Would You Bust Your Budget to Boycott a Business?

Empty Wallet

Image courtesy of scottchan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We have a running joke at my house that I should never tell my brother-in-law where I purchased the food I cook for him when he visits. When I happen to accidentally say it out loud he plugs his ears with his fingers and loudly repeats, “LA LA LA LA LA LA LA,” as to try to tune out what I’m saying. The reason being that the vast majority of our grocery shopping is done at Walmart. He refuses to shop there because he disagrees with how Walmart generally pays and treats its employees.

These kinds of boycotts are not uncommon. You may know of many other similar reasons why people choose not to buy certain products, or shop at certain stores:

  • Automobiles : There are people that will purchase only vehicles from American automobile companies in order to support US based companies and help our local economy.
  • Tuna: Some people boycott buying canned tuna because the fishing techniques also catch dolphins and cause their deaths unnecessarily.
  • Clothing: Many clothing companies have their products manufactured oversees in factories with questionable labor practices including low pay and use of child labor.
  • Political beliefs : There have several instances recently of calls for boycotts of certain companies due to the political beliefs of the CEO.
  • Bad Customer Experience: I know a little about this category. I have been boycotting a specific Subway location due to a horrible experience I had a few years ago.

The reasons for these consumer choices range from patriotism, to strong beliefs in how workers should be paid and treated, to refusing to give your hard earned money to a company that to them represents a fundamental difference on a major political or social issue.

Boycotting a business or product could cause one or more changes in a person’s personal behavior including:

  • Use of less familiar alternate products
  • Use of potentially less quality products
  • Use of more expensive products
  • Inconveniencing yourself

But in some cases, choosing to take your business elsewhere could actually cost you money. Take the case of my brother-in-law. If I would follow his lead, and choose to shop at at different grocery store, I’m positive that my grocery bill would go up.

Would you be willing to boycott a business if it meant potentially breaking your budget?

For me, that answer is, “No,” for a couple of reasons:

  1. My primary focus is providing for my family in the easiest and most budget friendly way.
  2. Most boycotts come down to disagreeing with a company’s practices or the beliefs of their leadership. If someone chooses to take their business somewhere else for that kind of difference of opinion, more power to them. But in my opinion, I wonder if investigated any company deeply enough, one would find a business practice, vendor, or executive belief that one would disagree with for any company. If we would be consistent with our boycotting, we’d be left with very few (if any) companies we’d be willing to do business with.

These discussions are always interesting to have with my brother-in-law as we differ in perspective on many subjects. I’m shocked by his willingness to pay more to selectively boycott a business, and he’ll never understand how I can walk into certain businesses, spend my money, and be OK with it. We know that will change each other’s mind, but it’s always fun to try.

Would you willingly raise your monthly costs over a difference of opinion?

About Travis

52 Responses to “Would You Bust Your Budget to Boycott a Business?”

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  1. I’m sure there is always a way to find an alternative if you don’t agree with a certain merchants practices. Is Wal-mart the only store that offers food at the low prices? I guess it really depends on issue, but generally my families well being ,including budget is my top priority.

    • Travis says:

      I personally have no problem with Walmart (my brother-in-law, however, does), Brian. Which is why I continue to shop there. Where they get their products, and how they treat their employees is not my matter to worry about. They are breaking no laws (from what I know), and if we want to change the regulations, then they’ll have to comply.

      • Got that Travis. I was just stating in general. If someone doesn’t agree with certain business for whatever reason, I’m sure you could find a similar low cost option. I’m sure you bro-in-law ate well! 🙂

        • Travis says:

          You’re probably right – other low cost options are probably available in many areas. I think I would have to switch product brands, and run around town to a bunch of different places though. Great conversation, Brian – always nice to hear your perspective!

  2. I always boycotted Dominos based on their pouncy religious beliefs. I don’t care what THEY think, just don’t impose your beliefs on others. /endrant. 🙂 I spend more on quality meats from not only an ethical standpoint, but a health one as well. I could buy the really cheap chicken, but I just don’t feel good about it. But that definitely affects the budget.

