# Have You Ever Boycotted Products/Stores You Really LIKED? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 3, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304 "2012-08-03T15:18:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/21 "2012-08-03T19:58:00Z")
I loved Chik-fil-a and Cracker Barrel (never claimed to be a gourmet) and haven’t eaten there in several years now. I don’t go to Hobby Lobby often, despite liking their selection and being a craft junkie. No more Papa John’s, either. Not saying anyone else has to care about these things, but it bemuses me that some people think no one boycotts something they like. ---
**Author:** ![legalsnugs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@legalsnugs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/legalsnugs)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/22 "2012-08-03T20:12:44Z")
Maurice’s BBQ in South Carolina. They had the hands-down best bbq in the state, possibly in the south, but it turned out that Maurice Bessinger was a notorious racist who advocated the resurgence of black slavery. Couldn’t support that, so I had to give up the bbq at his restaurants AND the totally delicious bottled mustard-based bbq sauce sold in stores. It stung, but my money does not support evil. Re: CFA - never liked it anyway, but if I did, and if I was anywhere near one, I’d be happy to give it up as well. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/23 "2012-08-03T20:25:44Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > 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. I’m confused, is your local franchise owner a Romney supporter or is it the guy delivering the pizza? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/24 "2012-08-03T20:47:40Z")
The guy selling the franchises. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/25 "2012-08-03T20:54:26Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > The guy selling the franchises. If you are going to boycott every company that is run by a Republican I have some bad news for you… ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/26 "2012-08-03T21:32:57Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > 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. You said on another thread that you refuse to do business with very religious people-so does this apply to being a customer to one too? ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/27 "2012-08-03T21:44:50Z")
> [@legalsnugs](#): > > Maurice’s BBQ in South Carolina. They had the hands-down best bbq in the state, possibly in the south, but it turned out that Maurice Bessinger was a notorious racist who advocated the resurgence of black slavery. Couldn’t support that, so I had to give up the bbq at his restaurants AND the totally delicious bottled mustard-based bbq sauce sold in stores. > > It stung, but my money does not support evil. > > Re: CFA - never liked it anyway, but if I did, and if I was anywhere near one, I’d be happy to give it up as well. Walked into one of these with then boyfriend and his mother on the way home from North Myrtle in 2002. No hostess, so I picked up some copy laying on a long table by the front door expecting a menu. Racist propaganda. Never encountered anything like that, and I’m from the Appalachian region. Held propaganda in front of boyfriend’s face, told his mom we gotta go. That grumpy old bat fumed all the way home, seriously wanted that BBQ and not enough principles to drive one more mile to a hate free era-relevant alternative. Litmus test results: she and I avoided each other for the remainder of that ten year relationship. I won’t patronize known hate mongers, won’t spend a penny to support oppression. And I won’t maintain relationships with those who can’t be bothered to skip a dawn sandwich in order to avoid supporting such hate. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/28 "2012-08-03T22:28:29Z")
I have never gone into a Walmart because of their labor policies (when one store’s employees voted to unionize, Walmart closed it down). There is one about 2 miles from my house. But I have boycotted businesses for shitty service. I guess that doesn’t count. When I was in Urbana, IL there was one delicatessen in town. They sold me something that was rotten (I think it was some kind of smoked fish, but that was about 45 years ago and I don’t recall) and absolutely refused to take it back. I threw it down on their floor and walked out and never came back. By the time I left town after 4 years, I joked that I had to, there were too many stores I wouldn’t go into. As for Chick-fil-A, I never even heard of them till last week. I won’t be patronizing them in the future though. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/29 "2012-08-03T23:04:24Z")
I boycotted Whole Foods until the ACA was passed. I shop there weekly, so it was rough. ---
