Not Shopping Today. Maybe Not Tomorrow.
In 1989 the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska. After several years it became obvious to me that Exxon would not be making good on the damage they caused. Sure enough, they managed to use their vast resources to outmaneuver most everyone except people like me.
I haven't bought products from Exxon knowingly in nearly 30 years except for a couple times for fear of running out of gas. My personal boycott of Exxon was proven correct when it was disclosed they were major funders of climate denial. And I will tell anybody anywhere that will listen about my personal boycott and the reasons why.
Likewise I am not a fan of Wal-mart. They don't pay their employees very well and the company reduces hours and makes the general public shoulder a subsidy for healthcare and food stamps. It doesn't stop with their own employees either as their hyper-aggressive supply chain practices spread employee abuse throughout the world. That's reason enough, but their monopolistic practices have killed off a lot of rural American's hometown shopping. That's part of where the jobs went. Sure Wal-Mart often has good prices and sometimes I succumb to temptation. But not very often. Oh and I make a point of telling any and all listeners.
For more than health reasons, I boycott Monsanto. Glyphosate and bt products are potentially dangerous enough to not use for health reasons, but patenting lifeforms and suing farmers for nature spreading their frankenforms is downright bad behavior. Organic food is desired around our household and if it is grown by us so much the better. It costs a bit more but since we have cut back on meat and processed foods for health reasons, our food budget is much the same.
Potential Product and Service Boycott As Far As The Eye Can See
I also avoid other products and services for bad behavior. When we can, we buy local. When we can't, we shop on Amazon. Same as Wal-Mart you say? Not so fast. Amazon is a huge market of small third-party sellers scattered around the US and the world. Many are cheaper than Amazon itself.
Frankly, I have been fed up with the behavior of American retail for quite some time. There was a day when everybody paid the same price for a telephone or cable TV service. Those days are gone and now we must bitch, complain, and connive just to keep from being cheated. So screw them.
I haven't had a landline or cable TV for 5 or 6 years now. We have a regular number from Skype for a couple of bucks a month and use Wire for privacy. For TV, we have Amazon video and Netflix. The rest we need is available on the internet.
In yesteryear I subscribed to the local paper, The New York Times, and 3 or 4 magazines. Now I am able to read 25 to 30 publications per day on a hurried day. I never liked the local paper after they took a right-wing slant. I like to read from a lot of sources because I have found that steers me closer to the truth.
Bottom line, I am buying less and less for many reasons and some are political. But mainly, I just don't need it. And I didn't need it to start with. If I absolutely have to have it chances are Amazon has it and I can have it in 2 days by mail. And my mail carrier is a nice lady who needs the work.
There Is Power In Consumer Choice
Maybe you have noticed that some companies are starting to pay attention that consumers are voting with their pocketbooks. That's what the internet has done to them. It's hard for them to hide now that the light is being shined on them.
I am neither a Democrat or Republican. I don't much like the Democratic Party and I despise the "modern" Republican Party. The Republicans are simply liars, looters, and polluters. This year I am going to try and limit purchasing from anyone who supports Republican politics. As for me I am a proterian (progressive libertarian). I also subscribe to the urban definition of proterian by limiting my carbohydrate intake.
By the way I live just a few blocks from a big mall. I haven't shopped in there in nearly 20 years. I did poke my head in one day several years ago to see if there were any people there. Not many.
Happy 'not shopping' to you. Oh and don't forget to let them know you've got your eye on them.
About the Author
Robert Jennings is the co-publisher of InnerSelf.com, a platform dedicated to empowering individuals and fostering a more connected, equitable world. A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army, Robert draws on his diverse life experiences, from working in real estate and construction to building InnerSelf with his wife, Marie T. Russell, to bring a practical, grounded perspective to life’s challenges. Founded in 1996, InnerSelf.com shares insights to help people make informed, meaningful choices for themselves and the planet. More than 30 years later, InnerSelf continues to inspire clarity and empowerment.
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