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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Gay Marriage Steven Pidgeon Tries to Explain His Relationship With Staples Stores, and Adds: "Gary Randall doesn't speak for me."

Posted by Eli Sanders on Tue, Feb 21, 2012 at 12:01 PM

So I just called up Steven Pidgeon to ask him about his "not true" claim that Washingtonians will soon be able to find copies of the anti-gay-marriage initiative, I-1192, in local Staples stores.

“That’s by arrangement with us and the individual Staples stores where they’re going to be available," Pidgeon explained.

What? Staples just told me that it won't allow its stores to be used for such political purposes.

“I’m not going to commit Staples to anything," Pidgeon then told me, rather confusingly, since it seemed like he already had.

So I asked him: Wait, didn't you already commit Staples to this?

“If somebody quoted me as saying that," Pidgeon replied, "they quoted me incorrectly.”

Um. Here, this is from your friend Gary Randall's blog on Feb. 17: "Steve Pidgeon said petitions will be available within the next few days and will ultimately be available at thousands of churches, some Staples stores and online."

“You’ve gotten disinformation," Pidgeon said. "Gary Randall doesn’t speak for me. I speak for me.”

Then Pidgeon said something about using Staples for uploads or downloads of I-1192, and then he abruptly hung up.

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Pidgeon English!

Posted by Dominic Holden on February 21, 2012 at 12:06 PM

Pidg' a fit.

Posted by Baconcat on February 21, 2012 at 12:12 PM

Disinformation indeed.

Posted by Subdued Excitement on February 21, 2012 at 12:18 PM

I suppose this means there's a manager of a Staples store somewhere who attends one of the bigot churches and who plans to flout corporate policy. It probably wouldn't take much legwork to guess locations and check it out. For someone who has that kind of time to spare.

Posted by Meat Weapon on February 21, 2012 at 12:42 PM

Staples has one location in each of Redmond, Bellevue and Bothel. I'd place odds on it being one of those locations. Part of the Hutcherson or Fuiten flock, I'd guess.

Posted by Meat Weapon on February 21, 2012 at 12:46 PM

Staples is entangled with the LDS (Mormons)!

Posted by MormonsRNuts on February 21, 2012 at 1:10 PM

According to OpenSecrets, the Staples CEO and his wife give big money to Romney and Romney's Free & Strong America PAC.

Posted by DOUG.

on February 21, 2012 at 1:24 PM

It is obviously a rogue store manager or two thinking they can get away with this. Randall/Pidgeon didn't just pull Staples name out of thin air. Someone said they would do this (obviously keeping corporate and likely their district manager in the dark) so let's fish them out.

I spoke to the Store Manager at the Westwood Village location in West Seattle and he assured me that there would be no signature gathering there. He also forwarded my contact info to his district manager, who I am awaiting a call from.

I encourage anyone else outraged by this to visit your local Staples store to get similar assurance.

Posted by Ashlyn on February 21, 2012 at 2:00 PM

I spoke with one of the assistants at the Renton Staples at the Landing on my way to Target and she said that it's not happening at her store. She also said that her district manager is letting all the managers know that this will not happen at any of the Seattle area stores.

Posted by Agnewikistuff on February 21, 2012 at 2:48 PM

plus, staples is willard rmoney's central job-creating accomplishment. i'll have to continue to not shop there

Posted by Max Solomon on February 21, 2012 at 2:51 PM

I was able to personally talk to the Seattle area district manager for Staples, Tim Mooney, who apparently covers all Staples stores from Marysville to West Seattle and he was empathetic that this will not happen at any Staples store--especially not in his district.

He also said that he is looking into the situation to see how Staples name somehow got linked to Pidgeon and Randall and that hopefully soon Staples will release an official statement.

I found his concern to be very sincere and I appreciate the seriousness that Staples is responding to this with.

Posted by Ashlyn on February 21, 2012 at 3:35 PM

So I guess the quote should have read:

' According to Randall, [the paper that] initiative petitions will be [photocopied on will be] available in the next few days and eventually people will be able to find [original paper of a similar kind] in thousands of churches, some Staples stores and online.

Posted by LogopolisMike

on February 21, 2012 at 3:39 PM

@5: Yes, because there are no conservative megachurches within the Seattle city limits. Must be those suburbanites.

Posted by bigyaz on February 21, 2012 at 3:52 PM

Good on Staples. I just can't collate my documents or sort my paperclips or sharpen pencils or something when I know that somewhere out there, gay people might get to be a bit happier than they might otherwise be.

Posted by Zebes

on February 21, 2012 at 4:04 PM

@11- Thank you for taking the responsible approach to find out what the actual story is rather than knee-jerking. BTW: I expect you meant "emphatic" though I suppose empathetic would be nice. :)

Posted by mdl1066 on February 21, 2012 at 7:13 PM

@12 Yeah, damn auto-correct :P

I've worked retail before and I knew that there was no way that this was officially sanctioned by Staples and had to be a case of some employee over stepping their boundaries. Mostly I wanted to make sure that the DM was aware of this because he is in position to make sure the store managers keep their employees in line and not have them use Staples' store front or employee time and resources to support this anti-family/anti-gay agenda.

Even if Pidgeon/Randall/Hutcherson/whoever had a "handshake agreement" with one of their local Staples to hang out in front of store collecting signature, the blow back from this story breaking with Staples corporate and the local DM now aware will make sure that doesn't happen.

Posted by Ashlyn on February 21, 2012 at 7:47 PM

Err @15. Can't blame autocorrect for that one.

Posted by Ashlyn on February 21, 2012 at 7:48 PM

I spoke with the manager of the Bellevue Staples and they just said, "No Comment," and "Call this number." That sounds a bit of an avoidance to me. If they were not doing anything harmful, why not just say they have nothing to do with it.

I am reconsidering purchasing at Staples if the "Big Guy" is supporting the wrong candidates. It is too bad, my whole family, with lots of technology in the home, rather enjoy shopping at our neighborhood office supply store.

Take Care Staples.

Posted by mjmoverseas

on February 28, 2012 at 9:11 AM