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View Full Version : ** Ron Paul Black Friday! **




krott5333
10-25-2007, 09:14 AM
imagine how many more goodies people could buy if they didn't have to pay income tax and inflation tax!

I mentioned this idea before, but I definitely think it could be huge if all the meetup groups participate.

on Black Friday, starting around midnight or so when all the shoppers start lining up, my meetup group is going to have a couple teams with vans and were going to go around to the malls and the big stores and pass out free hot chocolate, maybe sandwich crackers, bottles of water, and of course, LITERATURE! slim jims, flyers, bumper stickers, etc etc.

People are waiting in line for hours. They are cold, and they are bored. They can warm up to a cup of hot chocolate while they discuss Ron Paul and his wonderful generous supporters!

Overall, its a pretty low cost yet high impact activity. Get a few big gatorade dispensers or whatever, like so:
http://artwork.net/ks/ahrents/images/drink_dispensers/5_gal_plastic_dispenser.JPG

and some styrofoam cups, a few bags of hot chocolate or cappuccino mix, etc etc, maybe some sandwich crackers http://i4.peapod.com/c/KW/KWN51.jpg from walmart or sams club, shouldnt cost too much, or muffins, etc etc.

Be creative! Be informative! Be generous!

Ridiculous
10-25-2007, 09:17 AM
You could probably get away with passing out some slim jims, outside the mall. But most malls don't look to kindly upon soliciting of any kind, after all it is their private property. So setting up a hot coco stand might not work out. Good luck with whatever you try though.

krott5333
10-25-2007, 09:18 AM
You could probably get away with passing out some slim jims, outside the mall. But most malls don't look to kindly upon soliciting of any kind, after all it is their private property. So setting up a hot coco stand might not work out. Good luck with whatever you try though.

whats the worst that could happen? they throw us out.. and we move on to the next store

Brinck Slattery
10-25-2007, 09:19 AM
Great idea, but call and ask permission first. Make sure to tell them that you won't be inside the mall, but rather doing a promotion outside. I used to have to set up crap like this all the time at my last job...

krott5333
10-25-2007, 09:23 AM
you guys are too uptight.

It'll be like a tailgate party!

Brinck Slattery
10-25-2007, 09:26 AM
the worst that can happen is they call the cops and arrest you. It will look bad to have a bunch of people in Ron Paul t-shirts getting arrested. Believe me, malls are serious about who they allow to use their property.

micahnelson
10-25-2007, 09:28 AM
I 100% support this idea.

On your van it needs to say "Free Coffee, Free Country" or "The best handouts don't come from the government".

and the flyers should say "If we had a stronger dollar you wouldn't have to be out at 3am to afford Christmas presents"

Give them something to read, chat them up, give them coffee. This is revolutionary.

transistor
10-25-2007, 09:29 AM
Waking up early blows

krott5333
10-25-2007, 09:29 AM
the worst that can happen is they call the cops and arrest you. It will look bad to have a bunch of people in Ron Paul t-shirts getting arrested. Believe me, malls are serious about who they allow to use their property.

highly unlikely

mavtek
10-25-2007, 09:33 AM
I think it's a freaking awesome idea and I'm going to pass it along to my meetup! Black Friday stores don't care about who is out there doing what. Trust me I've waited in those stupid lines. I think the best thing to do though is just say "Here is some free hot cocoa or a snack brought to you by unpaid volunteer Ron Paul supporters". Strike up a conversation with as many of them as you can. If they want literature give to them after you've talked with them.

mavtek
10-25-2007, 09:34 AM
Also Mall security will probably be there, so offer them some coffee or cocoa.

Brinck Slattery
10-25-2007, 09:34 AM
I'm not saying don't do it, just give the mall a heads up and if they say no then don't go. They'll probably be overjoyed to have some people giving out free hot coffee and hot chocolate.

Brian Bailey
10-25-2007, 09:35 AM
I 100% support this idea.

On your van it needs to say "Free Coffee, Free Country" or "The best handouts don't come from the government".

and the flyers should say "If we had a stronger dollar you wouldn't have to be out at 3am to afford Christmas presents"

Give them something to read, chat them up, give them coffee. This is revolutionary.

The first two quotes are absolutely top-notch. I suggest we promote these heavily to anyone taking up these sorts of efforts.

By the way, this Black Friday promotion is a great idea.

micahnelson
10-25-2007, 09:36 AM
Agreed brinck. A simple...

"Hi, we are going out to bring some relief to the people waiting in lines. We aren't selling anything, just handing out coffee and hot chocolate. We will bring a trash can to collect any waste. Would that be permissible?"

krott5333
10-25-2007, 09:37 AM
I would like to do coffee.. however, then you gotta deal with cream, sugar, splenda, sweet n low, equal, non-dairy creamer, french vanilla creamer, etc etc.

hot chocolate = hot chocolate

and for those who dont want hot chocolate, we'll probably have bottled water too. I'm looking into getting a price on custom labeled bottled water.

krott5333
10-25-2007, 09:38 AM
Agreed brinck. A simple...