    • Travis says:

      Hmm, I can’t say I’ve even heard of Dominos’ religious beliefs….however I despise their pizza, so that’s why i don’t give them any business. 🙂

  3. MomCents says:

    I haven’t boycotted large organizations based on CEO agendas – I mean, there have been things I don’t agree with, but nothing that has pushed me to that limit. Now, when something offends me on a personal level, I choose to take my business elsewhere. There are restaurants and take-out places I wont go to anymore because I didn’t like the way I was treated.

    • Travis says:

      Personal customer service issues is one of the ONLY reasons I will boycott a business. I couldn’t care less what the CEO or any member of their staff thinks. Give me a product at a reasonable price, and I’m all over it. Thanks for your thoughts, Momcents!

  4. I don’t shop at Wal-Mart, not because of ‘politics’ but because I don’t like Wal-Mart and we’ve got better alternatives locally. There are businesses I won’t patronize because I don’t like the ownership or management policies. But I suspect if I investigated the ‘morals’ of every business before buying, first, I wouldn’t be doing much else and, second, my boycott list would get very, very long. Capitalism tends to be cutthroat and brutal–that’s the way it is.

    • Travis says:

      Exactly my point, Kurt….boycotting a business because someone made a huge deal about a policy or the beliefs of the CEO is extremely selective. Like you said, if you investigate deep enough your boycott list would get impossibly long!

    • Lizzy says:

      Perhaps The problem is capitalism ?

      • Travis says:

        Every economic philosophy has it’s downfalls, but I’d take capitalism over any other philosophy any day, Lizzy. Thanks for reading!

  5. This topic hits home for me! I really would like to become a “Fair Trade” consumer and also to buy organic food products, but in the end, I go with what works with our debt-reduction efforts. It doesn’t sit entirely well with me, but I tell myself, “This is for the short term while we’re getting our financial act together.” Once we’re debt-free, I probably will pay more to shop with a clear conscience. As you say, there are so many potential hot-button issues out there. Each one of us has to decide what is truly important for us, shop accordingly – and then NOT try to guilt other people to do the same.

    • Travis says:

      Thanks for sharing your perspective, Prudence – even as our financial picture improves I STILL shop at the stores that give me the best price. Frugality is a tough one to shake. 🙂

  6. US only automobiles? Never understood why people would buy a union made Chevy or Ford truck when they can get a Toyota Tundra built in San Antonio, Texas union free… Most Japanese brands are made here in the U.S.

    HS

    • Travis says:

      Good point, HS – the lines of what is an American made car is really fuzzy at this point. The company may be American, but much of the product is assembled elsewhere.

  7. Kathy says:

    We’ve switched from buying only American brand cars to specifically not buying American brand cars due to the union practices. And before anyone vilifies me for being anti-union, my husband was a union president for 8 years and both of us union members during our entire working life. I don’t like that during the GM and Chrysler bail-outs, the bankruptcy law was circumvented to force the bondholders to take a loss in order to protect the unions and give them an ownership stake. This decision to boycott GM lost us a ton of credit card reward points accumulated for the purchase of a new car. So while it didn’t necessarily bust the budget, it did cause us some financial harm.

    • Travis says:

      I’d never vilify anyone for being anti-union, Kathy. I’m extremely anti-union. The good thing for me is, I don’t have to worry about boycotting on the basis of a company being union based…since they drive the cost up anyway. Thanks for your thoughts!

  8. JD says:

    First, I should state we live in an extremely small town and choices are relatively limited. We choose not to shop Walmart for various reasons and do go there on rare occasions. We have found we can consistently beat their prices at another local grocery store. The store we shop offers customer rewards including money off their gas, various reward coupons for cash, free products or so many cents off an item. We look after our money and shop for value and better terms for the company’s employees.

    • Travis says:

      I’m surprised that a small town business can beat Walmart’s prices, JD. But hey, if you can beat or match them, more power to you! Thanks for reading!

