The most partisan item in Wegmans at the moment is a can of Goya beans.
After Goya Foods President Bob Unanue praised the president, Trump opponents called for a boycott and Trump supporters stocked up.
Ivanka Trump and her father, having no more serious subjects to occupy them, joined the fray by posing for endorsement pictures.
This isn’t the first time a grocery item has landed in the middle of political debate and it won’t be the last.
Past protests have targeted the freezer cases (Ben & Jerry’s is “too liberal”), the cereal section (Kelloggs withdrew advertising from right-wing Breitbart), Chobani (too many refugee employees), and Brawny paper towels, Angel Soft toilet paper and Dixie cups (all produced by the libertarian Kochs).
Starbucks has drawn ire from both ends of the spectrum. The company has long been identified with the left, for its stance against Trump’s immigration policy, its embrace of LGBTQ, and its alleged “war on Christmas.”
However, when former CEO Howard Schultz toyed with the idea of running for president, many Democrats saw him as an unwelcome spoiler who might damage the prospects of their nominee.
Boycotts are usually a passing obsession. It’s questionable how much long-term effect they have on sales. Trump wines, for example, survived customer demands that Wegmans ban the bottles. (The company cannot sell wine or liquor in its home state of New York but does so in other states such as Pennsylvania and Virginia.)
In some ways, the most debated product in Wegmans is the face mask, now abundantly available. The issue is not whether the masks should be sold, but whether they should be worn.
I can’t think of any product that should be less politicized. Wear your damned mask.