I’ll be the first to admit that after reading Marion Hammer’s memo regarding YETI Coolers last weekend, I was concerned with how this information was being shared with NRA members.
The email, also published on the NRA-ILA website, stated (in part):
“For years YETI Coolers have been a hot item for sportsmen at the Friends of NRA Foundation Banquet and Auction events around the country.
Suddenly, without prior notice, YETI has declined to do business with The NRA Foundation saying they no longer wish to be an NRA vendor, and refused to say why. They will only say they will no longer sell products to The NRA Foundation. That certainly isn’t sportsmanlike. In fact, YETI should be ashamed.”
The situation quickly turned into a he-said-she-said situation with YETI ambassadors jumping to their defense and NRA supporters figuratively and literally blowing them up. YETI’s statement in response to the swift backlash essentially called Hammer and the NRA liars while declaring their commitment to the Second, prompting Hammer to promptly fire back in a statement to IJR:
“After three days Yeti issues a statement claiming they didn’t really drop the NRA Foundation. They claim they simply eliminated the entire program affecting NRA Foundation and other unnamed organizations.
Isn’t that like eliminating like a job position so you can get rid of an employee?”
YETI failed to respond any further to repeated requests for comment, leaving their fans and NRA members questioning what really happened.
Hammer finally let the cat out of the bag, solidly setting the record straight:
“YETI severed ties with the NRA and is now engaging in damage control after a backlash from many of its customers. In early March, YETI refused to place a previously negotiated order from NRA-ILA, citing ‘recent events’ as the reason – a clear reference to the tragedy in Parkland, Florida. YETI then delivered notice to the NRA Foundation that it was terminating a 7-year agreement and demanded that the NRA remove the YETI name and logo from all NRA digital assets, as well as refrain from using any YETI trademarks in future print material,” Marion Hammer said.
“YETI is trying to spin the story otherwise, those are the facts. While Yeti can change their story, but they can’t change the facts. Whether their changing story is due to the recent cancellation of the IPO from their New York City owners is a question only they can answer.”
The fact is, despite their claim of being committed to the Constitution, YETI contacted the most influential organization defending Americans’ Second Amendment in the immediate aftermath of the Parkland shooting. Using the phrase ‘due to recent events’ in an email sharing their decision to discontinue their vendor program with the Foundation, they demanded that NRA ‘remove all (YETI) graphics and IP from your websites’ immediately.
In a classy turn of events, the NRA is encouraging its members not to blow up their YETI products, but to put them to good use instead:
Don’t blow up your Yeti cooler. Don’t shoot your Yeti cooler full of holes. Don’t chain your Yeti cooler to the back of your pick-up truck and drag it down the highway. Don’t glue a toilet seat to Yeti cooler. Don’t hang your Yeti cooler in a tree and beat it with a baseball bat.
Put a big “I STAND WITH THE NRA FOUNDATION” sticker on your YETI cooler and keep using it. They cost too much money to destroy to make a statement. Let a sticker make your statement.
Now that we know the truth about YETI and their decision to disconnect from the NRA, it probably shouldn’t be shocking to find YETI featured prominently in every corner of your local Dicks Sporting Goods store.
A match made in gun control heaven?
Companies big and small who truly support the Second Amendment should take a page from retailers such as Ozark Sportsman Supply, who announced their decision to rid their stores of YETI products based on their decision to cut ties with the NRA.
The company, who made the announcement via Facebook, said it “will no longer support or sell Yeti company and their products.”
“We can not in good conscience support a company that takes a stand against the rights of all Americans as Yeti has by pulling sponsorship from the NRA,” Ozark said in the statement. “By pulling their support from groups that fight for our rights Yeti has proven to be on the opposite side of the street from the conservative Majority at a crucial time in our country’s history.”
But Ozark isn’t just pulling YETI products from their shelves, they’re making a statement with what they’re doing with them: taking the merchandise at a loss.
“We won’t put them on the streets at all. It’s a loss we will take in a show of Support for the NRA and their endeavors.”
With so many local stores to shop in and many other cooler companies using the opportunity to not only sell merchandise but to support the NRA, I think it’s safe to say YETI and Dick’s will soon drop off into a (further) oblivion. And good riddance to them, too.
Final hours: Buy any Pelican Elite Cooler and get a free Pelican Tumbler AND we will donate $10 to the NRA. Hurry, this offer ends Monday at midnight! Promo code: PELICANPROUD – be sure to add the tumbler to your cart. https://t.co/cWoj2OCnpL | #PelicanProud pic.twitter.com/DLPx6iKD8w
— Pelican Coolers (@pelicancoolers) April 30, 2018