Boycotts!

[The_Squid]

"Lets look at China."

This sentence in another thread inspired this topic...

Do you boycott any products? From certain countries? From certain retailers?

China

I have not bought anything from China for years. Buying shoes is difficult... but not impossible.

Toy recalls... melamine, lead... sweat-shops... Human rights.... all reasons I do this.

Walmart

I won't go there. Don't like their labour practices, their products or their shoppers.

Tell us about your boycotts!!

[eyeball]

I mostly boycott political parties that can't fall over themselves fast enough to open up even more trade with China.

I guess I'm really pissing against the wind.

Edited December 19, 2011 by eyeball

[guyser]

I have not bought anything from China for years. Buying shoes is difficult... but not impossible.

How can you be sure?

"Made in ______" is not the same as 'Assembled in ______"

Parts and parts of compnoents could be sourced there and assembled here? I try too, but I am not willing to go that extra mile.

Still have never gone in a Wal Mart though. Nothing I need is in there that cannot be sourced elsewhere.

[Moonlight Graham]

How can you be sure?

"Made in ______" is not the same as 'Assembled in ______"

Parts and parts of compnoents could be sourced there and assembled here? I try too, but I am not willing to go that extra mile.

Yup, it's really hard. A t-shirt can have cotton grown/produced in China but the shirt actually made in India or even the USA/Canada.

WalMart sucks. I still go there, but I really shouldn't. It's so very difficult to consume goods ethically since there's so much exploitation in this world and our economy and standard of living is quite simply based on it for the most part. But the attempt is noble, and everyone should try.

[Michael Hardner]

Still have never gone in a Wal Mart though.

Maybe you and I are the only ones who haven't.

[Bonam]

I haven't been either. I don't care about the ethical issues so much, but I like to buy higher quality products, and in any case I've always lived in areas where other stores that carried what I needed were more conveniently located.

[dre]

Maybe you and I are the only ones who haven't.

I dont shop at Walmart either, and havent for years. But I did shop there a couple of times prior to it being added to my no-shop list.

I also dont buy super market meat, except for chicken the odd time. We eat mostly elk and salmon for meat. When we buy beef and chicken its almost always from the local farmers market. Sames goes for all our veggies and most of our fruit.

The food choices are as much about health as ethics I guess. Elk is superior meat to beef and we have a whole bunch of people that put in for tags. I catch my own fish because its fun as hell to go fishing,

Edited December 20, 2011 by dre

[olp1fan]

Screw boycotting.. I'm not rich enough to buy Canadian so I'll go anywhere.. Walmart and Future Shop mostly

[The_Squid]

Yes, I understand about the components and/or raw materials coming from ChIna. I do my best to avoid those, but I'm sure that things slip by....

I avoid grocery store meat as well. Buy meat locally grown. It's much better! Free range, hormone-free and all that!

[dre]

Yes, I understand about the components and/or raw materials coming from ChIna. I do my best to avoid those, but I'm sure that things slip by....

I avoid grocery store meat as well. Buy meat locally grown. It's much better! Free range, hormone-free and all that!

I got bitten in the ass by this lately. I recycled two 600 gallon propane tanks to use as heat sinks in my home heating system. I used cheap cast fittings from China and when I welded them to the tanks I got a lot of the popping and fizzing you get welding steel with a lot of impurities. Every single weld leaked. I had to grind all of the fittings off, and bought fittings made in the US (also cast) and not one single weld leaked.

Im pretty sure this is due to the well known chinese process of grinding up small children to use as filler in industrial materials

[Bryan]

From now on, I'm boycotting any company that announces that they are boycotting something else.

Starting with Chiquita and their boycott on Alberta oil.

[Boges]

I'm going to boycott this thread.

[The_Squid]

I'm going to boycott this thread.

We appreciate it....

[Vendetta]

I boycott any business that openly supports the Conservative party of Canada, and any business that I know is owned by a Con supporter. (I'll admit that sometimes I will purposely not look into this regarding some products that I really want to buy. Please nobody post the political leanings of Ubisoft Montreal, unless they are Harper -haters like me.)