  9. Ooh yeah!!! This hit home for me too! Last year I canceled cable, and now that I’m just over 1 year in, I decided to reevaluate my plan. Nightmare from Comcast hell!! I won’t get into all the details because I’m about to do a full blog post on it, but basically I was left with a bad Comcast taste in my mouth and decided I would pay more with verizon JUST BECAUSE Comcast totally dropped the ball in my recent dealings with them!!!! Great post and right on time 🙂

    Serena @ Thrift Diving

    • Stephanie says:

      Oh my!! I rushed over here to vent on my Comcast experience too! I deal with very slow internet speeds and higher monthly bills just to stay away from them.

      I wouldn’t say I’m busting my budget, but I am making sacrifices and I’d rather flat do without than return to their service.

    • Travis says:

      Glad you enjoyed the post, Serena – I’ve never EVER heard of anyone having a great experience with Comcast. NO ONE. Looking forward to seeing your post!

  10. I’ve been thinking about this A LOT recently. The only way to vote (that really matters) is with your dollars, so I try to patronize businesses that practice the same beliefs and business practices that I do. The documentary “We’re Not Broke” on Netflix though got me wondering if those businesses exist though 🙁

    • Travis says:

      That’s my point, Stefanie…dig deep enough and somewhere in the chain of vendors, ownership, or employees will stand for something, or have business practices that we do not agree with. My vote is for making things as easy as possible for my family. Great to year from you!

  11. E.M. says:

    I am with Prudence on this one – right now, we’re trying to make sure our budget stays low in an effort to pay off our student loans, so we do shop at Walmart occasionally. Thankfully, there’s also a Target down the street, so we usually shop there, but I’ll try and get the best deals wherever possible. This will definitely be changing once we’re debt free, as I’d love to support smaller and local businesses more.

    • Travis says:

      I dunno, EM, I walk into Walmart and see something for a price – then walk into Target or a regional grocery store and see it priced 25 to 50% higher. I just can’t justify taking the extra money out of my family’s pockets. But that’s my own personal choice!

  12. Milissa says:

    We do not shop at Walmart for exactly the same reason.

    We vote with our dollars, and Walmart will not be getting ours.

    Yes, we do pay more for our groceries, but I feel good about buying them from our local farmers. We are keeping the dollars at home.

  13. In a word, no. I would love to say that I’m enough of an idealist that I would wreck my budget to boycott a company, but unfortunately, our budget cannot withstand a big hit. Honestly, our budget can’t stand any hit at all. However, once we’re out of debt, maybe 🙂

    • Travis says:

      I agree, retired by 40 – and at this point my budget could handle a higher grocery bill. I just don’t see the point in spending more for the same products, however. Thanks for commenting!

  14. Isabelle says:

    After reading the book ‘Nickel and Dimes’, I sure don’t shop at Walmart. I realize there is most likely other stores with the same bad practices and I should avoid them too but I just don’t know which ones… I don’t mind spending more at another store, I just sleep better at night. However, if I had debt, I would most likely forget my principles and shop there to save a few dollars…

    • Travis says:

      There’s something to be said for sleeping better at night, Isabelle…for me getting the most for my dollar is what makes me sleep better. 🙂 Thanks for reading and commenting!

  15. Maria Nedeva says:

    You know what? I’m one of those who will. I believe that we have power through consumption (after all this is what we’ve been cast as since the end of the last world war, as ‘consumers’) and we should exercise this power responsibly. I always buy ‘free range’ eggs, I stopped shopping in Primark (large shop for cheap clothes) because they use semi-slave labour etc. What concerns me though is not the moral discretion I can affect through responsible consumption in the cases when ‘I know’ but the cases when ‘I don’t know’. What if the same slave factories make clothes for Marks & Spenser’s? What is the factories that employ children and pay women very little close; what will happen to these children and women?

    There is so much more to be done about responsible consumption.

    • Travis says:

      I agree that we must protect employees and those that make the products we purchase. BUT, I think the correct way to address that, Maria, is through legislation and regulations. thanks for your thoughts!

  16. Kevin Vesga says:

    I think I would only boycott a business due to “Bad Customer Experience”. Otherwise I really don’t care so long as the business provides a product or service I use at a competitive price.

    • Travis says:

      We agree, Kevin, personal experience is *definitely* a reason for me to stop frequenting a business. If a business wants to treat me poorly, then they don’t want or deserve my money!

