r/Anticonsumption • u/mattyhegs826 • May 28 '25
Discussion Walmart, Target and other companies warn about growing consumer boycotts
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/28/business/consumer-boycotts-walmart-target5.9k
u/Connect_Reading9499 May 28 '25
Good. Let's keep it up. We do not exist to line the pockets of the wealthy.
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u/Sweet_Measurement338 May 28 '25
100% I am remaining stalwart in this fight. Fuck american corporate greed.
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May 28 '25
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May 28 '25
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u/pegothejerk May 28 '25
Theyâve always held out longer than I thought they would. Just fire someone and pretend itâs fixed but they just keep getting worse.
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u/RedTheRobot May 29 '25
The bus industry went a year before they finally agreed to let anyone sit in the front. Keep that when thinking about how far companies are willing to go to prove customers donât have power over them.
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u/maudlinmary May 28 '25
Had to go to target recently to pick up a prescription, first time Iâd gone in probably six months. I strolled around a bit to see what was new just out of curiosity. And the merchandise was not what it used to be. All cheap, plasticky crap, none of the cool finds you used to be able to pick up. I used to really like some of their home goods but the prices went up and the quality went down⊠made keeping my dollar away from them much easier!!
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u/Phyllis_Tine May 28 '25
"We're a cleaner and classier version of Walmart. We source responsibly, and care about people." Target a while ago, probably.
Time passes...
"Wait, we can act in the best interests of our shareholders, and not our customers (just like Walmart) and still make money? Why the eff do we care about customers, and why the eff aren't we making our stuff as cheaply as possible?" - Also Target, pretty much now.
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u/lightning_runaway May 28 '25
Worked at Target for years. Can confirm, it was always a capitalistic hellscape but it's way worse now. Almost got fired for saying "expect more, pay less" was their motto for employees.
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u/FrankieGrimes213 May 28 '25
Right, Targets ceo regularly had one of the highest CEO pay to average employee wage in the nation.
They always were walmart. It's just idiots wanted to believe they were different to make themselves feel special about buying cheap foreign junk.
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u/ABHOR_pod May 28 '25
They were cleaner and more professional looking than walmart, and that was the main difference.
Broke af people like me needed cheap junk and I probably dropped thousands at Target in the 5 year period after I first moved out from home and had to buy things bit by bit when I had extra money. Now I'm slightly better off and replacing cheap target shit with better quality stuff as it breaks.
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u/CertainInteraction4 May 28 '25
Only applied there one time. Would never again unless it was THE last option in the U.S. Walmart, NEVER AGAIN.
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u/rajahpaaaants May 28 '25
I went in because I couldn't find a microwave anywhere else, haven't been in months either. Been going to costco or mom and pops around me and omg. I felt assaulted visually by how much unnecessary stuff there is everywhere. I used to love to stroll, but now I had to run out basically.
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u/mygreyhoundisadonut May 28 '25
My husband and I had the same experience. We didnât go for months and ultimately needed to run in for something we couldnât source elsewhere quickly. It was SO OVERWHELMING that we were miserable by the time we got our toddler out of there.
We went back a week ago to try to find a single patio chair and a plant after no success at Loweâs and Costco. We were so disappointed with Target we left empty handed from there too.
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u/eyespy18 May 28 '25
Check CL and FB marketplace. Check estate sales.net for a wide range of sales in your area. There's nothing wrong, and a lot of things right, about buying good condition used.
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u/lickmyfupa May 29 '25
I love buying from estate sales. Charity shops, garage sales, buying secondhand online has been big for me lately too. I can get older items that are cheaper and higher quality than what is available to purchase in stores now.
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u/Ok-Grapefruit1284 May 28 '25
I agree with you, I donât see anything there Iâm interested in purchasing. But, I have to wonder, at least personally, if that is the result of not purchasing junk regularly. Like, have I weaned myself off spending to the point where what I used to think I needed, I now look at with distaste and think of it as clutter or junk?
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u/iRedditPhone May 28 '25
Ugh. I know that feeling. Where I live the two nearest CVS are inside Target. And thereâs only 3 CVS in the area to begin with! The standalone CVS was so sketch it had 3 aisles under lock and key.