[Wild Bill]

I boycott any business that openly supports the Conservative party of Canada, and any business that I know is owned by a Con supporter. (I'll admit that sometimes I will purposely not look into this regarding some products that I really want to buy. Please nobody post the political leanings of Ubisoft Montreal, unless they are Harper -haters like me.)

I'd like to do the same with any business that openly supports the NDP or is owned by an NDP supporter. Unfortunately, there aren't any!

They drove them all into bankruptcy, by not having the faintest clue how business works!

[Scotty]

I do not shop at Wal-Mart. That is not merely because I disapprove of their business practices, however, their scorched earth capitalism and the way they treat their employees. It's also because of the intertwined nature of their business with China Inc (a wholly owned subsidiary of the Chinese Communist government). And, to be honest, their stuff is generally crap, and I like to buy nice things.

Boycotting China generally is impossible. However, I will pay extra to avoid purchasing something from China if a choice is available. I will not invest in a Chinese company or any company which does any substantial amount of business with China.

China's Bloody Harvest of Human Body Parts

[kimmy]

I also make a conscious choice to buy Canadian or North American made products over Chinese products whenever I have the option and as long as it's not an undue expense.

I also do not buy from companies who have gone out of their way to offend me with their advertising. Not always easy... I haven't bought a Mott's product for years, but Mott's is just a part of some big conglomerate who probably have so many subsidiaries that you wouldn't be able to keep track of them all.

-k

[Bob]

I do not shop at Wal-Mart. That is not merely because I disapprove of their business practices, however, their scorched earth capitalism and the way they treat their employees. It's also because of the intertwined nature of their business with China Inc (a wholly owned subsidiary of the Chinese Communist government). And, to be honest, their stuff is generally crap, and I like to buy nice things.

Boycotting China generally is impossible. However, I will pay extra to avoid purchasing something from China if a choice is available. I will not invest in a Chinese company or any company which does any substantial amount of business with China.

China's Bloody Harvest of Human Body Parts

Wal-Mart is probably the greatest deflationary force in America and Canada today, and its held that position for many years now. On balance, it's probably impossible to advance an argument that Wal-Mart has had a negative impact on America and Canada beyond the benefits it's delivered (i.e. being the biggest party of the machinery increasing the trade deficit, while greatly reducing the costs of living for Americans).

You seem to be inching close to typical leftist anti-Wal-Mart ("we hate greedy corporations!") rhetoric, invoking "business policies" that you disagree with and implying (incorrectly) that Wal-Mart systematically mistreats its employees - which is a particularly strange assertion when it's been demonstrated time and again that when compared with similar positions at comparable companies, like Target, Wal-Mart pays higher salaries and provides more value through benefits packages, as well as having higher rates of employee retention. Methinks you should stop watching Robert Greenwald videos.

Edited December 26, 2011 by Bob

[Moonlight Graham]

Boycotting China generally is impossible. However, I will pay extra to avoid purchasing something from China if a choice is available. I will not invest in a Chinese company or any company which does any substantial amount of business with China.

Why only China? There are many developing countries providing us with goods/labour that have poor practices.

Edited December 26, 2011 by Moonlight Graham

[The_Squid]

Why only China? There are many developing countries providing us with goods/labour that have poor practices.

Well, it's a good start.....

[Wild Bill]

Wal-Mart is probably the greatest deflationary force in America and Canada today, and its held that position for many years now. On balance, it's probably impossible to advance an argument that Wal-Mart has had a negative impact on America and Canada beyond the benefits it's delivered (i.e. being the biggest party of the machinery increasing the trade deficit, while greatly reducing the costs of living for Americans).

You seem to be inching close to typical leftist anti-Wal-Mart ("we hate greedy corporations!") rhetoric, invoking "business policies" that you disagree with and implying (incorrectly) that Wal-Mart systematically mistreats its employees - which is a particularly strange assertion when it's been demonstrated time and again that when compared with similar positions at comparable companies, like Target, Wal-Mart pays higher salaries and provides more value through benefits packages, as well as having higher rates of employee retention. Methinks you should stop watching Robert Greenwald videos.

