Name a place you will never go into that's popular.

[Hunter_Hawk]

*Originally posted by whiterabbit *
Old Navy. My God, the only good thing about them is that they’re not terribly overpriced. Unfortunately, that is the only good thing, as their clothes are waaaaaay too “in” for me (I live in jeans and t-shirts, I am boring) and the blaring music in every store gives me a headache.

And the thing is, Old Navy stuff isn’t even particularly stylish. You can safely assume that once a clothing trend appears in a major chain like Old Navy, that style has been dead for a while among the people who set the styles.

If you want more info about this process of styles moving from the hip to the mainstream, there are any number of books that discuss it, from The Theory of the Leisure Class to The Tipping Point and so forth.

[Caesar_Disgustus]

Hardee’s, because they have horrible drive-thru service (but at least they’re slow)
McDonald’s, because I used to work there and have witnessed the horrors
Walmart, because they’re crowded, dirty, and dimly lit. Kind of like being in a bat-filled cave, with less guano.

[dantheman]

*Originally posted by Kid_A *
**When I see bands with such, for lack of a better term, “revolutionary” lyrics as the Sex Pistols and RATM being commercialized into everything they decreed against; it angers me. It’s the same feeling I get seeing skateboarders on TV, trying to sell me Corn Pops or McDonald’s. “A day without my Corn Pops is like a day without my skateboard.” There are few things and places that are still free of pure commercialism. A band like Radiohead, who toured 3 years ago without ANY corporate sponsorship. Or a band like Weezer, who tried to release their last album, through the Internet for free before being shut down by their label. I realize the above 2 bands aren’t exactly underground, but they show that you can be successful and make money and good music and still do it without “selling out”. **

You were thisclose from saying, “Dang fool kids these days!” weren’t you, Kid_A? Admit it!

You can also look at bands that have tried to circumvent the awful Ticketmaster process. The Grateful Dead did this for years and years, and still does (more or less).

[eeclem]

kmart, where they still exist. all of the stores i have been in are grimey and staffed with brain dead incompetents. plus, i hate dealing with the hoards of similar brain dead incompetents i usually find shopping there.

[Uvula_Donor]

Even though there aren’t any Chik-Fil-A joints local to me, I’ve always looked for them when travelling because they really do know how to make fine tasting chicken. So it bothers me to learn about their stupid anti-gay policies. Especially because individual local Chik-Fil-A restaurants seem to be very active in their communities in supporting blood drives, homeless shelters, school fundraisers, after-school programs, food drives, etc. (If you want a cite, I invite you to query Google on keywords “Chick-fil-a” and “donations”, which I did in one of my attempts to find specific instances of anti-gay foundations receiving funding from them.)

This presents me with something of a quandry. Not so much in the Oh shit, I really love their chicken but I really hate their politics way - in that case I’d simply find another fried chicken place - but because boycotting them for a policy I find offensive would seem to hurt important local programs that I tend to support.

[gobear]

because boycotting them for a policy I find offensive would seem to hurt important local programs that I tend to support

Well, it’s commendable that you would feel moved to boycott Chick-Fil-A for their corporate bigotry, but if they are doing good things in your community, then that must also be taken into consideration.

As it happens, I’d boycott them anyway for their contribution to illiteracy with the inane “Eat Mor Chiken” ad campaign.

[Homebrew]

FWIW, Cracker Barrel rescinded there explicit anti-gay hiring policies and in fact now include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policy

from Dec. 2002
WASHINGTON — The Human Rights Campaign commended Cracker Barrel’s board of directors today for voting to add sexual orientation to the company’s written non-discrimination policy. The change ends a decade-long struggle that began when Cracker Barrel issued a policy of firing employees who failed to “demonstrate normal heterosexual values.”

[Missy2U]

Sorry to hijack, but can someone tell me what a Chick-Fil-A is? Is it like a McDonald’s or Burger King? No, I’m not kidding - I’m from the suburbs of Chicago - we don’t HAVE those.

[Saint_Zero]

*Originally posted by buttonjockey308 *
**1. Dominos-horrible food, and the operation rescue donations.
**

Don’t you read Snopes?

