Up front, I acknowledge that all of us have a right to spend our money as we see fit.
If liberals want to boycott hummus from Israel, or Chik-Fil-A sandwiches, or anything else, fine!
If conservatives want to boycott Disney or Starbucks, swell.
I’m inclined to think most boycotts are completely pointless and ineffective, but that’s irrelevant. If people want to make a political statement with their pocketbooks, I have no problem with that.
That said… are there any products you actually like and use regularly that you’d be willing to boycott? How bad an offense would the company have to be guilty of, or how important would the cause have to be to you?
I mean… realistically, I’d be very surprised if the people calling for Chik-Fil-A boycotts EVER ate there to begin with.
I boycott custom-made suits and shoes which I can’t afford to protest their high price. I’d really like them, though. As soon as they stop their offending pricing practices, my boycott shall end. Or when my income goes up.
Wasn’t there a Whole Foods boycott a few years ago concerning the CEO’s opposition to some healthcare laws? How did that turn out?
Actually I’ve been boycotting Chik-Fil-A for over around 35 years now. For close to 20 years it’s been because of the hateful philosophy of their owners. Before that it was because of their refusal to locate a store near me.
Same here! I heard all sorts of good tings about their food, but there were no stores in western PA. Then I started hearing about them being closed on Sundays, which I at first thought was a marketing ploy or something. Then I learned about the religion angle and decided I’d never give them any of my cash. Shortly there after, they opened a store near me.
Okay, so is this going to turn into yet another damn Chick-fil-a thread? Neither of those examples fit the OP, unless TriPolar and Kayaker are claiming to really like Chick-fil-a, and it doesn’t seem that way.
I do boycott several businesses, but all of them are from personal bad experiences with them, typically from really bad customer service. I can’t think of any place I’ve ever boycotted for political or ethical reasons.
Just about the only business I don’t use because of other than product based reasons is Citgo. I am fond of gasoline. If it was between Citgo and running out of gas I would use them. I’m generally non-boycotty. Often it hurts the innocent franchise owner but does nothing to the evil corporate overlords.
I can’t think of a single business or entertainment outlet I have ever ‘boycotted’ by choice for political/belief reasons. The ‘by choice’ part is only because it happens second hand when my wife randomly decides she doesn’t want us to eat somewhere or buy something. We’re Jewish and I still watch Mel Gibson movies, for example, and my choice of whether to eat at Chick-Fil-A is based entirely on my mood for it and how big the line is when I drive by. I avoided it August 1st simply because they had a line around the block. If it was a product or store I really liked, even if the organization behind it was wildly against whatever my beliefs were, I would still keep buying it.
Cracker Barrel after I found out about their anti-gay prejudices.
Target after their dumb policital donations a year or two ago (post Citizens United). I worked in the same place as a Target at the time, and lost a convenient shopping place.
On the flip side: I bought a hardback copy of The Satanic Verses after the fatwa. I tried reading it, but I must not have had any of the necessary cultural background. Chapter 1 made no sense to me at all, even though it was in English. I donated my copy to the county library.
Chic-fil-a, while never my favorite food, was better than anything else served at the Civic Center where my team plays hockey. So giving it up means crappy food if I don’t have time to eat before I get there.
Yes, I realize losing a couple of bucks every week or so isn’t going to make a difference to CFA, but I have the personal satisfaction of knowing that not a penny of my money will go to an organization I consider to be a hate group.
Actually, no. I boycotted “The Greek Souvlaki House,” because those motherfuckers started charging for Tzatziki sauce with my gyro platter. “You keep putting more and more of these disgusting fries on a plate,” I said, “when all anyone wants is a greek salad and some fucking sauce for the meat!” The waiter told me T.S., and charged me for the Tzatziki.
I never went back, and they’ve since gone out of business. I can only hope that goes as a lesson to other local merchants who would dare try and incur my wrath. :mad:
I haven’t heard of either of these before, but perhaps that has to do with being disinclined to boycott anything.
I used to have Papa John’s in my “cheap, fast pizza” rotation and dig their garlic sauce something fierce but I can’t bring myself to order from them any more these days with his strong Romney support.
I don’t think (or even want to) I’ll change his views or anything, I just have cheap pizza options that make me feel better about my decision.
Absolutely. I fucking adore MAC Cosmetics’ products and their fundraising to assist people with AIDS. I also loved that they, proudly, did not test on animals.
Until I found out a few months ago that, quietly, they started testing - and from what I’ve been able to find out, it’s so that their products can be sold in China. China?! MAC only says that they test when required by law - well, the US FDA explicitly states it’s not required here, so that’s not it.
I was heartbroken. I own two beloved rabbits; I know what happens to pet-breed rabbits at cosmetic companies. I believe in responsible animal testing for medications, but not for mere beauty.
I wrote them a letter expressing my deep regret over what I had to do, and how I knew that the loss of my respect, recommendations, and money spent on their products would never make up for the money they’d gain by selling in China, but I felt I had to say something after being a rabidly loyal customer for so long.
Yeah, not even a form letter response.
It still kind of hurts that I had to give them up. I know it’s not rational, but AIDS-related charities have been important to me since news of this disease and the related injustices touched my heart back in the mid-80s, when I was in high school. Them standing for this, for environmentalism with their recycling reward program, for kindness to animals, all inspired me. And I deeply love their products. But I look at the big, trusting brown eyes of my rabbits and can’t give MAC anything else.
