What products do you boycott and why?

[2bfree]

Also which ones do you support?

[Brucey]

1. A couple I can think of right now:

Coors Beer - antiunion.
Domino Pizza - prolife.

[quispquake]

4. I don't buy either of those for the reasons stated above...

...and I absolutely do NOT go to Walmart...I'm in a rural area and will drive as far as I have to not to go to Walmart...the reason??? Anti-Union, Anti-US Labour, and the fact that they destroy all the small businesses near them...

[Wickerman]

10. I am entirely with you Walmart

I used to boycott Coors - now I uh, boycott all beer, but lets not talk about that. I don't eat grapes due to long standing labor abuses - though my boycotting is now more longstanding and symbolic...

[ArkDem]

2. money - anti-people

.

[MissMillie]

3. Kraft, Nabisco, etc.

Kook-Aid, Breyers, Cool-Whip (that one's not hard, I can't stand the stuff), Oscar Meyer

All owned by Philip Morris. What ever money they got from me as a smoker over the years is the end of what they'll see from me.


The only hard part is that there is no acceptable alternative for Oreos.

[Fish Eye]

18. Philip Morris

considers children in other countries to be valid targeted consumers...they suck and we won't buy anything from Kraft...

[piece sine]

33. no reason to boycott Phillip Morris

The company's vast cultural contributions overshadow all other companies. Besides, a lot of good Democrats work for them. And, actually, they are wrongfully tageted by neo-Prohibitionists and statist nannies -- which makes me want to support them ever MORE, except I don't smoke tobacco. And they pay the highest stock dividend imaginable and for a small-time investor like me, that's a GOOD thing.

[MissMillie]

40. Sorry....

they're not getting any of my money. Not if I can help it. Hooray for their good side.... but they manufacture a product that kills 400,000 people a year.

If a car did that, it wouldn't be on the market.

[catzies]

49. I think PM sold off Kraft because of consumer pressure.

Actually, I was just corrected: they spun it off but still own a large amount of the stock.

[Dirk39]

63. It works, it works, it works: Don't let them fool you!

Philip Morris Puts Up Good Citizen Smokescreen

By Lori Dorfman, AlterNet
November 27, 2000

Tobacco is not supposed to be advertised on TV, yet Philip Morris was there again last night. The ad told the poignant story of a woman who was helped by a donation that the company made to a domestic violence shelter.

Philip Morris, the world's largest and most profitable producer and marketer of consumer packaged goods, recently spent $2 million on domestic violence programs nationally, part of $60 million it spent on charity in 1999.

That same year, Philip Morris spent $108 million on the advertising campaign to tell us about it.
Source

[xJlM]

5. Anything from Walmart

I refuse to buy Intel products, as well, and the only Microsoft product I have is a copy of W98 I got for free.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

7. anti-Walmart here

and also depending on where things are made.

[bif]

8. I boycott Walmart, too.

They way they go into small towns and wipe out all the small mom and pop stores is horrible. Also, they're so anti-union it makes me sick. And I boycot Coors beer.

[scarlet_owl]

11. Coors is easy to boycott

:puke:

[Liberal Veteran]

12. Wal-Mart....and DirecTV and FoxCNNMSNBC

And the republican party.

[Hawkeye-X]

15. I steal DirecTV signals for free

and I get EVERYTHING including PPV and sports channels

DirecTV can go bite me. That reminds me -- need to reprogram the card, the current one was blacklisted sometime last night....

Hawkeye-X

[MaineDem]

16. Thank you

Those of us who pay for the service appreciate you causing our rates to go up.

[vptpt]

22. Can anyone sufficiently explain to me...

...why that should make your rates go up? It's not like there's a limited number of "signals" they can send out.

[Champion Jack]

24. Bullshit

explain how this effects your rates?

[MaineDem]

26. You can call it bullshit if you want

However, it's theft. And if the companies being ripped off prosecute that theft, for instance, there's that cost to be passed on to the consumer.

