Basically has there been a specific place of business you used to frequent all the time but suddenly stopped due to something that you found out about them that you felt conflicted with your own personal opinions? Basically personal boycotts you have?
NOTE: This does not include places you don’t go to in general because of things like vegetarianism, opposition to fattening food, or places that have personally ripped you off in the past (unless it was a widespread thing that turned you off). This also doesn’t include places you never actually went to or only went to a few times, it has to be a place that was “part of your normal life” so to speak, so don’t bring in examples of once when you looked out the window on the drive home and saw a Chick-Fil-A for the first time and decided not to eat there because of the gay marriage debate. Nor does this include places you never had business with in the first place you’re suddenly boycotting because you’re totally putting a dent in their bottom line now. Also don’t tell me you’re boycotting something vague like “Fast food in general” and then tell me how amazing the pizza is in some hole in the wall restaurant near you and everyone should go eat there. Also don’t tell me you’re boycotting Wal-Mart, everybody says that.
I legitimately stopped eating at Papa Johns over how much of an ass the founder was over the whole ACA thing back in 2012. Since I ordered a pizza from there about once a month since a restaurant is just a half-mile away from me it did affect one of my eating habits. I filled the void with Dominos, because at least the grease dip isn’t some add-on.
Not quite a boycott, but I have to be literally starving and weak-legged with no other options to eat at a Chik-Fil-A. I despise their policy of being closed on Sundays, and the whole gay treatment episode.
I haven’t quite quit Chik-Fil-A, but I feel bad about going there.
I will not shop at Macy’s. It’s a Chicago thing. They were such monumental assholes about changing Marshall Field’s that I even picketed them.
I still call it the Sears tower, but I don’t feel bad about visiting there. That Willis guy didn’t make the change by spitting all over Chicago history, and threatening small restaurants.
None of the chains you would know. I disagree with Chik-Fil-A and Cracker Barrel “nationals” on their treatment of LGBT people but I know specific locations of both that are 180 degrees opposite and terrific to all their workers. So I pick and choose somewhat.
There are a couple local/small businesses though --------- for example, because of how they talk about minorities of all kinds I will not go near any of the motorcycle shops around here owned by one certain family (starting with a G ending in an O and having an ATT in the middle). I have heard the owner and a lot of the staff make everything from “jungle bunny” to “tinker bell” to whatever offensive comment you could dream of about many of their best customers. I can’t prove it but I am sure the value and quality of the work depends on how you look to them or what they think about you in those terms. I’ve taken it up with people I know at the Mother Company but at this point nothing has been done for more years than I can remember. So they will not see a penny from me and I actively try to discourage others from doing business there. I don’t disown or belittle folks who do buy there because I feel we all have to get to Hell by our own path. But to say I am not a fan would be an understatement.
There was a restaurant nearby that had an outrageous policy on tips. It was in the press. Basically they charged the wait staff for serving food. I never went there again.
I stopped putting money in Salvation Army Christmas kettles as soon as I learned that they actively supported homophobic legislation at every opportunity, several years ago now. Other charities are happy to take my money!
Heh, I’m the same way although I didn’t picket or anything. But I don’t shop at Macy’s. My wife, who is a transplant, has no problem with shopping there and that’s fine by me… except she agrees that it’s a shithole now and everything that she liked about Marshall Fields is largely gone and replaced by generic Macy’s crap.
I won’t order Papa John’s any longer because that dude was such an asshole about the ACA and football. Well, I stopped before the football thing but that only reinforced that I made the right choice.
All of the places I would boycott are places that I wouldn’t patronize anyway, either because they don’t have a product I want, because the nearest one is a hundred miles away, or a combination thereof.
For example, I won’t shop at Hobby Lobby, but I’m not a crafter/hobbyist and the nearest location is 100 miles away anyway. Similar to Chick-Fil-A: I hated their disgusting food before they publicly became a bunch of assholes, and the nearest one is 100 miles away anyway. And Papa John’s pizza tasted like a dirty sock even before all of their controversies, and, you know, hundred miles away.
I wish I could boycott Walmart and Amazon. But I live out in the woods; I’m either buying groceries at Walmart or I’m paying twice as much and driving twice as far. Same for the things that I have to get from Amazon a few times per year.
There is a plumbing supply store in town that I will not patronize because their owners are rabid, anti-gay Trump supporters. As it turns out though, I’ve needed plumbing supplies exactly twice in the four years that I’ve been here - about $10 worth between them. I just picked them up at Ace Hardware when I was in another town. Similarly, the sign manufacturer in town that has a rabid, anti-Muslim Trump supporter for an owner. If I needed a sign manufactured, I’d go somewhere else. Don’t see myself needing a sign manufactured any time soon though.
There was a local business man in my area that used to own a group of convenience stores & gas stations and was a partner in a few other enterprises that I actively boycotted after his gas stations led the charge in outrageously jacking up gas prices during a fuel shortage caused by a pipeline shutdown many years ago. I believe he faced legal action for price gouging but do not recall if he was convicted of anything or had to pay any restitution. I just swore that I would never knowingly purchase anything that in any way would put money in his pocket. Even after he sold all of his stores and gas stations to another group I still wouldn’t go there on the off chance that he still had some sort of financial interest in them. The taint is weakening, but is still there even after the passage of several years.
I don’t shop at Wal Mart (probbaly a common answer). I never liked their attitude on unions and their muscle with suppliers is what helped kill manufacturing in America so I vote with my dollars.
I also will never give to the Salvation Army. My Dad served in Korea and said he a bad experience with them that the would never provide the details of but that was enough for me. Also after he passed my Mother did try to donate furniture to them and they ended up royally screwing us over (I know rip offs are against the OP’s rules but it just confirmed we should have listened to my Dad :))
Chick-Fil-A, Hobby Lobby and Papa John’s…for the reasons many people have mentioned. There are many alternatives to those businesses, so I feel no reason to patronize them.
There is a local business I refuse to patronize. It’s a chain of donut shops. The owner came out as a total Trumpster, even putting Trump signs in his stores. He also very publicly supported a guy who ran for Governor in my state who thought of himself as the local version of Trump. He’s an asshole, rude and obnoxious, and fortunately voters in my state sent him packing in the general election, with the Democratic incumbent easily re-elected. Thing is, they make really good donuts.
Regarding the formar gubernatorial candidate, however, I have another problem. His company has the contract to collect trash and recyclables in the township in which I live. It irritates the hell out of me to write a check to this guy’s company every three months, but I have no choice.
Seems that despite the OP’s long descriptive criteria of what constitutes a boycott or not, about half of the posts in this thread still do not fit the criteria.
Any store where to person in charge watches me like a hawk and follows me around. Yes, I look and dress like a really poor person, but I’ve never shoplifted.
Personally, I avoid the usual suspects that everyone has mentioned, for the reasons they mention.
However, if you scratch the surface of any retailer, large or small, you will likely find objectionable content. If you are against big giant rich corporations, then your list of approved vendors shrinks immediately. If you are against the hollowing out of the US manufacturing sectors, then most name brands are at fault for shipping their factories overseas. If you are against homophobia, or Trump support, then many business owners would be on your list. If not the business owner, then how do we account for THEIR vendors? Or their employees serving you?
So, at the risk of curling up in a fetal position and moaning, I guess you do the best you can. If you find out something objectionable then another one goes on the avoid list. Otherwise you go on with life blissfully ignorant of the destruction that results from your dollars spent.
Good burger.