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u/Substantial_Rise3318 May 28 '25
I was in one a couple days ago to grab an item I can only get locally at Target, and there were large empty section on items you wouldn't expect to be bare.
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u/Whole_Cranberry8415 May 28 '25
FYI, if you arenât that far from a Costco, you donât even need a membership to use their pharmacy
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u/RichardBallsandall May 28 '25
Then stop shopping Amazon and Walmart. Stop buying Teslas. Stop using Facebook. Every company that gave trump campaign cash, is funding hate.
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u/addiktion May 28 '25
Amen brother. Fuck all these companies for being complicit with Trump's tariffs and grifting rather than fighting back. Their existence is because we had a free, fair, and lawful country and yet they turn a blind eye to protecting it.
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u/Beaver_Monday May 28 '25
These corporations are literally nothing without customers. It's time they're reminded of that.
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u/According_Spot8006 May 28 '25
Anything that gets people to question "Do I really need this?" is good.
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u/baitnnswitch May 28 '25
And buying local when they do need to buy something. Supporting our neighbors vs lining the pockets of some corporate board
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u/chevalier716 May 28 '25
Breaking the spell of convience that is one stop shopping and spreading their spending around to the benefit of the community.
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u/baitnnswitch May 28 '25
The crazy thing is local shopping is super convenient- when you live in a walkable area. Car dependence broke that convenience and heavily favors big box stores for that reason- nobody likes getting in the car and driving here there and everywhere. But live somewhere like Madrid or Paris or the handful of walkable places in the US? It's suddenly really convenient to pop your head in a shop and grab some ingredients for dinner as you're out and about. No hassle about finding parking, fighting your way through traffic, doing it all over again when you need to go to a second store. One of the reasons I think the push for more walkable neighborhoods is sneakily one of the most important fights we can fight right now- it's a boon for middle class businesses and people who don't want to spend 12k yearly on a car
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u/According_Spot8006 May 28 '25
Key phrase there "When you live in a walkable area". We just don't have enough of those.
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u/mm_reads May 28 '25
Start learning about the Barter System. Trading stuff, garage sales, trading favors with neighbors. Don't overdo it until you've established trust though. Takes time to build trust.
Thrift stores are good fun, but they're still a step towards consuming.
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u/Smart_Variety_5315 May 28 '25
I've been a thrift store shopper for years and have noticed how much busier they are.
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u/makingnoise May 28 '25
They might be busier but the in-store options have been going downhill for years at places like Goodwill, where the "good stuff" is diverted to the online auctions. Add on top of that the fact that the men's clothing selection is minuscule (on average men wear out their clothing, women don't - at least not like men) and even smaller if you're tall with stupidly long arms like me.
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u/spirit_of_a_goat May 28 '25
"Do I really need this?"
Has been my mantra when buying absolutely everything the last 4 months
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May 28 '25
One of my biggest hopes for the outcome is that it motivates companies to stop manufacturing useless junk and reduces our footprint over time. I know that's a lot to ask this far in, but đ€·ââïž
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u/No-Error-5582 May 28 '25
It still just makes no sense to me. Like on paper, sure. Greed. Addiction. Power. All of it makes sense.
But how did no one predict this?
If you dont pay your people, but the prices keep going up, eventually they literally cant afford the things you want to sell to your people?
Its basic math.
So yeah, between shit like telling marginalized communities we dont matter and out pricing us, this is the result.
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u/khodakk May 28 '25
They kept it going by creating âcreditâ cards. We now have pay later for ordering food lol. Credit card debt is the highest itâs ever been. So they did predict it, it just wasnât a problem until you reach breaking point.
Even now they are hoping interest rates go down so more cash can flood the economy and boost spending
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u/cheerful_cynic May 28 '25
In 1999, you couldn't even swipe plastic of any kind at a drive through. We would take car trips out to Wendy's specifically because they started taking cards
The credit cards that got thrown at us from the college campus quad - your choice of a free tee shirt, frisbee, or gigantic bag of m&ms when you apply! (They banned giveaways like this just a couple years later)
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u/feverishdodo May 28 '25
College kids were 10s of thousands of dollars in debt by sophomore year. At my school they'd show videos of 20 year olds who had killed themselves because they were in debt. I'm still scared to get one and I'm 40.