I pretty much agree with everything you say. It's just that I can't get past the loss of jobs. It's hard to take advantage of a sale when you don't have any money anyway.

Eventually things adjust. It's just that the rate of change has been such that many folks have not been able to adapt in time. Moreover, some traditional less expensive modes of living are now legislated away. In the 50's, many folks lived in boarding houses. Setting up such a house was much easier in those days. You just put a sign on your porch! Today you face so many local bylaws and regulations as to make it all but impossible.

Watch old movies and tv shows from the early 50's and if you pay attention to the background you will see what I mean. In a Superman episode featuring "Professor SmartAss" as a character helping Superman solve a crime that particular day the good professor is shown living in a boarding house. For an older bachelor it was a common, practical and perfectly acceptable way to live. Much cheaper than even a small apartment.

My point is that many of the less expensive factors of yore are no longer available to the average person today. Your income drops but achieving a compensating drop in expenses is not so easy.

[Boges]

Well, it's a good start.....

I'm breaking my boycott for a brief moment. Do you own or aspire to own an Apple Computer, or any Apple related products?

[cybercoma]

Mott's is just a part of some big conglomerate who probably have so many subsidiaries that you wouldn't be able to keep track of them all.

-k

It's really impossible to boycott major companies these days for this reason. You would be amazed at some of the conglomerates out there. One of the biggest examples is Masco Corporation. They own Delta faucets, Arrow fasteners (largest staple gun brand), Behr paints, Brasscraft (major plumbing parts manufacturer), KraftMaid cabinets, and more. You can see the full list here: http://www.masco.com/our_companies/segment_list.html

Now that's just a single conglomerate that specializes in home improvement products. I'm certain there are others out there.

Let's say Delta runs an offensive commercial, so you boycott them. Perhaps you run into Home Depot because you need a plumbing fitting. You end up buying something from Brasscraft, then pickup some Arrow staples on your way out the door. Ultimately, you have just profited Masco, whom you're boycotting via Delta.

The argument could be made, though, that Masco would drop or sell off Delta if it was no longer profitable as a division of their company. In that case, boycottin gthe individual brands does hurt the parent company in some way and may make them consider restructuring or eliminating that brand. Ultimately, however, the parent companies diversify themselves so well that it's nearly impossibe to target them. And besides direct ownership, many companies own shares in their competitors as an "insurance" of sorts. If their stocks start dropping, but their competitors' stocks increase, it creates a sort of buffer. The telecommunications companies in Canada do this.

[cybercoma]

I'm not boycotting any companies, but I'm currently boycotting smartphone plans from all the telecommunications providers in Canada. Unfortunately, no one else has seemed to catch on to the fact that our cellphone plans in Canada are way out of whack with most other countries. I absolutely refuse to pay between $65-70 per month for a phone that has limits on data, text and talk time. In the US, there are companies offering unlimited talk, text, and data for as low as $45 per month. The problem, however, is that people here pay it, so I feel my boycott is futile. Nevertheless, forget Rogers, Bell, and Telus. I'm not paying it.

[Boges]

I'm not boycotting any companies, but I'm currently boycotting smartphone plans from all the telecommunications providers in Canada. Unfortunately, no one else has seemed to catch on to the fact that our cellphone plans in Canada are way out of whack with most other countries. I absolutely refuse to pay between $65-70 per month for a phone that has limits on data, text and talk time. In the US, there are companies offering unlimited talk, text, and data for as low as $45 per month. The problem, however, is that people here pay it, so I feel my boycott is futile. Nevertheless, forget Rogers, Bell, and Telus. I'm not paying it.

I 100% agree but I'm really tempted to jump into the smartphone game. Keeping up with the Jones's and such.

Unless you require it for your work, paying $25+ to access up a gig of information on a mobile phone is offensive. Do you really need to check facebook when you're out with friends.