Maybe I should have just left off the part about cost going up for legitimate users. I just think theft is wrong.

Boycotting is one thing. This is another entirely.

"Buying and selling counterfeit products and services like satellite television access cost legitimate business and ultimately the consumer millions of dollars each year," said Attorney General Janet Reno.

[lpbk2713]

27. I don't understand that response.

It's not like the signal eminates from a finite source.

[devilgrrl]

74. Murdoch doesn't own DirecTV yet...

does he? I thought the deal hasn't been completed yet.

[Fish Eye]

19. Walmart free for two years!!

it was tough at first but worth it.

[MissMillie]

23. Oops!

I forgot to say that I don't shop Wal-Mart anymore.

[VermontDem2004]

47. I am happy to join the long list of anti-wal*mart shoppers

[scarlet_owl]

6. Nestle

They spend bunches of money to give away free baby formula to hospitals to give to new mothers. This discourages breastfeeding, which is one of the most important things a mother can do for her new baby. I also boycott Wal-Mart. If they build a new one here in my area (we already have 2 in a population area of about 100,000), it could put the grocery store that my husband works for out of business.

[sybylla]

25. Are you kidding?

One can of free baby formula is going to change the mind of parents on whether or not they will breast feed? Breastmilk, free. One weeks worth of baby formula, $75 to $100 dollars.

Think of what a benefit this may be to those who cannot, for one reason or another, breastfeed. I have to disagree with you on that one.

[scarlet_owl]

29. It's not just one can

and it does influence them. Lots of babies are fed formula for the first few weeks of life because the parents got it for free. If a woman does not breastfeed, she will lose her milk. If she loses her milk, she buys more formula. I'm not talking about the women who can't breastfeed-for them, formula is invaluable. My husband was formula fed because his mother was in the hospital recovering from cancer when he was born. I am talking about influencing low income women, for whom there are programs to defer the cost of formula. There is an interesting post further down about third world countries and baby formula.

[sybylla]

35. Sounds to me like a problem with education at the hospital

not with getting the free formula. I'm sure you aren't inferring that low income women can be easily led or that babies who are formula fed are worse off than babies breastfed by a woman who may be so poor she isn't eating right or perhaps using drugs or engaging in risky behavior.

Still, you haven't convinced me. Don't buy that Nestle's is evil for giving formula to parents of newborns.

I read the thread further down, thank you. There you may have something, if it is true. I say this because that is one I haven't heard before. Citations, please. Parents of children in foreign countries are so stupid </scarcasm>

[populistmom]

42. Some more information on this

For reasons to breastfeed:
http://www.promom.org/101/index.html

WHO marketing guidelines:
http://www.ibfan.org/english/issue/code01.html

The dangers:
http://www.ibfan.org/english/issue/overview01.html

An example of Nestle violations:
http://www.babymilkaction.org/CEM/compjune03.html


Most formula is made by multinational pharmaceutical companies. We must not be naive enough to think that unlike any other business, the bottom line is what counts. We must not be naive enough to think that large drug companies do not have an influence over physicians who receive very little education in med school regarding breastfeeding and much education regarding pharmaceuticals. We must not be naive enough to think that patients are not influenced by doctors. And yes, there are many, many good doctors. 90% of my children's pediatrician's patients are breastfed.
In the United States, those hospitals who have decided to adopt recommended practices by the WHO, are designated as Baby-Friendly. More info:
http://www.breastfeedingbasics.org/cgi-bin/deliver.cgi/content/International/rec_babyfriendly.html

Only 40 hospitals in the US have adopted recommended guidelines for marketing:
http://home.onemain.com/~ct1008688/hospital.htm

Did I breastfeed my children? yes
Have I ever given formula? Yes, in combination with breastmilk because of not being able to pump in work and school situations when I was younger. Fortunately, I have access to clean water.


For even greater information, read the book Milk, Money, and Madness. It gives economic and scoial reasons why this has happened.

