On the Friday in the midst of a heated presidential season, I thought we could take a spin through some of the Presidential candidates' online stores and see what merchandise is on offer. After all, the Glom's motto is "Business|Law|Economics|Society." What crosses those boundaries better than the stuff that the candidates are selling?
One thing to note -- it looks like the candidates generally share the same software or web hosting services, as there are similar fonts and layouts at the various stores. And the items for sale fall into certain patterns: hats, T-Shirts, buttons, stickers, mugs. But certain items stand out in each of the stores.
(And a tech note: I'm not competent enough to adjust the sizes of the images. I tried to get the smallest ones possible, but I was often unsuccessful!)
First, I was surprised that Donald Trump's store was not more extensive. Perhaps he doesn't want to compete with his retail clothing collection. There is, of course, the iconic hat ($25):
Also available in other colors, including camo ($30):
There aren't that many other fun gifts, though -- just signs & shirts. But if you're having a Trump party, you may want to consider one of the rally packs, like this one (for $250):
Hillary Clinton's store, on the other hand, has a whole homeware section. It includes this needlepoint pillow ($55):
Or these can cozies ($10), perfect for a gathering of young people!
The design on this T-shirt ($45) really doesn't work, I think (sorry Marc Jacobs):
And what is this, exactly? ($30) The description says: "Bringing a whole new meaning to casual Friday." I see.
The Hillary store also has the largest selection of gear for a specific group, such as these stickers ($5):
The Ted Cruz store has a lot of new Cruz-Fiorina merch for pre-order, like this poster ($25):
This reference on this hat ($25) is too layered, I think, for your average passer-by to understand:
Cruz also has a lot of camo gear, such as this "ladies camo hat" ($35):
Cruzball (4 for $20)?
And if this ($65) isn't worn by hipsters everywhere in December 2016, then they're missing an opportunity:
Of course, real hipsters are already shopping at the Bernie store, with a wide variety of "feel the Bern!" products. It should be noted that Bernie's store is not noticeably less expensive than the others. The Shep Fairey T-shirt ($35) is a little too ... hmmm ... what's the word ... Riefenstahl-y?
Whereas this one ($25 - sold out) would be very much at home at a 1920s Wobblies convention:
(Yes, I know -- it's based on a 1930 FDR poster for Social Security. But the shirt says "political revolution"!)
Finally, the John Kasich store perhaps reveals some of the difficulties facing his campaign. Are you familiar with this Kasich slogan?
I love the ". . . PERIOD!" And what exactly does this mean? Are we in for a wild ride, or does John Kasich just care about our automotive safety?
And you can apparently only buy a hat in blue, but this red one is advertised -- a little too close to the Donald's?
Okay, okay, one more item -- his candidacy may be suspended, but you can still buy this:
He's America's Bae?
Oh. And this.
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