Presidential Inaugural Committee Announces Orange Tchotchke Alert

Remember all of that cool inaugural "gear" I was just telling you about? Well, the PIC has announced that, starting tomorrow, inaugurophiles can get that rush of instant gratification that's missing from shopping online:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Official Inaugural collectibles will be available for purchase in a new Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) store at 625 E Street NW beginning Saturday, January 10th. Local residents and visitors in Washington, D.C. for the Inauguration will have the ability to buy official memorabilia only blocks away from the National Mall.

Hmmm, I don't know, as "abilities" go, that falls pretty low down the scale from controlling metal, and just above the power to convert analog TV to digital.

I'm also not too keen on the store as a job creation tool. Check it out:

The store will be open 7 days a week until January 21st. Beginning tomorrow, the store will open at 10am and close at 8pm. From January 17th to Wednesday, January 21st, the store will extend its hours from 8am to 10pm.

Then what? All those inaugural merch hawkers get thrown out in the street? What kind of marketable skills will they have? And how do they expect to compete with the guys milling around the parade route with fists full of slightly irregular "Barack Oabma" T-shirts?

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