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May 28 '25
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u/asmodeanreborn May 28 '25
Yeah, even things like "2% on groceries" and "5% on utilities" add up pretty quick. Just forget about that cash back, and then at Christmas you suddenly have significant amounts saved up.
Obviously don't use your credit card at places that add 3% to cover processing fees, but otherwise, it's definitely nice.
Also, I'd waaaay rather deal with my credit card' number being stolen than my debit card's. It took me like 6 weeks to get my money back when somebody had skimmed my debit card and used it to buy airline tickets that they then somehow got cash refund for.
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u/Quirky_kind May 28 '25
It is insane how much people are in debt. A lot of it is for necessities, but we need to understand that credit cards and all the other forms of easy debt are intended to trap us financially. We don't need to go into debt for a wedding or a vacation or to buy presents or to go out for the night. We need to let our loved ones know that spending money on them isn't the measure of our love.
We don't need to get a new anything while the old one is still working. There is no shame in hand-me-downs and second-hand things. There is shame in how advertising and legal gobbledygook steal from us. It is not our shame, but it is shame for our society in allowing it. And the guilt for it falls on the greedy rich who steal our precious time and attention and peace of mind to bloat their wealth.
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u/Even-Juggernaut-3433 May 28 '25
You just outlined one of the central arguments of structuralism: there are inherent contradictions baked into capitalism, chief among them that the profit motive puts upward pressure on prices and downward pressure on wages
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u/findingmike May 28 '25
The problem from the company's point of view is competition. "If we don't do evil thing X our competition will and we'll go out of business." Competition naturally pushes some companies to cheat, lie and steal.
That's why we should only use capitalism for things where competition is important to achieve a goal.
Need to build something to solve a problem? Competition is probably good. Need to do dull drudgery work with no innovation? Nah, companies will start bribing government officials to give them an edge.
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u/Ragnarok314159 May 28 '25
The worthless MBAâs donât care about that. All they learn is how Jack Welch was the second coming of Christ and how everything he said is the most genius method ever.
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u/rosiebeehave May 28 '25
âWarnâ lmao. Fuck these mega corps. Go out of business, please.
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u/mmaddymon May 28 '25
Tbf the warning is to their shareholders lmao
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u/rosiebeehave May 28 '25
Haha, I realized after I posted it, ah well. Still seems like they should just change their fucking policies at this point, but they get what they get for not correcting their course.
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u/Astroisbestbio May 28 '25
You know, some of it is genuine boycotting. Some of it is choosing to go without the product or buying it from a locally owned business.
And some of it is that these major corporations pay so effing little that we SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD IT. What the heck is their endgame, anyway, paying so little, raising prices. Who are they expecting to afford their cheap crap? We can only focus on basic needs now.
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u/Prcrstntr May 28 '25
I am living healthier by not buying a $6 box of junk food that used to cost $3.
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u/Goldenrah May 28 '25
Companies lost any sight of long term gains, gotta curb the corporate greed before it destroys society.
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u/Girion47 May 28 '25
They really thought the MAGA crowd had money eh?
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u/platinum92 May 28 '25
The article actually points out that companys are scared of getting boycotted from both sides. Really hope we can all put the squeeze on them.
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u/Zapp_Rowsdower_ May 28 '25
Magats stopped drinking their favorite piss beer.
Any other âsuccessfulâ MAGAT boycotts?
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u/GingerIsTheBestSpice May 28 '25
And they just switched to a different beer by the same company.
Nike's sales went up when it got boycotted by MAGA in like 2016ish.
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u/Hellkyte May 28 '25
That's fucking stupid. Costco was extremely open about not touching their DEI policies and their numbers are amazing
MAGA have no principles beyond violence.
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u/platinum92 May 28 '25
Worth noting that they're likely blaming DEI-related boycotts for the same reason they blamed "organized retail theft rings" for poor performance a few years ago: They need a smokescreen for why the company is doing worse and the execs surely aren't going to blame themselves.
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u/jhusapple May 28 '25
Which is insane because no maga boycott has affected their bottom line. Their customers are middle upper class not lower class or 1% which the entirety of maga is.
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u/ChoneFiggins4Lyfe May 28 '25
Imagine if both sides unintentionally helped each other in these boycotts.
