Where won't you shop/do business and why?

[Funny Face]

It would take me a thousand threads to figure out some of the major issues that we have with specific companies, stores, corporations and such.

My mom just told me tonight about fair trade chocolate and why it's so important, something I never even knew or thought about. It made me wonder who you are boycotting and why. There are so many educated, passionate mamas here and I'd like to hear from you.

For example: I'm buying only used clothes or those made my WAHMs currently because of the number of companies that employ sweat shops (if you know that names of specific stores I'd love to hear it).

So if you have an issue with a specific entity could you list it and the reason?

It would be nice to have a list with 'to the point' info that others and myself could look into futher or at least be aware of.

[rainashine]

I will not eat at Hardee's or Carl's Jr. Restaurants because of their marketing. I feel they alternate between making men look like idiots and women look like sex objects only on this earth to serve their men or they do both. Not sure if that's the kind of info you're looking for...

[MariesMama]

I won't shop at Babies R Us for a whole laundry list of reasons, some are petty, sure, but they've really pissed me off time and time again...

*Giving out incorrect and unsafe information on carseats.

*Recommending all sorts of crap that is unsafe and unneccessary for babies.

*Basically positioning themselves as a baby specialty store with trained employees, when most of their workers don't know babies from a hole in the ground.

*Being horribly overpriced.

(and personally)

*Telling my 85 year old grandmother that I *wasn't* registered there - I was, they spelled my name wrong when gma was asking and wouldn't look it up another way.

*Telling me "we don't have personal shoppers" when I called up my gma's local store to see if they could help her (spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars) when she got there.

*Telling me they had the True Fit and yes! drive an hour to try it out in your car when really, no, they didn't, and they don't even carry it in the store. After I drove an hour.

Sorry. End rant.

[doula jbw]

a few years back I found a web-site that rated big companies from bright blue to deep red. I believe it was something like buyblue.com. I wanted to support blue companies because they tended to support the democratic party and treated employees better. There were obviously not allot of blue big companies but the ones i remembered were Costco, Macy's and Barnes and Noble. A few places I like such as Trader Joes were rated neutral.
Nordstrom, Walmart and pretty much every gas station were raated as red.

[MommaShark]

Burts Bees - uses fragrance and sold out to Clorox

Any clothes made in China

Walmart and Whole Foods - for taking out the smaller family owned businesses

Safeway - buying out local pharmacy after telling people they would put one in then not putting one in and making people drive over a hour to fill a prescription at Safeway

Tom's of Maine - sold out to Colgate

Any non fair trade coffee and cocoa

I have a ton but these are off the top of my head.

[PaigeC]

Subbing.

I'm very interested in this also. I find it overwhelming to make these decisions. It seems for every thing I boycott I realize I'm supporting something worse. Also, as the economy gets worse I find myself giving up my ideals more and more. We switched from organic milk to a local store brand that doesn't use bovine growth hormones but isn't organic. It is such a catch-22 sometimes.

[claddaghmom]

nak

Hmm I guess I don't give this enough thought.

i buy most things secondhand, through others (craigslist) or on ebay. think clothes, gadgets, shoes and the like.

for other odds and ends I shop at target. for our groceries i shop at the local grocer and buy almost 100% offbrand.

although now that I am couponing like crazy maybe i'll be buying junk food name brands for dessert. hmm

[mamabadger]

Nestle! I have not bought a Nestle product for twenty years. Further info here.

[jeminijad]

I really only 'boycott' Walmart, and even that is a joke. Walmart does not miss my business. I try and avoid Nestle, but again, I doubt they care.

It is only good business for one company to undercut another- even if it is a large company (corporation) being able to sell at lower price points than a mom and pop, thereby destroying the mom and pop. I don't like it, but that is capitalism. So I don't boycott large retailers for that reason. They have a responsibility to their shareholders to make as much money as they can.

Nestle and Walmart are particularly bad, in my book. Walmart is terrible to their suppliers. There is a difference between outselling a competitor because you have better product cheaper through smart management and outselling competitors because you totally and intentionally destroyed the landscape of supply and demand in an industry... just my thoughts.

Nestle we all know about.

[honeybunch2k8]

Oh my, where do I start???

I don't buy many, many food products b/c of soy and hfcs. Does that count???

[dimibella]

Originally Posted by jeminijad

I really only 'boycott' Walmart, and even that is a joke. Walmart does not miss my business. I try and avoid Nestle, but again, I doubt they care.

It is only good business for one company to undercut another- even if it is a large company (corporation) being able to sell at lower price points than a mom and pop, thereby destroying the mom and pop. I don't like it, but that is capitalism. So I don't boycott large retailers for that reason. They have a responsibility to their shareholders to make as much money as they can.

Nestle and Walmart are particularly bad, in my book. Walmart is terrible to their suppliers. There is a difference between outselling a competitor because you have better product cheaper through smart management and outselling competitors because you totally and intentionally destroyed the landscape of supply and demand in an industry... just my thoughts.

Nestle we all know about.