[Dirk39]

46. It is illegal to do this...

it's against the WHO-rules, and Nestle has just offended this rule again and again. About 25 years ago, they were responsible for many thousand children dying, 'cause they forced mothers to use Nestles milk-powder instead of breast-feeding in regions with spoiled water.
And they're doing it again, they're still doing it. And dirty water is a much bigger problem than mothers, who don't eat right.
I just hate this company, they are killers. A boycott isn't enough. I want to see them in prison, this sucking company to be closed and their money being seized. And I want to mix my piss with their dried-milk as their only food.
Hello from Germany,
Dirk

[sybylla]

50. "..dirty water is a much bigger problem than mothers, who don't eat right"

Agreed. But I was discussing with owl the gift of baby formula to parents in the US, not in other countries. As I have no knowledge of that, it would have been silly of me to discuss it.

I'm not defending the practice of any money-grubbing megacorp. I just think the criticism of giving free formula to parents in this country is not a curse and nothing to condemn a company for. It's not like they were handing out cigarettes to kids or something.

Thanks all for links to issues you find with Nestle's.

[sangh0]

62. So it's OK to kill babies, so long as they're not Americans?

What difference does nationality make here? If someone complained about their US practices, you would have a point, but that doesn't negate the fact that Nestle's sales policies are responsible for the deaths of many babies overseas.

[populistmom]

48. More on rates in US related to socio-ecomic levels

http://www.healthypeople.gov/Document/HTML/Volume2/16MICH.htm#_Toc494699668 click on
Breastfeeding, Newborn Screening, and Service Systems. Page 16-46

It provides a breakdown of breastfeeding rates and yes lwo income women do have reduced rates likely from a variety of complex issues. It's not a judgement on my part asside from a judgement on the marketing practices of those who market to these women of which I used to be (I was a mom at 20 and had very little money and only a year of college under my belt at the time.)

[Pithlet]

67. Marketing pracites definitely don't help, and...

I also think another factor is that low income women typically have jobs that aren't friendly to breastfeeding. They are often jobs that won't allow for them to stop every 20 minutes and pump to keep their supply up. They often have to work more than one job to keep afloat. They often have to go back to work shortly after the baby is born, so a supply hasn't even been established yet.

I breastfed my first, and will breastfeed this baby when it is born, but I also stay at home which makes it much easier. Office type jobs, which are usually better paid, are also easier for breastfeeding moms who work outside the home.

[quispquake]

32. They're trying to put one of those new Super Centers in my area too...

Hannaford's fighting them tooth & nail, but we'll see...seems like Walmart can do whatever the hell they want to...

[MaineDem]

9. WalMart

For all the reasons.

Chrysler, because of a problem I had back in 1973. I swore to them I'd never buy another Chrysler product again.

[populistmom]

13. Nestle

They market baby formula to countries that do not have access to clean drinking water to mix it with which is in violation of the World Health Organization's code for marketing artificial baby milk. Women start out with a little formula, begin to lose their milk supply, buy more formula until many infants are totally formula fed. The families can't afford it (often dilute it more) and suffer financially and millions of babies die of diahrea because of this. This is going on in Iraq especially as we speak.

[LTR]

14. MCI

Had their "Neighborhood" plan last year. Then I wised up and went back to SBC.

Terrible phone company! Totally inept!

And then there's that whole WorldCom thing.

I refuse to send another cent to MCI!

[denverbill]

17. Coors and Bacardi. I avoid Walmart, but sometimes shop there.

[cmf]

20. Walmart, Walmart, and Walmart

They embody everything I hate about corporate America. It is an evil, evil company.

[FireHeart]

61. Agreed.

We don't shop there, either.

[kmla]

21. Nike - ever since they used the Beatles tune w/o permission.

Coors - anti-union, Freepie-type
Wal-mart - no explanation needed.
Greyhound - anti-union.
Maytag - anti-union.
Hardee's - imcompetent service.
Several local radio stations - for jingoistic, freedom fried Dixie Chick bashing goobers on their air staff.