**Author:** ![santosvega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@santosvega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/santosvega)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/30 "2012-08-03T23:30:16Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I have never gone into a Walmart because of their labor policies (when one store’s employees voted to unionize, Walmart closed it down). There is one about 2 miles from my house. For what it’s worth, Whole Foods has a strikingly similar labor policy. I believe when one store – Madison, WI, if i recall – voted to unionize they fired all of them. Me, I try not to patronize any big corporations. They’re all rotten. I could go on a big rant but I’d rather not. I live in an urban neighborhood and I don’t drive so my boycott is made easier by the fact that 90% of what is within walking distance is small neighborhood businesses. Plus I don’t consume much to begin with. Although my whiskey intake is such that I should really look into who owns certain Irish and Scottish distilleries if I aim to be ideologically consistent. Actually, my not driving is ideologically motivated as well. I made a decision in my late teens (early thirties now) that I didn’t want to be part of the problem of pollution and petroleum and all of the other fallout of American car culture. As such my life as a driver lasted just over two years. It’s fairly easy living where I live, but in the intervening years I’ve lived in rural Massachusetts, which surprisingly wasn’t that difficult, and St. Louis, MO, where people would stare at me in shock and fear when I revealed that I didn’t have a car. I don’t regret it though. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/31 "2012-08-03T23:39:06Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > If you are going to boycott every company that is run by a Republican I have some bad news for you… I’m not but I deeply appreciate your sincere concern regarding how my consumer dollars are spent :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/32 "2012-08-03T23:43:55Z")
I boycotted a toll road as much as was practical when they raised their tolls which just had me getting on and off short segments a lot instead of staying on it the whole way. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/33 "2012-08-03T23:44:14Z")
I’ve posted before about a restaraunt (regional fast food type place) that I ate at every weekend, April to October, that I quit when they installed a big TV blasting Fox Propaganda channel right by the pickup counter. Been two years since I spent a penny there. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/34 "2012-08-04T00:03:32Z")
Having worked in retail I can tell you “Boycotts” don’t generally work; if anything they hurt the staff (“Why aren’t you meeting your sales budgets??? I don’t care if there’s no-one in here to see things to!”). As a result I can’t think of any businesses I actively boycott, but there’s a couple, including a coffee chain (not Starbucks) that I prefer not to buy from if there’s another alternative for various reasons. Actually, wait, there is one place I actively boycott - a former employer, but as there is absolutely nothing they sell I can’t obtain somewhere else for the same price (or less), so it’s not like I’m making some great stand and putting my principles first regardless of personal inconvenience or anything there. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/35 "2012-08-04T00:14:10Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > 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? Oh, yes, and companies I will not buy from. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/36 "2012-08-04T00:19:19Z")
There’s a small part of me that still would like to see “On Golden Pond.” But I’ve never even said the name of that &!+(# Henry Fonda spawned, and I don’t intend to start anytime soon. I also gazed longingly at CFA as I drove by this morning. Not that it’s good, but it’s the best breakfast available that wouldn’t have made me late for work. Sambo’s was a cheap and convenient source of brunch until I hit about 11 or 12 and realized what the name represented. There’s a large number of excellent stores and bakeries and such in Annandale VA, who won’t get my money until they provide translations of their signs in English. (The signs on the stores are in Korean only. Which I take to mean they don’t want my business.) I’m sure there are more. I’m a firm believer that voting with ones wallet is a primary power in a Capitalist society. Do many of these business owners care whether TruCelt walks into their stores or not? No, of course not. But a few of us together can affect their behavior. (It’s not my ambition to change their thinking, although that would be lovely.) ---
**Author:** ![Feyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/fbc32d/32.png) [@Feyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feyrat)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/37 "2012-08-04T00:20:36Z")
Yes. There are many products I would like to use and do not, due to animal testing. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/38 "2012-08-04T00:23:06Z")
I’m conservative. I like Chick Fil A. And I’m boycotting them. ---
**Author:** ![santosvega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@santosvega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/santosvega)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/39 "2012-08-04T00:35:44Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > There’s a large number of excellent stores and bakeries and such in Annandale VA, who won’t get my money until they provide translations of their signs in English. (The signs on the stores are in Korean only. Which I take to mean they don’t want my business.) This is a bit silly. It doesn’t mean they don’t want your business. It merely means they don’t need your business. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304/40 "2012-08-04T00:36:55Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > There’s a large number of excellent stores and bakeries and such in Annandale VA, who won’t get my money until they provide translations of their signs in English. (The signs on the stores are in Korean only. Which I take to mean they don’t want my business.) I’m a Korean-American and I approve this message. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-boycotted-products-stores-you-really-liked/630304.md?page=3)