“Right after the debate, we started seeing Yelp reviews saying things like, ‘I’ll never buy a refrigerator from a biased company like ABC,’” said Cynthia Harper, a regional manager for ABC Warehouse. “I mean, how do you even respond to that? We sell dishwashers and TVs. The closest we get to politics is deciding which cable package has the most sports channels.”
The company quickly moved to address the confusion. Signs reading, “ABC Warehouse: Selling Appliances, Not Political Opinions Since 1963,” were plastered across storefronts, and their social media channels began running a full-scale campaign to clarify that they had absolutely no connection to the network.
“We don’t even watch the debates,” Harper admitted. “We’re too busy trying to figure out how to sell more washing machines. But now we’re stuck dealing with people who think we moderated the thing. It’s exhausting.”
Much of the confusion can be attributed to the fast-moving, misinformation-heavy world of social media, where nuance goes to die. Following the debate, a tweet comparing ABC Fine Wine & Spirits to ABC News went viral, prompting thousands of comments and retweets from users who believed the two were linked.
“They’re all in it together!” tweeted one user, before launching into a diatribe about how “corporate media” and “big liquor” were conspiring to fact-check Trump.
