Mixing Business and Pleasure

[Airn]

Do you prefer your business to be completely separated from your personal life? If you disliked a person, but liked their product/business, would you still buy/do business with them? This can go for products, celebrities, anyone really. I was just curious how far you're willing to go because you dislike someone.

I'm not sure if I'm explaining this right. But an example might be: You have a favorite band. You love that band. But you find out they are totally cool with animal testing and even support certain labs. Would that turn you away from that band or would you just stick to listening to their music?

There are several people I dislike (maybe that's too harsh, but for lack of a better term) but I enjoy their songs, movies, products, whatever. I find myself teetering between "Well that's their PERSONAL life" and "Omg what crazy person. I don't want to support them!". (And, I suppose, do you feel like you're 'supporting' someone when you buy their products, watch their movies, etc.?)

Now, there's always exceptions, but in general, does a person's personal life affect if you do business with/for them/whatever?

 

[Oko]

It depends on the situation, severity, how strongly I feel against whatever they do, etc.

For the most part, yes, I do find that mixing. And am happier to do stuff/buy stuff/etc. from people who I agree with.

ETA and yes, I do feel like I'm supporting someone when I buy something from them. Which is why you must always illegally obtain stuff from people you're iffy about. :rofl1:

 

[Linds]

In a way. I would be more likely to boycott or avoid a place because of how it conducts itself rather than things the owner believes or donates to.

For example:

Store has a HSUS donation cup vs Store has anti breeder signs up or actively voices a hate of breeders.

But, I will go out of my way to frequent a place that supports something I strongly believe in and when possible I will give them my business vs the place that I have more moral objections to.

ETA: Celebrities I have a harder time with and it's one of the reasons I do everything in my power not to learn anything about them because it ruins the magic for me. I don't want to know if they posed naked for PETA. I just want to enjoy Nikita shooting people.

 

[Fran101]

99% of the time, especially when it comes to artists and small businesses.. if I don't like you, I don't support you by buying your product.

Even if I LOVE collars made by person A, if they are a douche in general or just rub me the wrong way or support causes I don't like, I won't buy them.
I could just LIKE the collars made by someone who is really nice, supports charities I like, is appreciative of customers..and those are the collars I am buying.
I don't like the breeder as a person, I won't buy a dog from them. Regardless of quality of said animal.. it's just the way that I am.

It doesn't even have to be a huge disagreement or company flaw or anything, sometimes it's really small lol I don't like the way the company dealt with ONE customer service issue.. so I don't go to them. I hold grudges in a bad way lol

It's a huge reason I try to stay away from celebrity gossip and interviews.. because I do enjoy music and movies but once celebrities do or say one thing that I find horrible, I can't look at them.
Justin Beiber is one of those for me.. one line in one interview that was so awful I wanted to punch him in the face and now I can't even look at the kid let alone hear his music.

There are of course 1% exceptions. Especially for things that are one of a kind and don't have alternatives anywhere else and have proven useful.. I will support even if I don't LOVE the company behind it.
AKA: Apple products. Don't love the business model, don't love the politics, don't love the attitude towards smaller companies.. but the products have served me extremely well, the customer service has never failed, love the products.. so I go back for more, everytime.

but that is very much the exception to the general rule.

 

[Fran101]

ETA: Celebrities I have a harder time with and it's one of the reasons I do everything in my power not to learn anything about them because it ruins the magic for me. I don't want to know if they posed naked for PETA. I just want to enjoy Nikita shooting people.

Love that show.

 

[Julee]

Pretty much what Fran said.

 

[LostAndConfused]

Pretty much what Fran said.

Can we make a Smilie that says this?





there is a McDonald's that is kind of convenient that we don't go to because they forgot my sandwich, or fries, or something one time. It was when we stopped there after a long road trip picking up the puppies and we were tired, and hungry and maybe a little too emotional, I think I almost cried. I hate them.

 

[Xandra]

For me, business and pleasure are almost totally separate. When I'm shopping I'm looking for a good to enhance my life. Unless the product itself was produced unethically, I'll buy whatever is highest quality/most worth my money. I'm sure there are exceptions to this, but I don't really pay attention to company policy much to begin with, so it's kind of a non-issue. Especially with celebrities, I really couldn't care less what they do in their personal lives.

 

[sillysally]

Eh, I'm iffy about it. I know a lot of people who refuse to buy anything made by Purina due to their lower quality pet food. However, they make horse feeds that I have been happy with, and I would not hesitate to feed some of their other livestock feeds.

At a dog show we went to earlier this year in Chicago there were a few rescues that were selling "Don't breed or buy while shelter dogs die" magnets. I donated money to the rescue, but would not buy a magnet like that, because I don't agree with it. When I go to shows and expos I try to buy from rescues first.

When it comes to the HSUS, I won't give them any money or even take a free tote from them (and that it a BIG deal for me as I have a tote problem-lol). Same thing with PETA.

 

[crazedACD]

I do a lot of dealings with sales reps in the pet industry. Absolutely, I feel they are representing the company, and if they are inappropriate I don't want to do business with them even if I like the product. For the most part, there is someone else with a similar product that is going to treat me better. I don't expect the world from anyone, but I do expect common courtesy and respect.

I don't do Nike or anything NFL because of their support of Vick. I guess I do try to stick with companies, products, and peoples that make me feel good supporting them. If I hear something negative about a company I tried to do unbiased research and I will probably shy away from them in the future.

 

[Saeleofu]

It's...sort of a mix. I suppose it depends on what the issue is. If you donate to Autism Speaks, you're out, that's it. I didn't buy anything through CafePress for a long time because of that. Then this year they decided to donate to ASAN instead. WOOO HOOO, I can use CafePress again! I don't like that Think Geek is sort of expensive and I can get the same stuff elsewhere for cheaper most of the time, but they also support ASAN, so I'm more likely to buy from them because of that (I know that's not exactly what we're talking about, but that's my sort of similar example lol).

There are collar makers I won't buy from because I don't approve of things they've done or how I or someone else have been treated. There are two collar makers I will never buy from. On that note, if I need a custom leather collar, I will ALWAYS ALWAYS go to Ella's Lead, because Becca is awesome and has gone out of her way to help me a million times. The first place I got custom nylon/ribbon collars from, I will never use again, because I was treated like **** and the product is mediocre. I have found a different person to use for that, and although I may not 100% agree with them all the time on everything, I was treated with respect and got quality collars that were exactly what I ordered (and they were priced very reasonably!).

There was a radio show that used to air here that had Cesar Milan as a guest and the host was fanboying all over him. I couldn't bring myself to listen to that morning show again (and now they're not airing on the station I listen to anymore, since they decided to turn into a country music morning show).

I don't know enough about most celebrities to pass judgement, and in a way I like that, because I don't want to have to feel bad for liking something It kills me that Christopher Eccleston is bitter about the BBC and his time on Doctor Who...it makes it hard to be a fan knowing that. Tom Baker had some similar, less extreme sentiments...but he's still my favorite. As far as naked photo shoots...if you want to do this (NSFW) http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9xyXcuop0w0/UQnXvPsgsHI/AAAAAAAAj6s/SkA8TkNoL-c/s1600/katydalek1.jpg then more power to you (but I still find her character incredibly annoying).


ETA: OH, there's a "zoo" here that I won't ever go to again. The owner's a douche, the animals are treated only as well as is required by USDA, and they breed white tigers out the ass. They aren't good enough to be AZA accredited, so the owner invented his own accrediting agency that's a total joke. I went once because it was free and I was curious, but I'm NEVER going back. It's too sad.