Have You Ever Boycotted a Store, Brand, or Product?

I buy only cruelty-free products. It's hard sometimes, but the animals the other companies test on have no choice, so I feel it's worth the effort (www.leaping-bunny.org has a list).
We DON'T do the circus, period.
Emily S. is correct: Nestle is evil (in so may ways), and Walmart really takes advantage of the working poor (on both sides of the cash register). Great question.

We avoid Target, because of certain (somewhat political) programs they support financially. And I avoid Walmart when I can because of their tactics when moving into a location.

I didn't buy anything Nabisco/Kraft/Oscar Meyer (they're all the same company) for a long time because they are owned by the parent company to a tobacco company, but sadly gave that one up after a few years. Still, if there's another brand that's just as good, I'll go with it.

Like you, no Wal-Mart. The reason: For years they've been embroiled in a lawsuit based on their (alleged) job discrimination against women employees. If you're part of that suit, more power to you!

There is a local brand of eggs I won't buy because they put bible verses in the cartons. I'm a Christian, teach Sunday school, etc., but I just don't need that on my egg carton. To me, religion is a personal choice and doesn't need to mix with my breakfast food.

Oh, Mallory P I sooooo can relate to you! I cannot stomach The View or Oprah! Totally awful.

I do not watch The Bachelor or any of its spinoffs because I think the people on there are pathetic. Yeah I know, judge-y McJudgerson here...

I don't shop at Wal-Mart because it is gross. Every Wal-Mart I've ever been to has been a gross, disgusting, creepy place. Messy, dirty, just gives me the creeps!

I refuse to purchase anything online from Pottery Barn. Their customer service is absolutely ignorant and they do not care about the customer. I had an issue with an order and was actually inside a PB Kids store with the manager on the phone trying to help with my botched order and they even gave the manager attitude and refused to help!

Johnson and Johnson! I know they make alot of stuff! I refuse to buy it though. I had this big change of heart after I found out how much chemicals they used in making their products for baby...even their all natural..is not all natural. After the bad taste for them I now had...I had to find other products to replace the ones they used to be used for....LUSH is amazing and completely handmade...with stuff I can pronounce and make myself if I really wanted to get into it.

As for actual places I wont go...to keep in theme with your Cali boycott...I will no longer travel to Nevada, Utah, Arizona or Florida. Two are more of a joke, the other two, it is because I do not like what the state practices ... politically. So I will not spend any time or money in them.

Do tv shows count? I boycott the View and Oprah for political reasons.

I live in California and the only thing wrong with California is the taxes, wastefull spending, welfare for illegal aliens, the political atmosphere and the crime in certain areas, the overpaying of government employees, the favoritism shown to illegal aliens in jobs and health care. Other than that California is a wonderful place to live.

I don't use Sears unless they have something no one else has. My wife and I bought two pair of slacks and tried to use our sears credit card. They said we couldn't because our information was out of date (it was). So I paid for it with my master card. Six months later Sears sent us a past due bill for the two pair of slacks. I told them I had to charge it on mastercard. They said produce a master card receipt, which of course I coudn't do. By this time it was 8 months later. I don't keep receipts for 8 months. I refused to pay, so Sears put a "charge off" on my credit report. When I tried to buy a new home, GMAC wouldn't give me a loan (I worked for GM) because of the chargeoff. To cut the story down, I haven't been to Sears but once in the last 24 years. They lost my business for $29 worth of ladies slacks. AND I used to buy all my clothes, my wife clothes and kids clothes at Sears as well as tools, apliances and yard machines. It made me feel good when Sears applied for bankruptsy protection. They apparantly treated a lot of people like they treated me.

As for Walmart, my son worked at Walmart for a time and they treated him well. I shop the bargains and that also brings me back to Walmart. And I buy at Walmart what i might have bought at Sears. I have good interactions with Walmart management. So I shop Walmart. BTW, I did price comparisons between Sam's and Costco. I checked 9 items I had to buy for a church dinner. Sams was cheaper on 7 of 9 items. Costco was cheaper on 1 item and they tied on 1 item. So I shop Sams.