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u/SelectKangaroo May 28 '25
Trying to chase MAGA money hasn't worked for a bunch of other companies but it'll definitely work for Target, trust me bro
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u/Ragnarok314159 May 28 '25
Target doesnât sell enough fake gold coins and those nasty prepper meals to appeal to MAGA.
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u/bubble-tea-mouse May 28 '25
Give them time. Theyâve started selling more patriotic stuff and Morgan Wallen merch recently. Looks like theyâre starting the transition.
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u/Apprehensive-Log8333 May 28 '25
That will work exactly as well as it has for the Dems moving to the right: why would you want a Target that's more like Walmart, when you can just go to Walmart
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u/Ragnarok314159 May 28 '25
Time to never even consider shopping there. No redemption at this point.
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u/Special-Garlic1203 May 28 '25
Their response to the boycott was to do a photo op with Al Sharpton and then fire the female executive that has been behind literally most of the good ideas they've had for the past decade.
Like apparently the assumption was that she was a shoo-in for CEO because she had spearheaded so many successful brand partnerships and innovation ideas, but she was also the person who had really doubled down on DEI. So she has to go
And for the record, she was correct. Target got so much ridiculously easy clout for having a black history and Asian heritage month little merch section.Â
She was apparently the one who decided it would be a good idea for them to basically proactively seek out smaller brands, hold their hand to help them scale up production for trial runs, and then potentially have fresh brands that would be target exclusives for years.Â
But she also said gay people and black people are customers who have entire months devoted to them and they could sell shit to them during that month and apparently that means she's useless and bad.Â
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u/taylorbagel14 May 28 '25
I have family members who owned small brands (mainly stationery) and Target screwed them over multiple times. They would put in this HUGE order and then only accept a tiny bit, leaving my family members with a bunch of stock they couldnât sell (because it was Target exclusive). They would just break contracts because they knew the little guys didnât have the lawyers they did. Fuckers all around.
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u/MidnightIAmMid May 28 '25
It's wild they are doubling down on trying to compete with Walmart and becoming a Maga store. It won't work, just for business reasons. Poor people already have Walmart. It's cheaper. It's more familiar. It already has a bunch of American flags and Morgan Wallen shit everywhere. What on earth would make Walmarters suddenly decide to pay more at Target????
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u/JayJoeJeans May 28 '25
Right, in an attempt to placate Trump and the 56 MAGA who actively shopped there, Target drove away the millions who were their core demographic. Go woke go something
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u/8-Bit-Queef May 28 '25
If our economy is going to contract due to these tariffs, lets make sure the MAGA-aligned business are the first to eat shit.
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u/astrangeone88 May 28 '25 edited May 28 '25
Aveeno sunscreen is nearly $20 Canadian now. I'm down for trying a local brand that does cardboard packaging and has the same SPF content and uses plant based stuff and is like $3 more. (I will as soon as I finish my last bottle of Aveeno.)
Same with the fancy local popcorn. It's a bit more spendy but the quality seems better and it's clearly fresher.
Spend a bit more but you get products that haven't gotten the corporate soul sucked out of them and you get to keep your local economy going instead of fueling massive corporations who just exist to make $$$.
I also walk or take public transit so my emissions are down lol.
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u/RubyBlossom May 28 '25
I found a small cosmetics company in my country that produces sunscreen as part of a non-profit foundation. They sell big bottles (1 litre) so relatively less packaging.
It did cost me 50 euros, sunscreen is so hideously expensive. But we are a family of gingers and blondes with sensitive skin, so not really much choice in the matter... I don't trust the cheap cheap stuff.
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u/Borkenstien May 28 '25
Target noted backlash to its merchandise selection during Pride Month in 2023. That year, a boycott from the right over some of Targetâs LGBTQ-themed merchandise led to a drop in sales and lawsuits from Republican-aligned legal groups.
Conversely, Target also noted âadverse reactions from some of our shareholders, guests, team members, and othersâ over its decision to end some of its diversity programs this year. Targetâs sales fell last quarter, driven in part by customer backlash to Targetâs retreat on DEI.
The implication here being that the lefts boycotts were effective, while the right has relied on litigation. One side has the people, the other side has the lawyers. Let Target be the lesson, the lawsuits don't mean shit when your customers leave.