[ScreamingMeemie]

28. For those who boycott Walmart, do you boycott Sam's club as well?

I am conflicted myself on this. I have a membership to Sam's and love bulk shopping. Just wondering. I did get a membership to another warehouse club and am checking them out.

[MaineDem]

30. You betcha!

And if WalMart buys BJ's, which I heard is a possiblity, I'll boycott them as well.

Costco is Dem-friendly, I've read. But there's none around me.

[cmf]

37. Heck, yeah.

Go to Costco instead. They're Dem-friendly and a better business to boot. From what I hear, they're much cleaner inside than Sam's (I've never been inside a Sam's store).

[Pithlet]

70. I'll have to renew my Costco membership

I didn't realize they were dem friendly. I also boycott Walmart and Sam's Club. I'm fortunate that we have two Costcos in our area. I think they're better than Sam's, anyay.

[bif]

54. Sure

Costco is way better. Been a member for about 4 yerars now.

[ScreamingMeemie]

57. This was where I got the new membership at. They are a bit more

expensive, but cleaner. The reason I asked was that I know of a few people who boycott Walmart, and yet, still shop at Sam's. Go figure.

[ronzo]

31. P&G

boycott? proctor and gamble as of a couple, three years ago. Yup, it's the animal testing issue. I was amazed how many p&g products we had to find alternatives for, but it was actually quite simple. It's just a matter of habit now.

[skypilot]

34. Walmart, Borders, J.Crew

Walmart for obvious reasons.

I boycott Borders because I used to work there and it is pretty much the Walmart of bookstores--or I should say, it has become the Walmart of bookstores. Plus, after working there for three years and getting excellent performance reviews in addition to having customers go to management to tell them what great service I'd provided them, Borders (or at least the one in my city) now has an unwritten policy of not rehiring ex-Borders employees, even on a part-time basis. I got a new job over two years ago after Borders "restructured" and laid off a bunch of people and cut the pay of the remaining employees. I applied for part-time, temporary employment around the holiday season a couple years ago, in order to make some extra holiday money, and later found out about this new "policy".

I don't really know that much about J.Crew except for the fact that I paid $100.00 for a pair of shoes there about four years ago and the shoes started falling apart in less than six months. The shoes are also constructed in such a way that once the heels (which are hollow) wear down you have to throw the damn shoes away. There's nothing for a shoe repairman to work with. Actually, alot of mens' shoes are like that these days but they don't cost $100.00.

[ott]

36. All animal products

Walmart, Nestle. I only buy gas from BP/Amoco. Try to support local business, farmer's markets, etc.

Why? No animal products b/c killing and inflicting suffering when you don't have to is wrong, it's wasteful, bad for the environment, it's unhealthy, and most times it doesn't do to well for the worker. Walmart and Nestle have pretty much been covered on this thread. BP/Amoco b/c they're the only ones in my area on this list. Local business because it helps the local economy, usually cuts shipping distance reducing fuel demand, etc.

[noonwitch]

38. Domino's Pizza

If I wanted to donate to the catholic church, I'd send them a check. If I wanted to support Operation Rescue, I'd send them a check.

I never forgave Monahan for firing Ernie Harwell when he owned the Tigers, then threatening to move the team south. The first thing Mike Illitch did when he bought the team was he rehired Ernie as the announcer.

Also, I like my pizza to taste good, so I tend to order Papa Romanos, or the local guy (Checkers) or I go to Buddy's on Conant and McNichols.

[bif]

52. I hear ya on the Buddy's

Except I got a pizza from the one on Mack & 7 last weekend and the crust was terrible. That's the best part of a Buddy's pizza. So I may have to avoid Buddy's from now on.