Good luck to you and yours.

I only buy Hunt's or Store Brand Ketchup not Heinz. Silly I know.

We will go out of our way to stay away from Walmart and Sams. No questions asked.... we will not set foot in those stores, no matter what.

We are in the raw materials industry and we know from talking to our customers who make consumer products what Walmart does to keep prices low.

If you buy a "KitchedAid" mixer at Walmart, you do not get the same quality "KitchenAid" mixer you would get at Target, Kohls, etc. Why you ask? Because Walmart demands that their supplier purchase cheaper products to make the consumer product so they keep the price low. Some suppliers have pulled out of Walmart becuse they refuse to lower the quality of their product to appease Walmart.

There are articles all over the financial papers and financial news programs that back this up. Just watch the history of Walmart sometime and you will get sick to your stomach to see how they work. I hate them and I would not purchase anything from them if they were the last store on earth. I won't even walk in one of the stores.

I only purchase my meats from my local butcher. I pay more but I know what I am getting.

As for TV.....I can't stand Katie Couric and I will not watch anything she participates in.

Progressive car insurance - their owner, Peter Lewis, is a Socialist Pig...he has a GREAT spin Dr who makes his philanthropic work known...the guy is a Socialist.

while i love "Flo" and the commercials - even if it meant saving hundreds of dollars a year - I would NOT support

Oh yeah - FLOWERS.COM - i ordered from them for Mother's Day NEVER NEVER EVER AGAIN!! Got "double" charged for delivery....the flowers were delivered in a box (this I knew) and they were left in the hot California HIGH DESERT sun so my mom's flowers were wilted when she got home from her errands....yes, customer service was nice - but seriously? NEVER AGAIN!!!

I won't shop at Walmart unless absolutely necessary. My son was hurt there when he was 6, and I was very pregnant. A cart full of food fell on him (not his fault), and no one helped us. There were customers and employees all around, and not a single person stepped forward to offer help. I was horrified. We left and did not go back for years. I even spoke to a manager about it later, and he was not apologetic, saying the employees must have been busy. Now we only go there to buy plastic pools for our pig to drink water out of. It's the only place where I can buy them locally.

I don't eat or purchase Domino's Pizza due to the founder's religious fascism and extreme anti-choice stance. I think it's crappy pizza anyway, but I won't eat it even if it's ordered and served somewhere I am.

I, too, stay away from Walmart as much as possible. Sometimes when trapped in certain places on the way to camp or something, it's unavoidable, but I only go to one once or twice a year.

I boycotted my local library. When I returned some books there one time, in the outdoor return slot thingie, the librarian phoned me up and said that the books I returned were damp, and how dare I, and I could have jeopardized every book in that library, and didn't I know how bad mould was for books etc, she was horribly rude to me - and there was no way my books could have been damp, bear in mind this was an outside book drop, and it had been raining all week - but she wouldnt let me get a word in, and said I had to purchase new bookd that I had borrowed, about 5 of them!
So I never paid the fine, and I won't ever go back while she is still there!

I have boycotted subway. It lasted a year. I got so tired of the ignorant, young, immature employees that they consistently hire- not just one location, but all of them! It seems like even their managers are teenagers! They don't exercise proper hygiene for dealing with food and the bread is always old and flaky.

Admittedly, in the past couple of months they have been much better- I don't know if they made changes or what I have noticed a drastic improvement in their stores.

I wish I could boycott wal-mart (I hate wal-mart with a PASSION, for so many reasons), but I am just one more customer... there are thousands behind me waiting to spend money there, so what do they care? Also, their prices truly are the best around on stuff like hygiene and paper products.

After reading Nickeled and Dimed...I successfully have boycotted Wal-Mart about 99% of the time...there are those odd emergencies when they are the only store open for some last minute project...

After watching Food Inc...I boycott any super store meat. I only buy meat at local butchers (halal is the best, we're not kosher, we're Christian) or meat at Costco as they have had respectable quality standards.