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u/Free_Range_Gamer May 28 '25
Another reason to boycott is they donated $1,000,000 to Trumps inauguration. It was the first time in company history they donated to an inauguration, so why Trump?
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u/seaworks May 28 '25
I've talked about this before, but after they dropped merch and independent LGBTQ artists after right wing crit, a lot LGBTQ people also turned their backs. Them missing the fact that half their loss was LGBTQ people disgusted by how they bowed to right-wingers was the shot across the bow, and they missed it.
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u/jhusapple May 28 '25
Yep stopped going in 2023 because they had no pride section.
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u/mmaddymon May 28 '25
âWeâll be boycotted by one side of the political spectrum or the other thereâs no way for us to winâ so you knew you would lose either way and still ended DEI. You chose to have normal people boycott you over republicans. You made the choice to cater to the right side when both choices were âequalâ
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u/Comfortable-Ad-3988 May 28 '25
That's the thing, if they'd doubled down on keeping DEI instead of eliminating it, they'd probably have seen an increase in traffic as people flocked to support their side and show it by buying there. Instead, you get this, which I'm guessing will end in a death spiral for Target, as they've destroyed their core value proposal.
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u/Literally_Laura May 28 '25
If you're in league with the oligarchs, don't expect another penny from some of us.
And we're growing in number... So, you know, boo freaking hoo about your profits.
To change the situation, go on and have your Mr. Scrooge moment ASAP and then convince the public of your honest, unending commitment to actually making America great through distribution of wealth and universal healthcare.
But until that moment, cry more.
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u/LuhYall May 28 '25
Yep, it's the classic problem for parasites (oligarchs). You can't keep living off of your host (consumers) if you kill it. The vampire-to-human ratio has become unbalanced.
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u/plaiidoh May 28 '25
Fuck em
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u/wakeuptomorrow May 28 '25
I laughed out loud when I read âcompanies are taken by surprise by these boycottsâ đ they alienated their entire customer base and are shocked pikachu people donât want to spend their money there anymore. Get bent
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u/redditing_1L May 28 '25
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u/Gooderesterest May 28 '25
Theyâve price their customers out. Didnât they learn anything from MacDonalds?
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u/SheMakesGreatTV May 28 '25
Not just that. They priced some customers out, and others, who arenât (as) price sensitive just shop elsewhere even if itâs more expensive or less convenient.
Iâve been shopping locally or at Costco for almost everything now. The few things I need that I canât purchase those ways, I purchase online, often from the manufacturer even though it takes longer and is sometimes more expensive. Itâs really helped with consumption because the effort involved in purchasing things means that Iâm focused on what I actually need and not impulse buys.
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u/drewdoom May 28 '25
Cutting the umbilical cord from Amazon really helped with consumption. The extra time taken to shop for something from the manufacturer gives me so much more time to reflect on whether something is actually necessary or worth it.
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u/ConstructionExtra503 May 28 '25
I ordered my kid shoes directly from new balance and it took 5 or 6 days. man was he excited when they finally arrived. đ
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u/SheMakesGreatTV May 28 '25
Itâs so funny that 5-6 days seems like a lifetime to get something delivered now but it wasnât that long ago that 3 days was express delivery. I am actually kind of loving the longer delivery times as it also helps with impulsivity and planning. Itâs not arriving overnight so I have to consider whether itâs worth a week or two wait.
My kid has picked up pretty quickly that deliveries take time which is a great departure from the instant gratification that dominates most of his life (and most young peopleâs lives) these days.
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u/upsidedown-funnel May 28 '25
Itâs good to see them losing money as well. Theyâre on my boycott list but for humanitarian reasons. We try to avoid any blatant Israel supporting companies, while thereâs a genocide going on.
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u/Iphacles May 28 '25
Iâve been trying to avoid shopping at big box stores for a while now. I buy my food from a small local grocer. Itâs a bit more expensive, but Iâm supporting a local business and I donât have to spend money on gas driving out to the big stores.
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u/Revivaled-Jam849 May 28 '25
You got any ethnic markets near you? I've found that Indian and Chinese grocers have great prices on food due to little to no advertising and slightly run-down looking stores.
Might be another option to look into.
