesn’t offend you is irrelevant to how the OP wants to react.
Sorry, couldn’t resist . . .
This is my reaction as well. I know that both of my parents and both of my siblings support the opposite presidential candidate that I do. Maybe I should cut back on Christmas gifts for them? Ok that’s a different situation, but geez the presidential race is darned close, and one is going to find a lot of people in any setting with differing opinions on it. Also, it seems like one’s choice of candidate can hardly be seen as an extremist or offensive position as something like supporting discrimination based on sexual preference.
Rick, I think Anthony basically stated his opinion on the OP’s topic. It seems to me that to post this topic you are either looking to encourage others to boycott this business or you are soliciting opinions as to the appropriateness of the email and one’s own decision to not patronize that business. In either case, if you post something like this you’re inviting others’ opinion of the situation.
On topic, I think the email is pretty tame, with only the “third-world country” comment much different than how 40% of Americans are thinking. It’s not good practice to throw the politics out there in a business promotion. I wonder though what the effect of it really is politically. Will the Wine Bunker email say a single vote to Mitt Romney? Probably not. Most people have made up their own mind, and of those that are undecided I doubt many are considering the Wine email as their source for decision-making information.
I guess one could care whether this business uses ones money spent there on political issues. Again, even so, is it that offensive that they would be helping the other presidential candidate get elected? Of course it’s everyone’s right to be so concerned with that as to not do business there. For my own purposes/opinion, that’s over-reacting. I might send an email in reaction to receiving the email, but PERSONALLY wouldn’t stop frequenting a business that otherwise benefits me.
Is he saying that Romney can be as successful a President as Jimmy Carter?
I think it’s great!
More customers for me!
There you go!
Of course. But using business contacts to push a political agenda rubs most people the wrong way, especially if you don’t agree with it.
I learned a long time ago, the smartest thing is don’t let politics and religion intermingle in your/our business, especially not the wine business. This business is about buying something for enjoyment, sharing and relaxation. No one wants to be in the middle of choosing or drooling over their favorite wine and end up riled over differing political opinions.
People buying wine don’t go into a wine store or open an email from a wine retailer for political opinions or help in voting choices but as you know, opinions, like other (ahem) everyone has one.
And how would you feel if they called you every night to give you the reasons that you should vote for their candidate?
And a big +1 on what Peter C. said. I called them twice to order wines that showed up on Wine-Searcher; both cases, they didn’t have the wine (and didn’t know if right away, either). Crossed them off the list; better places to do business.
A local wine retailer/restaurant posted a decisively anti-Israel statement on their business Facebook page a while back. Aaron & I never stepped foot in there again. They are now out of business. I think overall lack of judgment and poor decision making ultimately led to their demise.
^ Sanity. Thank you.
i do plenty of business with people who are not going to be voting for my guy on Election Day. It doesn’t mean they are bad people and I have no desire to punish them for it.
Keith, I just wish more people were as reasonable as you.
I was hoping that Peter would weigh in! Politics and religion should never come up in any business arena! All you can do by expressing such opinions is alienate about half of the people reading it. I have a friend who used to lack the sense to keep his opinions to himself, and it always caused him trouble in his business. Remember, it isn’t the people who argue with you that are a concern… it is the people who simply disappear. Now he is married to an affluent realtor in a community of houses that essentially start at $1million and go up from there. She has had a remarkable effect on silencing his political speak. She has gone so far as to point out that even her customers who would generally agree with him don’t consider it appropriate to discuss such things in or around business dealings. The truth is… when you own a business and use that forum to press your thoughts on others thru business communication channels, your audience has the right to reject your behavior as inappropriate and not doing business with you is the easiest means of showing your disapproval.
Well put, Matt. And turned around, it might be just as annoying to get an aggressive business pitch at a purely social or family event.
yup. It’s easy to say that we should all accept each others’ opinoins, but that doesn’t detract from the FACT that espousing such political views in this way is bad business.
My Mom gives me some chiding almost every time I see her this season. 
but anyway that’s a different situation.
I don’t get your suggestion. Is the wineshop repeatedly calling people up? That’s worse than getting one email espousing someone’s political position that just isn’t that unreasonable. It took longer for the original poster to formulate the topic here than it does to read the email and hit the delete button. Though I agree that sending it is a dumb business move. If something like this DID really bother me, I’d fire off an email back requesting that I didn’t get anymore emails of this type. Then if I did, maybe I’d consider witholding my business. To each their own, but I’m a somewhat forgiving person.
I don’t thik this is the question at hand. What would your reponse be if one of your co-workers sent an email blast around the office in support of a political candidate? Better yet, would you? I don’t care what people’s beliefs (political or religious) are. I’m less sanguine when the politics are pushed through unsolicited business communications, particularly in an “open email” format. Same reason that I defriend folks who write political screeds on their Facebook pages - not interested in receiving your opinions in that format
I did get a reply from Corp wines after I wrote them to tell them they would no longer receive any business from me.
This is the reply - "Typical response - your paty is running scared"
Peter Tryba is correct. Same customers since we already buy from him but we will buy more at Marty’s
I thought Corporate Wines was the operation in Woburn, MA, that has the business model of putting their distributors’ lists on their webpage and telling you they may be able to actually get the wine? Is Wine Bunker also their store?
For me this totally misses the point guys. This goes two levels beyond whether you can do business with dissimilarly minded individuals. The first level is the intermixing of politics and business. I avoid this and I think Carrie’s point about the wine business is particularly salient. The second, and far more egregious level of this problem, is that this guy carpet-bombed his customer list with this opinion. Just because I have purchased wine from someone certainly doesn’t mean that I have engaged them to assail me with their political opinions. I’d feel the same if the letter were vitriolic about religion or some other deeply personal topic. Would I feel better about it if I agreed? Well I’d feel less aggrieved but I doubt it would really increase my purchases, while the converse effect is certain. It’s terrible business sense, an obvious triumph of personal passion over logic.
I’ve never liked the idea of politics from the pulpit. If I don’t allow a cleric to try and inform these positions, I’ll be damned if a casual business associate should enjoy that privilege.