And after watching the Chinese Documentary, The Last Train...I try hard not not purchase items made in China...this has been a challenge.

I know what you mean by SoCA..but I'm from there and have oodles of family..so know my way around. So much obnoxious materialism....Even the Mormons there are uber materialistic.

I banned ALLLLLLLL food truck type places. Found out the hard way while they're called "roach coaches"! I worked 91 hours a week (7 days/week, 13 hour days) for 6 weeks and lived in a hotel while on a job in south Texas. Obviously, I wasn't doing a lot of cooking (I was at work 5pm-6am daily)-a taco truck was parked at the gate during shift change and I'd grab a couple tacos or egg burritos and go to bed asap. Well, one day I took a bite and my scrambled egg burrito crunched. That was odd. I pulled it out to see....half of a roach. From then on, it was pbj sandwiches for me! NO MORE TRUCKS OR STANDS!!!

I do not buy any Vidal Sasson products since I saw him on TV and he proclaimed that only skinny women are beautyful and every woman should stive to be that. As a chunky woman I took offence and wrote him a letter stating that this now former good customer is not skinny or thin and I have no plans what soever to be that. However I have hair and lots of it and from now on I will buy someone else shampoo, conditioners and hair supplies. Hasta !!!
Right now I am on the fence about Amazon.com since this whole issue with the Pedophile books came to light months ago. They say they took all these books off but I still have an uneasy feeling.

We refuse to set foot in a Wal-Mart. They are a corporation of the worst kind. No McDonalds, for the same reason (not that my kids ever get fast food, but if ever they did, let me tell you: no McDonalds! lol).

Any store that adds "supercenter" or "superstore" to their name, I won't go in. I try my hardest to shop at smaller, independently owned stores, but if not possible, I seek out the "regular" version.

We also boycott any brand or company that uses chemical anything (in their food, beauty products, household products, anything!). In the organic world, we boycott "Back to Nature" products because they're actually owned by Kraft! Sneaky...

I haven't been in a Wal-Mart for thirteen years. I plan on keeping that record up.

I find it funny that so many of the responses wont go to Walmart. I myself can't stand Wamart either but I find it amusing that that there are so many others out there. I have found that if employees at stores are rude to me then I wont go back. Ex., I love Starbucks and feel that my $4.86 on a Vente Mocha is expensive . . . long story short had a bad experience at one that is very close to my house and now drive out of my way to go to a different one due to the service I received.

Fisher Price\Mattel toys. They have a product called See n Say. There is a company that makes toys and such to help autistics children. Mattel sued them for using N Say in the name of some of the toys, even though the toys were nothing like the toy from Fisher Price. Fisher Price won the lawsuit and demanded that the other company destroy thousands of toys. The other company offered to donate the toys to places that help autistic children and Fisher Price wouldn't let them. Made them destroy the toys.

I will not eat at Arby's. I have eaten there 3 times and each time got horrible diarreah and vomitting. Just smelling it makes me sick.
I will not EVER go to see a Mariner's Baseball game. There was a new stadium built some years ago. Before they built it they asked the voters to vote and approve building and using our tax dollars. The voters voted it DOWN. We did not want our tax dollars spent. Apparently the politicians didn't believe us and built the damn thing anyways. Every time I drive by it I look the other way. I don't think my boycotting is doing a damn thing, but I do it anyways!
I will not shop at Nordstrom. Years ago I went to buy Clinique and NONE of the women that worked there would help me. I had just got off work and was covered in printing ink and grease (I ran a huge printing press). They all looked down their noses at me until I put $500 cash on the counter and told them they would never get my business again. Went to a different store and they were fabulous and have never been back to Nordies.
I think that's it. :)
L.

Yes.
My BIL boycotts Walmart, for the same reason as you, however, if needed he will shop there.

I am currently boycotting Exxon and Mobile stations. Their gas prices are 10-20 cents higher than the other stations just down the street. Some within view of each other. Example from this morning. Exxon was $4.25, 7-11 one light away was $3.99.

