The holiday shopping season, stretching from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, typically brings a surge in consumer spending. However, this year, the No Kings Alliance and the movement known as “We Ain’t Buying It” are calling on the public to refrain from purchases at major retailers as a form of protest against corporate ties to government policies they view as harmful. The campaign specifically targets Amazon, Home Depot, and Target over allegations of complicity with federal actions seen as oppressive or discriminatory.
According to the organizers, Target is being criticized for yielding to political pressure aimed at dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Home Depot faces backlash for allegedly permitting ICE agents to conduct detentions on its premises, while Amazon is accused of financially supporting policies that benefited its own tax interests through political influence. Protest leaders argue that consumer spending power can serve as a tool for civic resistance.
Carrie Bowie of the Michiana Alliance for Democracy emphasized the importance of solidarity, stating that people must unite in defense of civil liberties and protect those targeted without justification. She described the boycott as a collective stance in support of human rights and social justice.
Despite the scale of the protest—with over five million reportedly participating in No Kings demonstrations—economic experts question its financial impact. Jeffrey Campbell, an economics professor at Notre Dame, noted that delaying purchases only marginally affects retailers, comparing the effect to reduced shopping during extreme weather events. He pointed out that such actions rarely alter corporate earnings significantly, especially in a nation of 350 million where 5 million participants represent about 3 percent of the population.
Still, both Campbell and Bowie agree that the primary goal isn’t economic disruption but rather a visible expression of shared values. The boycott functions more as a symbolic act to signal disapproval than as a strategy to force corporate restructuring.
— news from WSBT
— News Original —
No Kings Alliance joins ‘We Ain’t Buying it’ economic boycott of major stores
From Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, it’s a major boom for retailers. n nOrganizers of the No Kings Alliance and the “We ain ‘t buying it” campaign are urging Americans to withhold their purchasing power to protest “corporations enabling the Trump Administration ‘s abuses of power.” n n”Well, we have to stand together; we have to stand together for inclusion. We have to stand together for each other ‘s rights. We have to stand together for those people that are being grabbed off the streets for no good reason,” said Carrie Bowie, Michiana Alliance for Democracy. n nAmazon, Home Depot, and Target are the focus of a joint boycott from No Kings and We Ain’t Buying It. n nAccording to the campaign’s website: n n”This action is taking direct aim at Target, for caving to this administration’s biased attacks on DEI; Home Depot, for allowing and colluding with ICE to kidnap our neighbors on their properties; and Amazon, for funding this administration to secure their own corporate tax cuts.” n nNo Kings ‘ Protests this year saw more than five million participants. n nWSBT 22 asked how the economy would suffer if many people participated in the economic boycott. n n”Saying that you ‘re going to delay your purchases has no impact on the retailers above, forcing them to carry inventory for a few after days. And that ‘s really a very minor, very, very minor thing,” said Jefferey Campbell, Notre Dame professor of economics. n nCampbell compared the impact to when a polar vortex hits and people stay home and stop shopping. n nBoth Campbell and Bowie said it’s not about impacting the company ‘s bottom line, but rather showing a unified demonstration of beliefs. n n”America is a big place. Five million people participated in the No Kings marches, according to the organizers. We ‘re a country of 350 million people. So this is a minority of about 3% trying to dictate the political affiliations of large businesses that serve everybody,” said Campbell. n nCampbell emphasized that boycotts like these are intended to disrupt the market.