This is not the first life of Boycotts here on The Dope, but it’s been long enough and a new year :
Nestle Has a long history of unsavory practices.
Nothing too unsavory. I just refuse to shop at Macy’s because of their ruination of Marshall Fields, which lead to a disgusting influx of New York stores trying to take over Chicago. We have a crappy Loehmann’s on State Street, 7/11 bought all the WHite Hen Pantry locations…yuck.
Wal-Mart, god I hate that place, and everything it stands for. I can’t think of anything else that I purposely refuse to buy on political or social grounds.
movies with scientologists. i also immediately am turned off by a celebrity when they become affiliated with PETA.
Mall-Wart. I refuse to give them a dime.
Canned green beans, of any brand, as they are disgusting.
I avoid Nestlé too, and products with annoying, dumb or insulting TV commercials.
Domino’s Pizza (although it’s no longer in the hands of ol’ whatsisface) and Chick-fil-a (this one is much harder because I really like their chicken)
I don’t really “boycott” Walmart, I just go out of my way to never shop there. More because I can’t stand the crowds and layout of the stores than because of their slimy practices.
Me too. Plus I can’t stand shopping there so it’s easy to avoid.
Last time a boycott thread ran, I got into an arguement with jsafricanus (haven’t seen him in a while) over the morality of boycotts. His view was that because a boycott might hurt innocent employees who have no say in the management practices of their organization, it was immoral to boycott anything ever. :dubious: I still think that’s one of the nuttiest things I’ve ever heard.
Near where I live there used to be a nice little corner shopping center with a couple of cheap restaurants where I often ate and a beer bar that sometimes had karaoke. It was situated right next to a CVS drugstore. Walgreen’s bought the property, demolished the shopping center and built a drugstore in an attempt to go head-to-head with the CVS store and drive it out of business. That’s capitalist competition gone a step too far, and I really miss that shopping center. I never shop at any Walgreen’s anymore except as a last resort.
CiCi’s Pizza. This appears to be a Southeastern US chain, so for those of you who don’t have them, CiCi’s gimmick is the dirt cheap all-you-can-eat pizza buffet. They put the pizzas out on a serving counter under heat lamps, and when a pizza has been sitting there 20 minutes, they whisk it away and replace it with a fresh one.
The first (and last) time I went to one, I saw a manager with a tub (the kind you bus dishes into) full of pizza. I asked him about it, and he said it was going in the dumpster. “Can’t you send it down to the Salvation Army?!?” I asked. “Nope,” he replied. “It’s against health department rules.” Holy shit. There are hungry people sleeping on the streets, and hundreds of slices of pizza are going in the dumpster. I was appalled.
Everybody knows now NOT to invite me to lunch if the plan is to head to CiCi’s. But those who haven’t heard my diatribe often say, “They can’t do anything about it. It’s the health department’s fault.”
Bullshit. A corporate decision was made to serve pizza in such a way that it generates tons of wasted food. I know the absence of my patronage isn’t causing them one iota of pain, but I refuse to go there nonetheless.
Likewise.
My wife’s engagement ring came from an estate sale which was a lucky way to solve the issue that I hate DeBeers and didn’t want to buy a first-hand diamond. On the other hand, she didn’t want to listen to me pontificate about the diamond market when all she wanted was a ring.
I haven’t stopped by Burger King since they started the “Whopper Freakout” commercials but that’s mainly because I don’t want to be associated with the morons who, according to BK, are the people who most enjoy their product. Eventually they’ll shift campaigns and I’ll be able to buy their burgers in good conscious once more.
Walmart. Walmart. Walmart.
Anything made in China. Particularly any food product from China. And if you notice, an awful lot of garlic is from China.
If you don’t want a blood diamond, buy a certified Canadian diamond. Very nice. Pretty much guilt-free.
China. It’s getting harder and harder to avoid Chinese made products - they’re everywhere. Heck, it’s harder and harder to avoid any foreign made products.
I’m not anti-imports, I just hate that American industry is disappearing because corporations are moving their factories overseas. This country is going to be royally screwed when we lose our manufacturing skills and we have to depend on politically iffy nations to keep us going.
American products, for the same reasons FairyChatMom lists.
Wal-Mart. Former employee. 'Nuff said.
Actually, religious charities make up a huge part of the non-profit sphere. I’m pretty sure that keeping the religion part out has nothing to do with tax exempt status. Churches are tax exempt. Religious charities can file a 501(c)(3) just like any other non-profit.
If you’re saying that this just shouldn’t be, then I’m with you there. Unfortunately for us, it is the way it is.
As for me, Wal-Mart. I guess that I’m just morally weak, because for the most part it’s the dirty buildings and dirty people that keep me out - not the business practices.
As a new parent and a pet owner, buying things NOT from China is near to impossible. We try our best, as they treat their edible chewies and rawhide (for the dog, not the Lala) with pesticides to keep bugs out of it during shipping. I bet when she’s older and requests specific toys like DORA or whathave you, it’s going to get fifty times harder. Maybe I’ll raise her like a veal, in a little cage.
Any hot buffets that you can trust to probably not give you food poisoning do this, I’m afraid. I wouldn’t want to eat somewhere with a buffet that didn’t have maximum hot food hold times.
Wal-mart. It’s not just the evil corporate angle; when I’ve been in there, it’s a depressing place. Nobody seems happy. There’s an amazing abundance of cheap crap.
It’s probably hard to find a major corporation that’s not doing something evil. I won’t buy Nike products, but I’m probably making other purchases that support the child sex trade or death squads or something.