I haven't stopped at an Exxon or Mobile in close to 2 months.

I agree no Walmart. I actively boycott Clinique. the reason I do is because I was in my late teens and asked the employee there if a shade of lipgloss looked good on me. She asked really snotty are you asking me? And then sighed this big sigh as if I was bothering her. I said nope, and I am not spending all my money here either, and I walked away. It was in a Nordstoms which made it seem even worse to me, so it just left a bad taste in my mouth and I never bought anything from clinique. I know it has nothing to do with Clinique personally I just stuck to it. I also boycott Cheesecake Factory, got horrible service there and they acted like my friends and I who were in our late 20s at the time were just a number and they could get customers anywhere. There are more but I don't want to relive the horror. LOL It's funny cause I never wrote a letter to these companies, or ones that I have receied good service from. I am now that I am older because in this day and age it means something to keep your customers and I think that companies should know that. I should have written letters in the past but thought that it wouldn't matter anyways. I have been in the customer service industry for so long I know what it means to really treat your customers properly.

I too boycott Wal-Mart. In high school I had to write a thesis paper and I wrote it on Wal-Mart. Yeah, not a fan.I like other ladies will go in if I have to, but I generally stay away.
I now shop at Target or small shops around where I live. I don't however buy Target brand items. Their quality stinks. I have had to take back sooooo many different things that was their brand. They do however sell a lot of my earth friendly products so that is why I shop there. And I love their clothes! (most of the time)
I no longer buy milk that the cows had hormones injected into the so I guess that's a boycott. Same goes with the meat. Oh and it has to be true free-range meat for me to buy it. So I usually get that at a store down the road from me.
I emailed Maurices (the only pants that fit me decently) if their employees kept pushing me to the brink of yelling at them because their overly pushing the credit card (I'm talking 5-10 minutes of me saying no to the damn cards). I haven't been back in, but am wanting to know if they followed through with their promise retraining them. Maybe this weekend. . . .
**mamatothreewee is Utah the joke or are our politics a nightmare? If it's the politics then yeah I agree. If we are just a joke, how so?

i boycott all fast food places. Im about to boycott walmart now that my local targets are going to be selling produce.

btw, boycotting walmart is very "california-esque" just thought you should know ;0)

Will NOT eat at a Panara Bread or anything panara bread after seeing one of there distribution warehouses. Yuck!

i wont buy sticks of butter because i found a dead pincher bug in one stick.. grossed me out forever :)

I don't shop at Walmart- mostly just because I don't like them and I always seem to get the slowest clerk :) But, I will on occassion out of convience. I don't buy anything at Target that I think will have to be returned, and I don't buy any electronics there. My husband would like me to boycott Target completely, but it is just too convient sometimes. I have not eaten at McDonald's in 4 years because they use Palm Oil, which comes from only one region of the world and valuable rainforests and animals (orangutans in particular) are being endangered because of it. I don't use Mobil (unless dire emergency) because of the Exxon/Mobil spill in Alaska and don't use BP for their recent spill. I try to stay away from Proctor and Gamble b/c at one time they tested on animals. Don't know if they still do. Although it is hard- they make so many things.

I know it's silly, but when I lived in Maryland, I boycotted going to Baltimore Ravens games. I got offered free tickets often and I still wouldn't go. I was so angry that the Governor at the time the Ravens came to Baltimore, used tax dollars and money from the lottery to support the team. The money from the lottery used to go to education and now a football team. A football team that has the best lease ever. Millions of tax dollars go to that stadium every year and the owner can pick up and move anytime he wants. I'm a huge football fan, but I will never go to that stadium.