[pizzabrat]

Missy2U
Sorry to hijack, but can someone tell me what a Chick-Fil-A is? Is it like a McDonald’s or Burger King? No, I’m not kidding - I’m from the suburbs of Chicago - we don’t HAVE those.

It’s a mysteriously popular chicken-based fast food place that serves extra-salted processed chicken products with waffle fries.

[Left_Hand_of_Dorkness]

*Originally posted by gobear *
**Well, it’s commendable that you would feel moved to boycott Chick-Fil-A for their corporate bigotry, but if they are doing good things in your community, then that must also be taken into consideration.

As it happens, I’d boycott them anyway for their contribution to illiteracy with the inane “Eat Mor Chiken” ad campaign. **

Huh – I always saw those as inspirational, suggesting that even a creature with bovine intelligence could, through hard work and fear for its life, learn rudimentary communication skills.

And it’s not like a place called Chik-Fil-A is going to get rid of spelling errors by ending this one ad campaign, anyway.

Daniel

[slu]

*Originally posted by Kid_A *
**After spending much of my chemistry thinking things over, <snip> this is why it upsets me so much.

When I see bands with such, for lack of a better term, “revolutionary” lyrics as the Sex Pistols and RATM being commercialized into everything they decreed against; it angers me. It’s the same feeling I get seeing skateboarders on TV, trying to sell me Corn Pops or McDonald’s. “A day without my Corn Pops is like a day without my skateboard.” There are few things and places that are still free of pure commercialism. A band like Radiohead, who toured 3 years ago without ANY corporate sponsorship. Or a band like Weezer, who tried to release their last album, through the Internet for free before being shut down by their label. I realize the above 2 bands aren’t exactly underground, but they show that you can be successful and make money and good music and still do it without “selling out”. I turn on “alternative” radio and what do I hear, Staind, Puddle of Mud, Nickelback, Default, Trapt, all making the exact same music while bands who actually have things to say get shut out because they’re too punk, too controversial, too alternative. Is it that hard to play NOFX or Flaming Lips or Broken Social Scene on the radio?

<snip>

Sorry for the hijack. **

I am 99.9% sure that the suburban stores you speak of are not selling bootleg T-shirts that you can get for 5 bucks at outside shows.

You do realize that in order for a store like you describe to sell Sex Pistols or Rage T-Shirts, one of two things has to happen:

1. The Band (or it’s management) has to agree to the selling of offical T-shirts at that store or chain. Or they sell their likeness and the store produces it’s own “offical” T-shirts.

2. The Band (or it’s management) sells all of its merch rights to a mech company and they distribute the merch as they see fit. The band usually gets an upfront fee for the rights and a percentage of sales. Sometimes this agreement includes merch at shows, sometimes it does not.

Either way, by your definition, that is “selling out”. I think you need to lighten up. Outside of touring, bands make most of their money off merch. Would you rather they quit making music because the can’t make enough money?

There are a lot worse ways to “sell out” then by selling T-shirts at suburban record stores.

If a kid wants a Rage Against the Machine T-Shirt, it should be accessable to him/her.

[Intaglio]

Subway - I hate the way the Bread smells, when I go in there I want to vomit, I smell rotten bread.

[Swampwolf]

*Originally posted by Saint Zero *
**Don’t you read Snopes? **

Yes, what’s your point?

Is it fair to say some of the money from every pizza sold by the chain ended up in the hands of anti-abortion groups? Possibly — it depends on how the matter is viewed. Certainly Domino’s itself never gave money directly, and that is the persistent rumor, that the company tithed a portion of its revenues to those groups. That claim is false.

However, in another sense, monies from pizza sales did flow into pro-life causes via the conduit of Tom Monaghan.

If the money Monaghan gets from ordinary schlubs buying his pizza goes to a murderous cause, it doesn’t matter what the “official” policy is. My money isn’t going to get anywhere near his blood-stained hands.