  17. We used to boycott companies or products from time to time, and still do on occasion (although I would venture to say that we just choose not to buy from them any longer) but like you said, if we investigated deep enough, we likely wouldn’t find any companies that do things exactly as we would do them, so what’s truly the point? And at this point, getting my family out of debt is top priority, so we go where we can spend less. Great post, Travis!

    • Travis says:

      Thanks Laurie, sounds like we have a similar perspective. Even though I’m in a much better financial place than a few years ago, I *still* look for the best financial option for my family. I’m anxious to see what your choice will be when you are further along in your journey. Thanks for reading!

  18. Kim says:

    I feel that way about our local Walmart, but I think it might just be that one location. I don’t think they treat their employees well, but I wouldn’t say they are worse than any other big corporation that hires minimum wage workers. I’ve only been to Walmart twice since the beginning of the year and have bought everything else at the grocery or on Amazon. It takes a bit more searching for sales and using coupons to compete with prices on some items, but the main staples like bread, milk, apples, etc are not any more expensive at Kroger. I do still use the pharmacy at Walmart. It is much less than the other options in town and you can’t really coupon on prescriptions.

    • Travis says:

      Stores of the same type also seem to vary by location here too, Kim. We have two Walmarts nearby – the one closest is seemingly well run, well stocked, and overall well maintained. The other one, not so much! It’s also about convenience too – The one closest is literally within a mile or so from my house. I just cannot justify traveling further AND paying more. thanks for sharing your thoughts!

  19. Michelle says:

    I don’t bust my budget and I make a very conscious effort to spend my values. I think it’s pretty easy to spend your values without being crazy 🙂

    • Travis says:

      There’s always a balance, right Michelle? For me it’s all about personal experience. Treat me right, and I’ll be coming back. Great to hear from you!

  20. I definitely am willing to boycott a company if needed. I still am pretty opposed to purchasing GM cars because they were bailed out. I’m also really considering looking into the food I consume to a greater degree. I think some of the abuses in the farming industry have gotten out of hand and are completely unnecessary in today’s day and age. I recently switched to cage free eggs even though they are more expensive.

    • Travis says:

      Interesting, DC, I’ve never heard of anyone boycotting a car company because of the bailout….did they repay the money as they were supposed to?

  21. Michelle says:

    I have boycotted Jimmy John’s after there was postings on facebook from the owner that he was hunting exotic and endangered wildlife. I just went to a different franchise. It ended up costing basically the same. I still won’t go back.

    • Travis says:

      Shopping your values AND not costing you any money – best of both worlds, right? I wonder if you investigated really deeply the owner or top management of your current franchise what you may find though…..thanks for reading!

  22. My friends have the same running joke with me. Whenever they buy something from Walmart and I ask where they bought it, they tell me they went to “Blue Target” Haha. You’re right though, I’m sure if you research deeply into any company, you’ll find something fishy. I guess my issue with Walmart is that their issues don’t need to be dug up – their issues are on display for all to see! But ultimately, what it comes down to, is having the flexibility to shop your values. If you’re in a bind, you really have no right to be picky about where you shop. But if you’re financially independent or you can afford to do so, you have the power to shop in alignment with your values.

  23. kayjay71 says:

    Sometimes Wal-Mart is not the closest location to make purchases from in which case why would I spend more time and gas to drive all the way to Wal-Mart driving past a minimum of 5 other grocery locations. The location closest to our house is 9 miles away…there are 7 cub foods within 5 miles and 4 byerlys locations-it makes more sense to shop closer. Also the closest location is not in an ideal neighborhood with ideal shoppers…I’ve been there…I was frightened. That location is not like other locations (I’ve been to perfectly fine ones)…in the end…my time and gas and safety are worth more than driving out of the way…I will however shop at Trader Joes because they are cheaper (and closer) and apparently they are allegedly the same as Wal-Mart.

    • Good point, Kayjay71 – sometimes convenience is definitely worth paying a little extra for…and safety ALWAYS is worth it. I don’t know if I agree that Trader Joes is cheaper though…..the few times I’ve been in there the stuff is all much more expensive than your average grocery store. Maybe I need to look again?!? Thanks for reading!

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