"Hi, we are going out to bring some relief to the people waiting in lines. We aren't selling anything, just handing out coffee and hot chocolate. We will bring a trash can to collect any waste. Would that be permissible?"

oh okay, that sounds good.

tfelice
10-25-2007, 09:38 AM
I agree with the others. Call first. You are wasting your time if you are setting up somewhere only to be kicked out. Then having to move on to another place and you might face the same thing. Theoretically you could waste the whole day on places your shouldn't be, when you could spend the whole day at a place you are allowed to be.

If it were me I would do the homework and make the calls.

krott5333
10-25-2007, 09:39 AM
I agree with the others. Call first. You are wasting your time if you are setting up somewhere only to be kicked out. Then having to move on to another place and you might face the same thing. Theoretically you could waste the whole day on places your shouldn't be, when you could spend the whole day at a place you are allowed to be.

If it were me I would do the homework and make the calls.

i will, and I now agree.

We wont be setting up a table or anything.. just kind of makeshift out the back of a van or pickup.

walt
10-25-2007, 09:40 AM
imagine how many more goodies people could buy if they didn't have to pay income tax and inflation tax!

I mentioned this idea before, but I definitely think it could be huge if all the meetup groups participate.

on Black Friday, starting around midnight or so when all the shoppers start lining up, my meetup group is going to have a couple teams with vans and were going to go around to the malls and the big stores and pass out free hot chocolate, maybe sandwich crackers, bottles of water, and of course, LITERATURE! slim jims, flyers, bumper stickers, etc etc.

People are waiting in line for hours. They are cold, and they are bored. They can warm up to a cup of hot chocolate while they discuss Ron Paul and his wonderful generous supporters!

Overall, its a pretty low cost yet high impact activity. Get a few big gatorade dispensers or whatever, like so:
http://artwork.net/ks/ahrents/images/drink_dispensers/5_gal_plastic_dispenser.JPG

and some styrofoam cups, a few bags of hot chocolate or cappuccino mix, etc etc, maybe some sandwich crackers http://i4.peapod.com/c/KW/KWN51.jpg from walmart or sams club, shouldnt cost too much, or muffins, etc etc.

Be creative! Be informative! Be generous!


Good idea, BAD location

Public transit stations better idea

micahnelson
10-25-2007, 09:40 AM
Well tfe, it is you. get your meetup and do it if you think its good. Im gonna try and do it for this area.

micahnelson
10-25-2007, 09:41 AM
Good idea, BAD location

Public transit stations better idea

typically I would agree, but you should see black friday lines. With a crappy economy even more people will be trying to exchange their worthless FRN's for a POS from the PRC.

Brinck Slattery
10-25-2007, 09:43 AM
Actually public transit is tough if you go to hubs, but if you go to minor/suburban train stations there are rarely transit police that will bother you. In my area, the big train station is in Stamford, but the expresses to NYC stop in Darien. Cops all over in Stamford, none in Darien, and I've had a lot of success with slim jims and flyers at the Darien station.

If you hit train stations early in the morning (like 6 or 7 AM, rush hour for trains) with free hot chocolate, everyone will vote for Ron Paul.

constituent
10-25-2007, 09:43 AM
is there a website for this yet?

krott5333
10-25-2007, 09:44 AM
With a crappy economy even more people will be trying to exchange their worthless FRN's for a POS from the PRC.

I have no idea what you just said

krott5333
10-25-2007, 09:44 AM
is there a website for this yet?

no :o

ConstitutionGal
10-25-2007, 09:46 AM
Try scouting out your proposed locations in advance. If you see "no soliticiting" signs, don't try it unless you can get permission for your specific uses - some MIGHT let you hand out hot chocolate but not want you to hand out slim-jims. Of course, IF you can get permission to hand out hot-chocolate, you could always wear your Ron Paul apparel. Be sure to tell anyplace that you're requesting permission from that you will have someone stationed near the entrance with a trash bag to collect the cups and then be SURE to tell people where the trash bag will be. In other words, be polite and thoughtful.

tfelice
10-25-2007, 09:46 AM
Well tfe, it is you. get your meetup and do it if you think its good. Im gonna try and do it for this area.

Wish I could, but too many other committments take precedence though, especially that time of year.

krott5333
10-25-2007, 09:47 AM
I'm going to print out labels with something about Ron Paul on them, and a "please do not litter" and put them on the cups, bottles, food, etc.