[sinkingfeeling]

39. Here's a few I try to avoid .....

GE - media
Wal-Mart - all the reasons above
Exxon - haven't bought their gas since they ruined Alaska

[shimmergal]

41. MCI

They switched me under conditions that they didn't tell me about and then cut off my service abruptly. (At the same time as they were calling me with more solicitations to sign up with them.)

Coffee. Actually it's because I can't stand the stuff, and if I try to brew it for others it turns out undrinkable. But I also resent the way so many gatherings offer _nothing_ but coffee to drink.

I don't boycott WalMart, but I am tending to shope more and more at Target instead, for all the reasons listed above. I agree with all that's been said about WalMart. OTOH, they truly do hire people who by other employers' standards are unemployable.

Here in Las Vegas, the Venetian, because its owner is so arrogantly anti-union.

[MercutioATC]

43. Bridgestone/Firestone and Ford

for their handling of the whole shredding tire thing. People died while they argued about who was at fault.

[curse10]

44. Proctor and Gamble, and any other company that tests on animals

It's disgusting.

[dani]

45. Dell computers

are a big contributor to the GOP.

A snippet from Mother Jones:

... Michael Dell mobilized high-tech support for his former Austin neighbor George W. Bush throughout the campaign. In a letter dated December 5, Dell and a group of two dozen high-tech executives urged Al Gore to quit the race before the votes were even counted. "We understand that some of your advisors may be urging you to fight to the bitter end," the executives wrote. "We call upon you to voluntarily concede this close-fought election . . . for the betterment of our country."
His financial and political support certainly affords him direct access to Bush. In January, Dell and 35 other business leaders who had contributed a combined $1.6 million to the GOP were invited to a private forum with the president-elect.

from Mother Jones

Do a search on Mother Jones for more info.

[Whitacre D_WI]

51. Tyson Foods

http://www.tysonfamiliesstandup.org

[catzies]

53. OK, first the boycott list:

Nike
Coca-Cola -- hell, ALL sodas and I watch for the bottled waters they sell too
Wal-Mart
amazon.com
Starbucks
AOL Time Warner (except I just had to get HBO for my mom)
everything Rupert Murdoch owns
Blockbuster Video
almost all fast-food all the time
Domino's

I also try to stay way from all designer and logo clothing. I will not wear any article of clothing on which a designer name or logo appears prominently.

I dont' go to corporate grocery stores and shop at Trader Joe's and my farmers' market exclusively.

I drive a 5 year old paid-off Honda that gets excellent mileage and has a ultra-low emission engine.

But I'm not a very good vegetarian and I wear leather.

[Character Assassin]

55. Ferrari, Bentley and Gulfstream

It's been rough, but I remain a non-consumer of all three brands.

[Interrobang]

56. A bunch of things...

Kraft (for the reasons mentioned above)
Maple Leaf (because they closed their Canadian HQ after an extended lockout and moved their biz HQ to Mexico!)
Libby's (the vegetables, not the glassware, because they moved their Chatham ON plant to Mexico and threw half the city out of work)
Wal-Mart (for obvious reasons, plus that the place just makes me ill)
Schneider's (because they put milk products in all their processed meats)
Domino's Pizza (same reasons)
Pizza Pizza (because they're in some sort of strategic partnership with Blockbuster Video)
Blockbuster Video (censorship)
major-label RIAA-member CDs

[Ivory_Tower]

58. Television

Too many reasons for avoiding television to list here, there have been whole threads on it in the past.

Veal -- haven't eaten veal in 20+ years, which is something because one of my favorite meals was Veal Parmigiana. Slightly hypocritical, I know, since I'm not a vegetarian and eat other animals.

Exxon -- mainly out of habit now, but initially in reponse to the Valdez disaster.

Coors and Dominoes are no-brainers; their products suck, so the politics are pretty much irrelevant. (Of course, by that standard I'm also boycotting Budwieser...)