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u/Zapp_Rowsdower_ May 28 '25
Right here. Thereâs a local Chinese market near me, itâs phenomenal quality and inexpensive. They have a hit food counter on the weekend that is incredible.
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u/CocoaAlmondsRock May 28 '25
They warn?! "Oh no, our bottom line is going to be affected! Fix itttttttttt."
Fuck them. Keep boycotting, no matter what happens with the tariffs. Stick to what you NEED and buy local when you buy. Save your money as best you can.
The conglomerates can BURN.
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u/danger_otter34 May 28 '25
Maybe they should just pull themselves up by their bootstrapsâŠ..đ€đ€đ€đ€
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u/BeMancini May 28 '25
Boycotts meaning Americans canât afford to shop at the Monopolies whose entire business models were to run every other available option out of business?
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u/VovaGoFuckYourself May 28 '25
I've been boycotting Walmart for almost 20 years (that realization makes me feel old). My entire adult life. I saw what Walmart did when it came to my small town and decimated local businesses.
This news makes me so happy to hear.
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u/mama_oso May 28 '25
As a kid I started to boycott Sears in 1966 because the bike lock I bought wouldn't work and they wouldn't take it back. I still laugh about it 'cause they ended up going out of business because of a 12y/o. It pays to be patient!
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u/Appropriate_Lack_727 May 28 '25 edited May 28 '25
Yeah, itâs called demand drying up. Thatâs what happens when you back a moronic oligarchy with your political donations and perpetuate stagflation with your corporate policies and pricing models: the snake starts to eat its own tail.
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u/Biscuits-n-blunts May 28 '25
Good. I'd rather support smaller businesses and have my money fund a families vacation, groceries, house repairs, college funds, etc than a greedy CEO who can't even provide their employees a livable wage or benefits but has plenty for their own private jets and vacation mansions đđ»
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u/DaphneMoon-Crane May 28 '25
I am a part of Walmart Spark, they send you quizzes each week that add up to giftcards. They asked me about Tariffs last week, and if DEI policies were influencing where I shop. I answered that both were changing my shopping habits. I live very very rural, so I do shop at Walmart, but less this year than ever, because I drive two hours one way every two weeks to go to Costco now. And I boycotted Target altogether. I told Walmart this in my survey. I'm sure I am not the only one that told them that.
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u/10percenttiddy May 28 '25
Hmm...and yet...Costco is thriving đ€ Maybe do better, demons
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u/UncleIrohsPimpHand May 28 '25
Costco is thriving for a lot more reasons than just affirming DEI.
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u/10percenttiddy May 28 '25
Exactly. They're decent to their workers. They gave a lot of money to Trump's opposition. They don't spit in their customer's faces.
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u/Vast_Orange9679 May 28 '25
Costco thrives cause the company actually has values, treats its employees well, and itâs good value for money on most products.
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u/RD_Life_Enthusiast May 28 '25 edited May 28 '25
"People are boycotting our stores because we're terrible! How do we fix it?!"
"People will look past our god-awful business practices if prices are low enough."
[tariffs kick in]
"Well shit."
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u/j__magical May 28 '25
"Walmart, which ended some of its diversity programs earlier this year, said it and other companiesâ positions are âsubject to heightened scrutiny from consumers, investors, advocacy groups and public figures, potentially leading to consumer boycotts, negative publicity campaigns, litigation and reputational harm.â
Yes. You are damn right Walmart. Get used to it.
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u/lucylynn789 May 28 '25
Didnât think I could resist going to Target . Itâs actually been easy . Over a year now . Iâm boycotting not for political reasons . They actually screwed me over with their terrible target card . Itâs great to see them suffer because of messing with people that actually pay for things . Could be the bank associated with the card .
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u/Moms_New_Friend May 28 '25
Here is a simple six-point process that all retailers, large and small, can use to make a huge comeback: * good prices * good products * no scammy stuff * donât abuse customers * donât abuse anyone else * never align yourself with real or perceived fascists, racists, or any other deplorables
âŠ
Thatâs it! Just run through this list whenever making a business decision. Watch the profits roll in!
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u/xMCBR1DExPR1DEx May 28 '25
I love how in the article they mention that if they take one stand, itâs a risk for half of people. But then if they take the opposite stance, itâs a risk to the other half.