ConstitutionGal
10-25-2007, 09:48 AM
I have no idea what you just said
FRN - Federal Reserve Notes
POS - hopefully this one doesn't need explaination :D
PRC - People's Repbulic of China

koob
10-25-2007, 09:48 AM
great idea. at my college campus it's very cold in the morning and people always set up these kind of things to promote stuff.

tfelice
10-25-2007, 09:48 AM
I'm going to print out labels with something about Ron Paul on them, and a "please do not litter" and put them on the cups, bottles, food, etc.

Excellent idea. If you think you may be doing a lot of this, you may be able to get custom cups printed up for a reasonable price. If you figure the cost of the cup, the label and the time spent sticking them on, you may be ahead of the game.

krott5333
10-25-2007, 09:48 AM
FRN - Federal Reserve Notes
POS - hopefully this one doesn't need explaination :D
PRC - People's Repbulic of China

lol

krott5333
10-25-2007, 09:49 AM
Excellent idea. If you think you may be doing a lot of this, you may be able to get custom cups printed up for a reasonable price. If you figure the cost of the cup, the label and the time spent sticking them on, you may be ahead of the game.

cups I can get pretty cheap because I work at a gas station.. same with the hot chocolate mix.

ConstitutionGal
10-25-2007, 09:49 AM
For those who may be planning on STANDING in those long lines, be sure to wear your Ron Paul gear and have either Liberty Cards or Slim-Jims handy!!

krott5333
10-25-2007, 09:50 AM
For those who may be planning on STANDING in those long lines, be sure to wear your Ron Paul gear and have either Liberty Cards or Slim-Jims handy!!

i'm sure there is going to be something I'll want to snatch up.. but RP comes first!

tfelice
10-25-2007, 09:50 AM
cups I can get pretty cheap because I work at a gas station.. same with the hot chocolate mix.

Cool, then you are ahead of the game on that

krott5333
10-25-2007, 09:51 AM
Cool, then you are ahead of the game on that

:D

ladyliberty
10-25-2007, 09:54 AM
I do not think the malls would object to you putting up a "comfort station" - it is good for business - especially if the stuff is FREE.

parke
10-25-2007, 09:57 AM
the worst that can happen is they call the cops and arrest you. It will look bad to have a bunch of people in Ron Paul t-shirts getting arrested. Believe me, malls are serious about who they allow to use their property.

Thats a little damn extreme. If RP supporters cant smile a way into a situation, Id suggest you just leave. The message sells itself easily.

I think Black Friday is a great idea. Just watch how you do it and use some common sense.

rs3515
10-25-2007, 10:25 AM
great idea. at my college campus it's very cold in the morning and people always set up these kind of things to promote stuff.

You up at NMU yooper? ;)

figueir2
10-25-2007, 11:12 AM
I freaking love this idea! People love free stuff; coffee, cocoa and country. I think this is one of the best ideas i have heard so far on this forum. I might get my friends together and do this. I just need a very a beautifully succinct and comprehensive pamphlet. Anyone have a particularly good link?

koob
10-25-2007, 01:13 PM
You up at NMU yooper? ;)

yes lol. :)

McDermit
10-25-2007, 03:53 PM
Good idea, BAD location

Public transit stations better idea

yeah, the nearest public transit station here is in philly, 2 hours away. Most of us aren't in huge cities. malls are perfect here, and would work well in most areas.

krott5333
10-26-2007, 05:28 PM
I freaking love this idea! People love free stuff; coffee, cocoa and country. I think this is one of the best ideas i have heard so far on this forum. I might get my friends together and do this. I just need a very a beautifully succinct and comprehensive pamphlet. Anyone have a particularly good link?

:D

imaginegirl
10-26-2007, 07:16 PM
wish I were home that day! a store last year was handing out little chocolates with a coupon on the wrapper.. what about handing out "fun size" candy bars (hit the after-halloween clearance!) with a label on them that simply says, "RonPaul2008.com"? You can use shipping or address labels & print them yourself. I'm willing to design them if someone sends me the size & dimensions of the labels they get.

Could be a good idea for halloween, too (sorry, short notice!). My parents gave out candy for the last few years with their business info labeled to it. Got several new customers that way... people do notice!

koob
10-27-2007, 12:54 PM
You up at NMU yooper? ;)

yep :D

newmedia4ron
11-23-2007, 04:59 AM
...bump...

Santana28
11-23-2007, 11:05 AM
Agreed brinck. A simple...

"Hi, we are going out to bring some relief to the people waiting in lines. We aren't selling anything, just handing out coffee and hot chocolate. We will bring a trash can to collect any waste. Would that be permissible?"

our mall would have kicked you out for that ;-P

stupid rules. i dont agree with them, but EVERYTHING must go through mall management...

they would have had a cow if they saw random people using their property to promote an agenda other than what's being sold at the mall.

congrats man for getting away with it.