Walmart, but not very well -- I avoid it as much as I can, but sometimes when I visit family in Western PA I end up tagging along if they stop at the Walmart nearby. Of course I never pass up a chance to bad-mouth it when we go. Turns out my family feels the same way to some extent. The Walmart they go to replaced a different chain department store at the same location, so they aren't so much seeking out Walmart as they are shopping at the same physical building they've shopped at for 20 years. Complicated, but there it is.

Hormel -- Semi-ignorant here, but I understand their labor practices are pretty bad. When I make a pepperoni pizza I always look for a different brand of pepperoni. Minor, but hey, it's something.

Can't say that I specifically buy a product solely for it's political/social philosophy.

[carolinayellowdog]

59. Pigs and cattle

Everyone draws the line somewhere, except for cannibals. For me mammals are just too close for comfort. Pigs are smarter than dogs and often die of psychological stress (caused by knowing they are going to be slaughtered?). I used to live on a highway traversed by hog trucks and it was ghastly to get behind them and wonder if they knew what was happening to them. Cattle are less intelligent and their lives on farms are less unpleasant, but there's still the moral issue plus the ecological devastation caused by cattle farming.

[GCP]

72. Lobster and veal

Boiling something alive just turns my stomach - same goes for crab, I suppose.

Baby cows in crates separated from their mothers and living in their own filth.

Enjoy your veal escalopes, those who still eat it.

[FireHeart]

60. Proctor and Gamble (for the most part)

There are a few products we buy from them on ocassion. But not all that often. Maybe except for Charmin bathroom tissue. Hey, it's soft.

Why do we boycott them? They do unnecessary live animal testing.

[7th_Sephiroth]

64. Disney

I boycott disney cause they indoctrine children into some freaky shiznit, and are totally devoid of reality, and theres the whole Epcott thing. I try to boycott wal-mart, but thare are no other grocery stores here that have anything decent, Republicons for obvious reasons, i actually havent seen any censord materials at the block buster here, Hp and other printer makers cause ink cartridges cost 40-100 dollars each.

[Lorien]

65. As a 15 year Disney vet

please tell me how we are indoctrinating children with freaky shiznit?

BTW- the pavillions at Epcot are mostly run by the tourism boards of the countries they represent.

I boycott Wal-Mart, Sams Club, Snapple and Home Depot (big Rush Limbaugh supporters)Kraft, all red meat products (a mulititude of reasons there), Nike, GE...there are a good many others, but I can't remember them all. I didn't know about Dominoes pizza! I haven't had one in years, and I guess I never will again!

[CBHagman]

66. I buy Newman's Own

Those are great products anyway, and it's an ethical company.

I've tried to steer clear of anything from Nestle's and ConAgra. Nestle is still apparently promoting infant formula in the Third World, so I don't want to be a part of that.

Read "Fast Food Nation" and you'll see why I won't touch anything from ConAgra. The bad news is that they have a lot of products at your local supermarket, so get ready to pass up a lot of coupons and sale items.

On edit: And I've seriously thought of buying Northern Sun's T-shirt with "Mal-Wart: Your source for cheap plastic crap" on it.

[HEyHEY]

73. hmm

I thought it was carnation that used the infant formula? Maybe they are owned by nestle...

[bigendian]

68. Hunts ketchup, etc.

The Hunt family were supporters of George Wallace in his white house bid and it seems the old man thought people should have a number of votes in relation to their wealth. The two sons collapsed the silver market in the 80's. Real proto-neocons.

I like Newman's products.

[HEyHEY]

69. Budweiser

I don't drink liquid shit. Walmart cause I grew up support on a mom and pop family business (we all know how much wal-mart hates those) and strip bars, cause I don't wanna be part of the creepy men next to the stage.

[sspiderjohn]

71. soccer balls made in 3rd world sweatshops

Those slave shops are the WORST.
Kids kidnapped, beaten, starved, blinded, branded -- Pakistan is among the worst. Any label associated with child labor, or "made in China" by political prisoners, is too much for me.