# What do you boycott? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 25, 2008, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024 "2008-01-25T22:28:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/101 "2008-01-28T18:24:01Z")
We avoid Wal-Mart whenever possible, and I’ve gradually convinced Razorette that the locally-owned supermarket (well, OK, owned by a Nebraska company less than 200 miles away) has everything we need, including gourmet, whole-bean coffee and Weight Watchers frozen dinners (I call them MREs), plus their meat is final-cut on-premises, which means you can get custom cuts during most hours. Consequently, we’ve shifted most of our grocery shopping away from Wal-Mart and only visit there when we have no other choice. I refuse to do business with the local Taco Bell because the owner is an asshole, but occasionally indulge when we’re shopping out of town. There probably are others around town who have pissed me off personally, but I don’t think I actually boycott any company for political or public policy reasons. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/102 "2008-01-28T19:17:26Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] You do realize that this is true for every pizza buffet restaurant (Pizza Hut has one as well, as do several others), or any buffet or any fast food place for that matter, not just Cici’s. Any food place that doesn’t make food to order generates extras that are tossed if not eaten. I’m not pro corporate and I do care about the homeless, but Cici’s and others made a corporate decision to follow a business model that will make them a profit, not to shit on the homeless. If anything, blame the Health Dept- its their rule. [/QUOTE] My point about CiCi’s is not just that they throw away food – the throw away mountains of it. At my local Pizza Hut, they use some kind of steam tables or the like that keeps the pizza at the appropriate serving temperature. They’re not chucking it every 20 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/103 "2008-01-28T21:32:34Z")
[QUOTE=DLuxN8R-13] **Coors beer.** I’m unforgiving, and besides, Coors is utter swill even for an American big-brew. [/QUOTE] I am Gay and once boycotted Coors as well. Then I met Holly Coors at a school where I was teaching and we had a long chat about that. She told me most of her family was upset that her nut uncle had taken the company in this direction and that it would change as soon as he stepped down. It did indeed and Coors now has one of the strongest anti-discrimination codes of any large company - and I was pleased to recently read that Holly is now the first female CEO of the company! Now regarding the taste of the beer, well - that is another subject altogether - but the original anti-Gay discrimination policies have long since disappeared and they even donate quite a bit of money to Gay Pride Festivals throughout the US. I boycott Carl’s Jr. as I was told by many in California that the owner donates vasts amount of money to right-wing causes and politicians. Plus, on my one visit before finding this out, the food was pretty horrible so it isn’t exactly hard to boycott them. And regarding Walmart…sorry, but we shop there regularly. Quite simply, the food prices are easily 20% (or more) cheaper than most other grocery stores for the same name-brand products. It makes a big difference in our grocery bill at the end of the month. And yes, the clientele is often bizarre to say the least, but I consider people watching in Walmart a highly entertaining floor show while shopping. I cannot begin to tell you some of the people and outfits I have seen in there…sometimes my neck hurts from turning around so often to get another look at what just passed me in aisle. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/104 "2008-01-28T22:27:15Z")
[QUOTE=freckafree] My point about CiCi’s is not just that they throw away food – the throw away mountains of it. At my local Pizza Hut, they use some kind of steam tables or the like that keeps the pizza at the appropriate serving temperature. They’re not chucking it every 20 minutes. [/QUOTE] Every buffet that serves food hot has some type of heating going on, steam or heat lamp or whatever. Regardless of the method, the maximum hold times on prepared food are the same max times everywhere, so all buffets throw away food. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/105 "2008-01-28T22:54:36Z")
Wal-Mart and McDonalds. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/106 "2008-01-29T04:09:30Z")
I boycott Wal-Mart because they don’t exist here. I boycott McDonald’s because they taste like shit. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/107 "2008-01-29T17:55:01Z")
[QUOTE=DMark] And yes, the clientele is often bizarre to say the least, but I consider people watching in Walmart a highly entertaining floor show while shopping. I cannot begin to tell you some of the people and outfits I have seen in there…sometimes my neck hurts from turning around so often to get another look at what just passed me in aisle. [/QUOTE] That’s my favorite part of going to Wal-Mart! There was once a “Wal-Mart Bingo” thread here, based on people and things you see during a typical visit. I boycott Chick-fil-a (ultra-fundies), Crown and Citgo (both make my engine knock), and Jiffy Lube (they tried to leave my Jeep unattended with the keys in the ignition). ETA: I also boycott Kroger for their support of F.L.O.C.'s boycott of Mt. Olive Pickle Company. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/108 "2008-01-29T19:01:33Z")
Citgo. That whole Hugo Chavez thing. That’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/109 "2008-01-29T20:09:33Z")
Not so much an absolute boycott as a “not as long as there’s a viable, lawful alternative”-cott, against SONY, specially after the whole rootkit debacle from a few years back, but in spirit going back to the [Sony Florendo](http://tangra.si.umich.edu/clair/corpora/corpora/us_congressional_record/102/102.sen.19910322.023.html) case. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/110 "2008-01-29T23:44:55Z")
Fruitopia. They were the first ones who I saw take over a whole subway car with their ads, and it scarred me. Products have done it since then, but I was so offended by this first foray into it that I swore a mighty oath never to drink Fruitopia. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/111 "2008-01-29T23:58:52Z")