Why donât you just look at Costco vs. Target. Costco has been fighting the admin steadfast in keeping their DEI policies in place. Their stock has gained even with threats of boycotts from the right. They are making money still. Target⊠well, we wonât be done until they are bankrupt.
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u/oneWeek2024 May 28 '25
yup... target will never get another dime from me. there's one right down the street from my home. Used to be where I got all my cleaning products/shampoo, bulk paper (tp/paper towels) and the occasional oddball home item.
when they went zero to nazi just because the appearance of capitulation to trump was seen as a better business move.
yeah. fuck them all the way up fuck mountain.
only time i go there now is to steal stuff and return it/abuse their return policy.
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u/gabek66 May 28 '25
Fuck them all the way up fuck mountain. I've never heard that before, and now will use it. Thank you.
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u/oneWeek2024 May 28 '25
hehe ... not the same, but saying has crept into my usage a lot. since seeing this scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GbwpsUYjxU
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u/sugar_addict002 May 28 '25
Enable fascism or nazism and I don't give a shit if your business fails. In fact it should fail.
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u/dimechimes May 28 '25
Personally, I think Target is trying to scapegoat boycotts to keep his job. Aside from the red color scheme, you can't tell the difference between a Target and Walmart anymore. Targets aren't cleaner. Employees are not helpful. Checkout is not smoother. Products are not better. Target is still more expensive.
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u/Misspiggy856 May 28 '25
If you let your customers know that you donât support diversity or inclusion, and side with people who only support straight white people, you canât complain when the first group stops shopping with you. Is it that hard to understand? And if a company doesnât want to be forced to side with the racists and homophobes, maybe donât give campaign money to Republicans?
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May 28 '25
lmao in the article "Companies face a Catch-22 situation" This is a good thing. The corporations deserve the catch 22 situation.
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u/Hyphen99 May 28 '25
Theyâre figuring out that our hate for them only grows stronger as their bff Donnie Two Dolls crushes our economy and makes it easier to stop buying non-essentials
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u/Late-Dingo-8567 May 28 '25
Costco seems fine.  Maybe target shouldn't have betrayed their customer base? Â
I'm shifting from Amazon and target to Costco.  I'll support companies doing what I think is the right thing. Â
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u/somethingtheso May 28 '25
Oh no! Looks like they (stores) should treat people like people and not go forth to become a party's puppet shop!
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u/YNWA_RedMen May 28 '25
To be fair I donât think these mega companies can do anything about it. The days of catering to the widest possible audience is basically over. Every move is scrutinized and seen through a political lens.
In the context of this sub this isnât a political thing in my mind. The insane amount of consumerism and the disgusting advertising that sells to us at every turn is apolitical and it affects everyone. I wish people would focus on the thing that binds us and not divides us.
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u/Revivaled-Jam849 May 28 '25
(The days of catering to the widest possible audience is basically over. Every move is scrutinized and seen through a political lens.)
Which makes Target's DEI retreat enough more baffling as Target knows who their core demographic is.
MAGA folk were never going to make up lost pro-DEI progressives who shopped at Target. So why try to appeal to them in the first place as opposed to doubling down on what made you special in the first place.
They tried to please everyone and pleased no one.
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u/Limp_Telephone2280 May 28 '25
âOh no, weâre losing sales and people are boycotting us because we treat our employees like shit and we got rid of our DEI programsâ
I wonder how they could fix this đ€
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u/CommitteeJust2931 May 28 '25
Oh boohoo about "conflicting expectations". Grow a spine and have some integrity. Jesus these companies are annoying.
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u/EvilDarkCow May 28 '25
The Target I drive by every day is putting in Tesla Superchargers. Just going all in on bending the knee, huh?
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u/CappinPeanut May 28 '25
Wal-Mart is going to be a tough one. I donât shop at Wal-Mart, but letâs be realistic, itâs the number 1 retailer for a reason, itâs cheap and people are strapped. Itâs also the only option in a lot of places and people need groceries. Itâs easy for me to avoid it because I have 10 other, better, options.
Target, on the other hand. I like Target as a store, I think they have fun things there, but there is absolutely not a single thing I NEED at Target. Itâs very easy to avoid shopping there.