This is me too. I really do try to buy as much WAHM and second hand stuff as I can. As far as food goes I know I can do better by going to the Farmer's Market, but it's a pretty far drive and I can't seem to get DH on board with it, when we have a Whole Foods right down the street.

[bohmproof]

Wal-Mart-- reasons listed above, and the small town killing.. seen personally.

K-Mart.. can't stand Martha Stewart

Trader Joe's.. every little thing is prepackaged and wrapped in plastic.. you can't buy whole food.. and produce is prepackaged:

I do buy organic free trade coffee... but I don't care where I buy it.

Starbucks.. it hurts my wallet

I try to buy local and organic, but I don't beat myself up if it isn't organic.. example: Milk and eggs.. I will buy cage free eggs if i can't get them from MIL, milk as long as it's hormone free.. (at least for me it's harder to find milk with the hormones )

I try to avoid the box stores.. Home Depot, Costco, ect.. but when that's all your town will bring in it's hard. (I do have a costco membership, but split with BIL)

We will shop on craigslist and sit on our money if it's a big purchase like furniture.. I don't give up and just go buy it because it's something I want

Kids clothes is thrift stores,consignment stores, hand me downs, gifts or clearance racks if it's something they need now.

Toys are from the goodwill or handed down.. I very rarley buy new.

There is lots more, I will be lurking!

[sarahope]

hmmm subbing . . . I have just recently (like in the past two years) become conscious of using my money to support businesses with values I agree with. Need this discussion!

[EFmom]

Curves, Dominos, Carls Jr., Coors for reproductive freedom issues. Also anything related to certain religious organizations for the same reason, which causes lots of family fun with my mostly RC relatives who get very angry when I decline to buy their fundraising crap.

Walmart for their rush to the bottom labor practices.

Certain local companies for their contribution to the RNC and the Bush campaigns.

[honeybunch2k8]

Originally Posted by bohmproof

I try to avoid the box stores.. Home Depot, Costco, ect.. but when that's all your town will bring in it's hard. (I do have a costco membership, but split with BIL)

!

At first I thought Wally in my town was a good idea. I definitely don't think so anymore. I hate how my town rolled out the red carpet for wally, but the family owned and operated store across the street is scraping by.

Ditto here. I end up ordering a lot of stuff online. A lot of organic gardening stuff I can't even get at home depot or lowe's. I don't have any other gardening centers in my area besides HD, Lowes, and Wally World.

I boycott nestle as well. I get my chocolates from a family owned and operated store, which also means less time at Wally World. I try to stay out of Winn Dixie as well b/c they so blatantly spray the produce. My area is all boxes with a small farmer's market ( I do mean small) and military commissaries so I just don't have a lot of choice.

[oregonmama79]

WalMart--for so many reasons!
Any fast food chain....the marketing for all of them is crap. As pp said they make men look stupid, women are sex objects and oh yeah-mcdonald's is a healthy choice for your son or daughter. they may have some "healthy choices", but it is not a superior choice to a homemade luch or dinner. their food is injected with hormones and other yucky stuff. it's frozen and microwaved and overall unhealthy and our children deserve better than processed fatty fast foods. I will now step down from my soap box. I really could go on and on...

[Funny Face]

Originally Posted by MommaShark

Burts Bees - uses fragrance and sold out to Clorox
Tom's of Maine - sold out to Colgate

What do you mean by 'sold out'? Like, Clorox bought Burt's Bees?

I love Burt's Bees.

[Funny Face]

So, a few of mine. Like I said, the more I research the more I find that almost everything we consume in the USA is somehow hurting someone or something but here are the ones I've heard of that I'm currently educated about...

Won't buy diamonds from a store where blood diamonds are possibly being sold (not a huge issue, you can imagine how often I buy diamonds.)

Won't eat at KFC because of the way their chicken is grown and treated.

Won't eat food at McD's because of the same reason. (I have been known to stop in for an icecream cone though.)

Won't be buying chocolate unless it's fair trade. Same for coffee.

I always liked Whole Foods because they are more ecologically conscious and have standards for their suppliers.

Won't buy pampers because of the vaccines they sponsor.

Won't buy Nestle products because of the advertizing issue.

Won't use most cosmetics if they have parabens and other chemicals- that eliminates most of them.

[2xy]

In addition to many of the big ones already covered (Wal-Mart, Nestle, etc.), I won't shop anywhere that uses religious symbols/wording as part of their logo or business name. I'm into inclusiveness.

[mamabadger]

Originally Posted by 2xy

...I won't shop anywhere that uses religious symbols/wording as part of their logo or business name. I'm into inclusiveness.

I am trying to think of examples, other than specifically religious businesses, like Bible bookstores. Do you mean you will not buy things like Yogi tea, Eden Foods products, items with the Star of David "kosher" symbol on them? Do you extend it to things like Blue Nun Wine and Quaker Oats? Or do you only object when there is something particularly non inclusive about the name? Sorry for the third degree, but I have never heard that objection before, and I was curious.