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Sierra Trading Post & Jesus Christ
It’s Monday. Great to be back in the office after a relaxing weekend. FYI, yesterday I went jogging in the snow. I wore a toque & gloves. Not making this up. The Sopranos rocked although there was not enough violence 
Not too long ago, on my dumblog, I kvetched about getting stood-up by Matisyahu’s management after helping them with the Amazon Digital Locker. Today I read that Matisyahu terminated them out before the release of his hit CD Youth. To paraphrase Alicia Keys: What goes around, comes around. What goes up, must come down, It’s called Karma baby, And it goes around, What goes around, comes around, What goes up, must comes down, Now who’s cryin, desirin to come back to me.
Today, I bring to your attention retailer Sierra Trading Post. These guys have a great online business; over 525, 000 customer ratings on bizrate can’t be wrong. On the bottom-right of their homepage, they have a tab called “We Believe”. And I quoteth:
Sierra Trading Post wants to be your first choice for outdoor clothing and equipment. In order to be the best, we follow three simple “We Believe” statements….
3. That our business ethics must be consistent with the faith of the owners in Jesus Christ and His teachings.
We invite you to write our founder and president, Keith Richardson, if what we do does not match what we believe… We Will Make It Right
Faith is great. I am a religious Yid though I may sell my portion of Paradise on Ebay. (Paypal is fine.)
However, I am curious how Sierra would deal with the following email inquiry:
Dear Keith,
WASSUUUUUUUP! I write to you from a pew. My favorite food is stew. Sorry if my writing style tends to spew. Here’s the deal: you believe in the teachings of Christ. In Luke 6:30 the Bible stateth: Give to everyone who comes with a request, and if a man takes away your property, make no attempt to get it back again.
Does this mean, if I simply ask you for something on the site, then you will just ship it out to me for FREE? And, according to latter part of the verse, if I enter a Sierra outlet and proceed to shoplift, will you NOT press charges?
Sincerely Yours,
Winona Ryder
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Shmuly… you one crazy Yid!
Personally I have made it a matter of habit not mix religion or politics with business.
-wayne
I used to shop with Sierra Trading Post. During a period of not buying from them, it was brought to my attention that the company’s owner was some kind of religious zealot. I never found proof yet was reluctant to buy from them for that reason, and had a pang of guilt wondering what if the information I received was wrong.
Well, I finally got a bead on the STP religious bent and not only found your online article, but their Jesus Christ credo on their site. Thank you very much for your article and reaffirming my feelings.
If you want to mix religion with business then go open up a store that sells religious items. If you’re going to sell clothing, don’t wear your religion on your sleeve. Keep the religion out of it!
I now will continue to NOT shop with them. One thing I can’t stand is the “mix of religion or politics with business” as Wayne said. I’m right there with ya, and I’ll be spending the word, “Don’t buy from Sierra Trading Post”.
I shop with Sierra Trading Post BECAUSE they’re founded on faith. Companies mix politics and religion all the time. Target is the poster child for supporting Planned Parenthood and Ford Motor Company supports the causes of Gay and Lesbian people. I’d much rather shop with a company that stands for truth, than a company that stands for things I DON’T support.
That said - if we didn;t shop at every store because they don’t believe in the same things we do, we’d go hungry or cold or both. It’s nearly impossible to find an organization that believes in all the causes you do.
It’s not like Sierra Trading Post is wearing their faith on their sleeve. You don’t see a cross or a fish on their logo do you? The owner’s story is built on faith - and I give him props for standing on what he believes and trusting God with his business. Many people leave faith at the doorstep when they enter their company. I’m encouraged by those that find a way to bring their faith into their work. That doesn’t mean you have to have company prayer time, mandatory Bible studies or even feel like you have to talk about God every day. It means you are who you are and you’re not going to change just because you punch in.
All that to say…I’m glad Sierra Trading Post isn’t afraid to hide behind what they hold true.
I’m not a fan of Born Agains and their attempts to make their beliefs part of US law, but in the case of Sierra, their beliefs seem to make them a better business, at least from a customer standpoint, e.g. you can return any item at any time if you aren’t satisfied with it, and they refund your money.
If I knew they used their profits to further the Religious Right’s agenda, I wouldn’t buy from them. There are still Christians who follow the teachings of Christ and attempt to do good works, believe it or not.