Wal-mart Coors Nike Exploitive right wing nutzoids. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/112 "2008-01-30T00:19:42Z")
Exxon iPod Roman Polanski movies ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/113 "2008-01-30T01:03:27Z")
McDonald’s–horrible food, less than stellar treatment of employees and so fucking pervasive they’re probably trying to open one at McMurdo Station. Just no. Carl’s Jr–because the last time I ate at one I got an incredible case of food poisoning. I don’t give people money to poison me. Pet stores that sell puppies and kittens, especially Scamp’s. Food from China–trying to avoid other items made there too. This is incredibly difficult to manage. Chain bookstores–why the hell would I bother with Barnes & Noble when I have [Powell’s Books](http://www.powells.com/)right here in town? By the way, for those of you who want to patronize an indie bookstore but have few available locally, may I draw your attention to the fact that Powell’s has a very strong internet storefront with a hellacious selection of both new, used and hard to find books? You’re welcome! I refuse to drive down certain streets where the signage is calculated to cause a speed trap and the po-po’s take advantage of it rather than fix the signs. Ford–for their long history of refusing to make low cost fixes to known issues in favor of hoping not TOO many people get killed and the settlements will be cheaper. Any company that insists on putting “Christian Business” or fish symbols on their place of business or in their Yellow Page ads will not get my business. Let their god send them customers! Verizon–for three years of customer service abuses, just fuck them in the neck. Apple–overpriced, overhyped crap that emphasizes style over performance and encourages people to be witless sheep who know nothing about how their technology works. That and Jobs insisting that third party apps running on smartphones would crash the network. :rolleyes: When the RIAA first filed suits on customers I vowed I would never again buy a new CD–and I haven’t. I want those fuckers to go down like a heroin whore on a hot shot. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/114 "2008-02-18T18:39:08Z")
Also: no place that sells puppies. I dont’ care what they say, they are all liars. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/115 "2008-02-18T18:56:47Z")
[QUOTE=Stoid] Also: no place that sells puppies. I dont’ care what they say, they are all liars. [/QUOTE] My problem with those places goes beyond where they get the puppies, too. I don’t think that anyone who wants a dog and can pay for it should be able to get one. Large breed dogs can be very dangerous with the wrong owner. They’re not just dangerous to the owner and their family, but also to other people and animals living nearby. I think the sort of background check that a good shelter or rescue group would do before adopting a dog to anyone is necessary for public safety in the case of large dogs. Even if pet stores that sell puppies got them only from good breeders, I still wouldn’t buy anything from them, because they are endangering the public by selling large and potentially dangerous dogs to anyone who can come up with the money. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/116 "2008-02-18T21:33:24Z")
I proudly boycott Walmart, Krogers, Nike, Exxon-Mobil, anything made in any non-democratic country (except when there are no alternatives), and any other product whose purchase would promote environmental destruction or human rights abuse. ---
**Author:** ![puppygod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@puppygod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puppygod)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/117 "2008-02-18T21:40:07Z")
Diamonds, although I don’t buy much jewelry anyway. I try to avoid Chinese stuff, but a) it’s harder and harder to do b) sometimes it’s outright impossible - like Chinese clothes and weapons to tai chi chuan practice. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/118 "2008-02-19T00:43:41Z")
ExxonMobil for their environmental practices. I try to buy Citgo whenever I can. Nestle (although if they don’t put their logo on the package somewhere prominent I sometimes miss it) WalMart because of business practices, union busting, and the treatment of their workers. And definitely pet stores that sell puppies/kittens. I think they’re fine for small animals, but since I’m not really interested in owning a bird or reptile I don’t know much about the conditions in some stores. Oh, and veal. And octopus. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/119 "2008-02-19T19:25:38Z")
I try not to shop at stores or restaurants that make their employees do stuff I would not want to do if I worked there, especially if the reason they do this is to entertain the customers, and not because it makes some difference in the end product. For example, Coldstone’s- I wouldn’t like to have to sing for the customers who tip $1, so I generally don’t go there (if I do, I either don’t tip $1, or do it in some way the employees don’t notice so they don’t have to sing). I wouldn’t hire a maid service that made their employees wear impractical “French maid” style uniforms, or one that required that all maids get down on their hands and knees and use a scrub brush to clean floors, even if a mop would do as good a job. > [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](#): > > And octopus. Why octopus? Is it because they may be intelligent, something about how they’re caught or killed, or something else? > [@](#): > > and veal. I don’t eat veal, because I keep kosher and have never found kosher veal that was labelled as free-range or naturally raised. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024/120 "2008-02-19T20:17:36Z")
I boycott a shopping center built on the top of Pantops mountain in Eastern Charlottesville VA. What could have been left alone or at least a nice park with a scenic view of the city is now a parking lot and Giant grocery store, Applebees, gas station etc. On top of a mountain. This is a pic, the city of Charlottesville is in the background way below the line of sight: [404 (Page Not Found) Error - Ever feel like you're in the wrong place?](http://www.rivannarealty.com/lease/rivanna-ridge-shopping-center/RivannaRidge%20photo.jpg) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-boycott/435024.md?page=7)