[Random]

*Originally posted by Gundy *
**There is only one place I absolutely will not go again – and that is O’Donovan’s in Chicago. My SO’s softball team used to go there after their games for food & beer, and it was always a good experience – pretty good bar food, friendly enough service. But as O’Donovan’s got more popular, the service declined substantially. After a game this past summer, the whole group (about fifteen people, as usual) went there for the normal beers & burgers, the hostess said we couldn’t be seated because the group was too large. We offered to sit at adjacent, but separate tables. No, can’t do that, because the tables are in different waitstaff’s areas. We said they’d have separate tabs. Nope, sorry. We asked we had requested separate tables to begin with, would they have seated us --and they said they would have. What the motherfuck? We even offered to wait for another section, and were promptly told that our group did not offer enough profit to the restaurant for them to bother. This after we had been collectively spending $300 a week there. That was it – so, we’re never ever going there again, even though it was kind of our default hangout for two years. Screw 'em – the Wild Goose, though farther away, has better burgers anyway. **

This surprised me. (I’m a semi-regular there and have generally been treated okay, and the hostess’ explanation here is bizarre.) If I didn’t know you, I’d probably think that there’s some other (legitimate or not) reason she didn’t like your group.

(Random briefly reviews past occasions when both he and Gundy were at a bar.)

Hmm… Never mind.

[PhiloVance]

*Originally posted by eeclem *
**kmart, where they still exist. all of the stores i have been in are grimey and staffed with brain dead incompetents. plus, i hate dealing with the hoards of similar brain dead incompetents i usually find shopping there. **

Heh!

I agree, but the store just sucks. I feel for those that have to work there or places that don’t have a Target.

[sub]BTW…are all brain dead incompetent, or is it the other way around? [/sub]

[Kyla]

*Originally posted by SnoopyFan *
**lez it’s not so much a “boycott” as it is zero desire to ever go there. It’s nothing personal, I just don’t see why I should bother. If I want mountains, I have 'em here, and Myrtle Beach is much closer than California **

So…why do you call it a boycott? Surely there are other states you don’t have any desire to go to? Well, heck, what do I know, maybe you’re chomping at the bit to go to North Dakota! (I don’t say South Dakota, because doesn’t everyone want to go to the Corn Palace or Wall Drug?) I mean, I have no desire to ever go to West Virginia, either, but I’m hardly boycotting the place.

[Frank]

*Originally posted by Kyla *
(I don’t say South Dakota, because doesn’t everyone want to go to the Corn Palace or Wall Drug

[hijack]
In my hitchhiking days I got a ride in South Dakota that took me 60 miles out of his way so I could see the Corn Palace. After that, I knew my life was complete.
[/hijack]

[alice_in_wonderland]

*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen *
**What story is that? **

The story in this thread by TVGuy.

When I was 30, two friends and I were denied service at an Applebees Restaurant after we sat in a booth and started talking about boyfriends and cute guys and so forth - nothing dirty, nothing “inappropriate” - we were given glasses of water and our orders were taken, only to never be delivered. When it became clear that something was wrong (six or seven other tables that had come in after us got served WAY before us) we asked the manager whether we had been forgotten. He told us that we were not appreciated in his restaurant but that Applebees policy was not to eject customers unless they became rude or threatening. We weren’t being served because the manager hoped that we would leave - he told us this in almost those words, but very, very politely. We ordered coffee and sat in that stinkin’ place for another three hours talking up a storm about boys and big thick cocks and how nice gay sex was and so forth - just to piss this guy off and hopefully drive away some of his customers.

That was enough for me. And actually, your linked article, about them apologizing for airing a comercial on a gay marriage program left a rather bad taste in my mouth. I’m comfortable with my decision, even if it means I don’t eat there anymore.

[dantheman]

Anecdotes are good enough? Good heavens. Isn’t it much more likely that that particular manager of that particular restaurant had the problem, that it’s not a policy - official or not - of its restaurants?

I can see avoiding that location; my apologies if that’s what you mean. But if you mean you’ll never set foot in any of their restaurants anywhere in the world because of the actions of one manager… well, that seems pretty bizarre to me.