Every business has its problem employees who make your life miserable if you need to deal with them. Rumors and lies circulate about nearly every business. I judge where I spend my time and money by the way I am treated and how much I can afford. I have never had a bad time at Walmart or target, and shop them when I need with no problem. I have had employees at both go out of their way, way beyond their job discription to help me. I do try and shop locally owned smaller business when I can. I check labels to see where the item came from and try to buy made in USA items. I saw on here months ago someone complaining about mandarine orange sections from China and the brand name suggesting we avoid buying all that brands products. But when I went shopping that week I found that brand to be made in USA and the brand they were promoting was from China. A few weeks later I looked at that same brand label and it was then from India. I think if you have a bad experience with an employee at a store then avoid that employee. They are the problem, not the store itself. If you let the manager know you had a hard time with an employee then maybe that person will no longer be working there. Beware, that same rude person will now be at another store waiting for you. I have a neice who refuses to shop at Target because someone dinged her car door while she was there. She refuses to shop at Walmart because the plastic bag broke on the way out the door and spilled her purchases on the ground. She refuses to shop at Safeway because she had a pineapple that wasnt ripe on time. Shes nuts! None of that was the stores fault. I know some who boycott some places due to politics or business practices and whatever. Fine. Dont shop there. But if you knew the truth behind most businesses pretty soon youd run out of places to shop. And, I have lived in Ca all my life and as much as financially we have problems, so do other states. Its gorgeous where I live and we dont have earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, or 3 hour commutes to work. And I was just going to ask S. G to come visit,,but guess I wont,,lol Life is too long to be this upset over everyday stuff.

I've tried to boycott Walmart but found it VERY difficult. I accidentally erased my post but it had a few examples where I chased around town for Post It Notes and to get online Photos done, only to end up at Walmart. ARGH! I wish the other stores would step up and stock what they are supposed to have!

Also, I won't go to the local Sewing Machine shop but fortunately found the BEST one to go to in San Jose, CA . Email me if you want my recommendation.

Now I'm curious about the story regarding CA. Justified I'm sure ;-)

Walmart, Mcdonalds (or almost any fast food place) and Fox News. For different reasons but now that I think about it the reasons are strangley similar, all three are just so full of it!

http://info.babymilkaction.org/nestleboycottlist

Nestle. Is. Evil.

Lots of stores and products I avoid, but that's the biggie.

TGI Fridays. Have been in 4 times and every single time I got terrible service, mundane food, and long waits for my food. I finally complained to a manager who just gave me a card for a free dessert. No thank you! Haven't been in since.

There are some local restaurants, due to lack of cleanliness.

Wal-mart - same reasons as below

McDonalds and most other fast food places

Foods w/chemical ingredients (Kraft, Nestle, Nabisco) that tout themselves as "healthy

The View

Personal care products with chemicals

Toxic cleaning products / scented "air fresheners"

Baby / Kid products made in China or w/plastics w/phalates, PVC and lead (this is more than you think! It's despicable to me that companies would make and sell harmful things to CHILDREN) - includes fisher-price, mattel

I havn't personally, but my oldest (17) is always finding something to be angry about with some brand. I used to keep track, but now the only thing I know about is she refuses to buy some brand of body jewelry because it has some sort of plastic in it that causes infections.
Not really boycotting, but she won't eat any off brand pizza rolls. It has to be tostinos, and she can actually taste the difference and will be very mad if someone gives her a different brand.

Walmart because they let those "nonprofits" sell/beg by the doors and they are too pushy, including a local scout troop that blocked the door and asked me 3 times after I said I already bought from my girl scout. Annoying.

BOTTLED WATER!

Watched a documentary called Tapped and it was such an eye opener. You wouldn't think that bottled water was so harsh on the environment and so wasteful. The companies take advantage of municiple water facilities (yes bottled water is TAP water).
Also, the price of bottled water is something like .03 cents and we buy it for $1.50-4 per bottle. Such a rip off!

There is so much that I could just go on and on about. I recommend watching Tapped- its on Netflix.

It's interesting how many people *boycott* stores/products unless they *need* them...what kind of boycott is that?

I dont shop at Walmart either because of the way they treat their employees, plus I think its just gross.
I have boycotted Walgreens too, for always screwing up prescriptions and just being very rude.