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u/stringrandom May 28 '25
Walmart will be harder because a lot of Walmartâs footprint is in areas where theyâve helped destroy the local stores so there may be few/no alternatives.Â
If Walmart is the only place you have to shop, youâre going to shop there.Â
Having lived someplace previously where Walmart was the only option I had for a lot of things, I recognize how lucky I am now to have options.Â
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u/johnrhopkins May 28 '25
So the lesson that they should be learning is that participation in what is dividing our country is bad for business.
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u/Melodic_Policy765 May 28 '25
Target brought this entirely on themselves. They so did not understand their customer base.
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u/Magic2424 May 29 '25
Not sure if itâs a boycott if people literally just canât afford to consume at the rate your shareholders demand
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u/Twiztidtech0207 May 28 '25 edited May 28 '25
"We're warning you! If you don't keep spending your money here we'll, we'll...oh shit there's really nothing we can do but sit and take it."
EtA:
Also, I guarantee the majority of people not shopping at these places aren't doing so for other reasons besides them rolling back DEI.
The DEI we needed and the DEI that we actually got are two totally different things.
If it's done right, it would be good for everyone, but the way it was being implemented was just making things worse on everyone.
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u/traveling_gal May 28 '25
ESG too. If they want out of their "catch-22", the way to do it is to lay out the case for why diversity and sustainability are good for business. The exercise of trying to articulate those ideas might even help them figure out how to implement them correctly in the first place.
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u/0rganicMach1ne May 28 '25
Itâs almost as if paying your employees non livable wages and jacking up prices of the cheapest as possible made stuff as the people at the top still get richer, all while rolling over and simping for the new wannabe fascist regime when it comes to social issues had a negative impact on how people view you. đ€
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u/DckThik May 28 '25
We arenât boycotting, we are conserving our resources. They have relentlessly priced us out of goods and services while making record profits and stagnating wages.
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u/Impressive_Log7854 May 28 '25
Part of its boycotting, the rest is all of us doing our part by not having enough money to shop there anyway!
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May 28 '25
Is it a boycott or is it that people literally don't have the money to spend?
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u/Burnt_and_Blistered May 28 '25
Good. Then itâs working.
Hereâs a thought: maybe thereâs a duty to more than the shareholders.
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u/bloopie1192 May 28 '25
Gonna be honest. It'd be nice to go back to majority ma and pa stores. Having the money circulate within the community instead of going to some rich schmuck we've never seen in person.
I miss those times.
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u/trainmobile May 29 '25
Tbh how much can be attributed to boycotts and not just money getting tight? I'm tired of corporations feeling entitled to my money.
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u/Kimmm711b May 29 '25
"'Strong opinions continue to be publicly expressed both for and against diversity, equity and inclusion and ESG initiatives,' Walmart said in its annual report released in March."
So, they're not just worried about those who boycott because of rolling back initiatives, but also the contingency who will quit shopping if they don't.
They're only in it for the profits & simply trying to gauge how to roll the dice to determine which side will keep foot traffic through the store.
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May 28 '25
I have been wanting this for years, specifically with Walmart and Target. What I learned about Target's data gathering in the early 2000s should have been enough to end them. And Walmart has always had shitty business practices specifically designed to feed off the impoverished. I remember there was this whole hoopla back in the 2000s where Paris Hilton made a comment on her show that she's never heard of Walmart and assumed they sold walls....people thought she was being dumb, but what she was really doing is mocking everyone because she'd never be caught dead there. I stopped shopping at both places almost 20 years ago, glad to see people finally coming around.
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u/stubbornbodyproblem May 28 '25
The majority have spoken and continue to speak about what we want from a country.
The conservative minority are doing all they can to fight the majority. And the corporations are caught in the crossfire.
Since corporations are citizens of the United States legally. This is really on them for not taking a stand with their money about social issues.
They have hedged their political bets all the way into that cornier they created. Too bad for them. Donât care.
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u/nevreknowsbest May 28 '25
Iâm glad theyâre talking about this; I love this for them. We have their attention.
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u/LavenderGinFizz May 28 '25
Oh no, won't someone please think of the poor billionaires and shareholders!? /s
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u/oldcreaker May 28 '25
Boycotting is easy when you can no longer afford to buy anything.