Election Day 2012 freebies: deals on food, travel, and鈥oga?
It took hours of waiting in line in the cold (in Massachusetts) and rain (in Florida), but you鈥檝e finally cast your vote. Why not celebrate by partaking in some good old-fashioned American consumerism? Here鈥檚 a roundup of Election Day 2012 freebies and promotional deals, on everything from waffle fries to rental cars. We鈥檒l also take a look at the online stores for President Obama and Mitt Romney, for last minute deals on campaign gear.
Food
-White Castle is offering a free order of sweet potato fries when you show your 鈥淚 Voted鈥� sticker at the counter. You can also get a coupon for a free order of small fries when you vote for 鈥淭eam Crinkle Cut鈥� or 鈥淭eam Sweet Potato鈥� on White Castle鈥檚 Facebook .听听
-Participating Einstein Bros. Bagels locations are offering a free bagel with schmear to customers with an 鈥淚 Voted鈥� sticker.
-Olive Garden customers with an 鈥淚 Voted鈥� sticker can get a free Dolcini dessert with the purchase of an entr茅e.
-At Tim Horton鈥檚 Caf茅 & Bake Shop, voters and non-voters alike can get a free doughnut with the purchase of any beverage. The chain also has a promotion later in the week, offering free doughnuts to veterans on Nov. 11. And if the election results make you want to flee the country, take heart: Tim Horton鈥檚 is headquartered and has over 3,000 locations in Canada.
-Frozen yogurt giant Pinkberry is having fans post photos and vote on their favorite flavor on Twitter under the hashtag #pinkthevote. Tomorrow, 10 winners will be chosen for a free small frozen yogurt with toppings.
-In the longest-running of the various Election Day promotional gimmicks, Boston Market has been hawking its new Market Bowls with its own 鈥渆lection season鈥� since September. The choice is between the 鈥渞ight wing鈥� turkey bowl and the 鈥渓eft wing鈥� chicken bowl, which each come compete with their own campaign platforms on Boston Market鈥檚 for the promotion. Wednesday, the chain is offering a buy one, get one free deal on Market Bowls with the purchase of a drink. The deal requires a coupon that will be available on the restaurant鈥檚 聽or Facebook .
-Participating Hooters locations are offering a free appetizer with a $10 entr茅e purchase to customers with 鈥淚 Voted鈥澛� stickers.
Travel
-JetBlue thinks your candidate losing doesn鈥檛 have to be a bad thing. In the airline鈥檚 now-closed Election Protection 2012 poll, participants could vote for their presidential choice. Once the election is called, JetBlue will select 1,006 winners who voted for the losing candidate to win free flights out of the country and to the Caribbean 鈥� to destinations including the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, St. Maarten, or Grand Cayman.
-ZipCar, the car-sharing company, is offering half-off hourly rates during polling hours as a part of its 鈥淶ip to the Polls鈥� promotion. ZipCar is available in 15 major US cities, as well as Toronto and Vancouver.
Apparel
-Urban Outfitters will give 20 percent off to shoppers with an 鈥淚 Voted鈥� sticker.
-Starbucks locations are giving away free 鈥淚ndivisible鈥� cord bracelets to customers with 鈥淚 Voted鈥� stickers鈥�
-Macy鈥檚 is having a massive Election Day sale, offering up to 50 percent markdowns on sale items on their website. The coupon code ELECT will get you 20 percent off apparel, as well as 15 percent off shoes, home goods, and more on the department store鈥檚 website.
-Activewear retailer Lulemon is offering free yoga classes to frazzled voters in Washington, Maryland, and Virginia. Check for participating locations on .
Obama and Romney stores
And let鈥檚 not forget the campaigns themselves! President Obama and Mitt Romney both have a variety of options for last-minute supporters on their websites. Many of these items will probably get very cheap very quickly over the next few days, but there are still deals to be had. Romney鈥檚 offers free shipping on all items; has markdowns on apparel, including a Bo Obama sweatshirt and baby onesies.聽
