The Decline of Western Civilization

It started with weathered-looking guys holding signs by the side of the road. "Going out of Business Sale! One Day Only!" And the signs were fluorescent and tacked to dowels, and the guys looked like they had had better days. Maybe it was a good idea--a little pocket money, you know, to tide you over, even though the weather was bad and being so close to such a busy road all afternoon has to take it out of a guy.
Then Little Caesars joined the craze: pizza kids (or not) with big orange signs dancing by the side of the road. The lucky ones had earphones and could pretend, maybe, that they weren't dancing like fools for rush hour traffic. The less lucky ones glared at passing cars or pretended they weren't there at all, half-heartedly jiggling the neon orange octagon.
But this, have you noticed the next step in all of this? Driving to and from work I have seen: Chewbacca, a storm trooper, and several statues of liberty out on the sidewalk dancing toward or around stripmall storefronts. Who does this motivate to come into the store? Who sees a middle-aged man in a green toga and crown and thinks "I must have my taxes done by that man there; here, take my social security number please..."?
Kudos to the guys who do it, but really?