Boycott LL Bean? Why not WalMart also?

[guillaumeb]

If one wishes to boycott LL Bean, a relatively small business, because one family member supported Trump, why stop at LL Bean? WalMart is run by an extreme right wing family of greedy capitalists, as is Amway.

WalMart drains money from communities by demanding, and receiving, tax breaks to build their monster stores. These stores siphon off business from smaller community businesses, and Walmart workers frequently depend on state aid to survive. WalMart is a leech draining money from the economy and putting it into the pockets of 6 people who have a combined wealth greater than the bottom 40% of Americans.

Amway is a classic pyramid selling scheme.

Uber is a scheme to enrich the creator of the app.

Amazon is another plantation employing thousands of poorly paid and constantly surveilled workers.

So why just LL Bean?

[Alex4Martinez]

1. I have been told that Walmart is the only way to feed a family.

Right here on this board.

I disagree, of course, and find ways to put food on my family without enriching my enemies.

[guillaumeb]

3. WalMart jobs are generally not living wage jobs.

WalMart workers often depend on various state aid programs. I understand if people are existing by working multiple jobs that WalMart might be one of those jobs, but people also work at LL Bean and a boycott would also hurt those workers.

[Alex4Martinez]

9. I meant to say "shopping at walmart", not working there, but we agree...

Per a boycott, people often say that there aren't affordable shopping choices.

Well, I'm sure you'll agree that if we give them our money any remaining options will disappear.

Working there is a different matter, I feel sorry for anyone who can't find better but times are hard.

I feel for workers at LL Bean, Starbucks, Amazon, Walmart, but my boycott of these institutions is solid.

Let's use our buying power to support indies or union or employee owned enterprises!

[guillaumeb]

17. Agreed. Shopping at local businesses means the money stays in the community. eom

[tazkcmo]

18. In rural areas it often is.

Many small towns have seen their local grocery stores disappear with the appearance of Walmart Megastores in the area. In those towns where the local grocer has remained open, they're often under cut in pricing.

Good on you for finding an alternative but for some there really is only one realistic source for food, socks, underwear, etc.

[JI7]

38. in some areas it can be because nothing else around

And they don't have time or money to drive out further to shop somewhere else.

[Alex4Martinez]

39. I have lived in very remote places.

I'm sure some folks feel they have no choice about it.

[LanternWaste]

42. I doubt "feel" or "choice" is relevant

I doubt "feel" or "choice" is relevant in regards to the poor feeding their families, regardless of how we may rationalize otherwise about those with which we have little knowledge of particular circumstances.

[Alex4Martinez]

43. People can rationalize all they want, I don't know what people face.

But I sure as hell know that nobody is absolutely forced to shop at WalMart.

Not yet.

But those who do, by choice or by lack thereof, make them stronger.

Am I wrong about that?

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

40. That was on purpose, right?

"...put food on my family."

Good one.

[Orrex]

41. You should also boycott vendors who supply Walmart, then

After all, if you patronize those vendors, then you're helping them to support Walmart. Helping someone to enrich your enemies isn't greatly different from enriching your enemies directly.

If we're going to scold people who have few choices, let's at least be consistent about it.


Walmart is a pox on society as a whole, and for some people it's the only game in town.

[Va Lefty]

2. Been boycotting Walmart for years

[guillaumeb]

4. We never shop there. I am a union retiree who believes in shopping union

if at all possible. And WalMart is ferociously anti-union.

WalMart is the modern plantation.

[HoneyBadger]

28. +1

[Freethinker65]

5. I boycotted Walmart for years

Did my megastore shopping at Target. Then I saw the anti-union Target video. I now figure at least Walmart is upfront about it. I try to avoid both, but if I absolutely need to get something(s) at a big box megastore, I will go to the one most convenient at the time.
There is no good reason to boycott LLBean because of one pro-Trump heiress/board member....Lands End on the other hand....

[guillaumeb]

6. I see the LL Bean thing as symbolic rather than actual.

There are many companies that act in ways that hurt consumers. To single out LL Bean while Betsy DeVoss' Amway is ignored makes no sense.

[tazkcmo]

13. lol Amway

The fact that Amway is even in existence proves a sucker is born often in this country while the closing of Barnum and Bailey's Circus is proof that it's more than every minute. Progress! lol

[guillaumeb]

19. A friend of our family sold Amway products.

She barely broke even and selling is difficult to do.

[Freethinker65]

15. Do ordinary people buy Amway? I thought it was some MLM scam thing?

I should know as I lived over 40 years in Michigan, but I could very well be mistaken (I will google it later). The DeVos's are most definitely boycott worthy though.
LL Bean from a corporate standpoint is an ok company in my opinion and I will not be boycotting it. Just purchased some waterhog door mats from them over the holidays and intend to use my $10 gift card. To each his own boycott I guess.

[cyclonefence]

7. I do boycott Walmart

Also Home Depot.

I can't quit Amazon, though.

[guillaumeb]

11. Amazon is just as anti-worker as WalMart.

And growing bigger all the time. Another plantation style company.

[Freedomofspeech]

12. Never ever shop at Walmart or

Home Depot.

[guillaumeb]

20. Nor do we. But WalMart is looking mainly for the low income segment,

and paying its own employees so little that they can never move from that low income segment.

[ChazII]

27. I am with you on Walmart

and I happy to say that I don't do Amazon. It is just me not liking to do any ordering on line if I can avoid it.

[cyclonefence]

35. Amazon Prime Video

is my drug, and I am its bitch.

[tazkcmo]

8. LL Bean is not what it used to be

They sell mainly Chinese imports with a few American made trinkets (Think flashlight key chain) thrown in the mix. That's reason enough to shop else where if you're looking for high quality, American made or not, products.

As for Walmart, members on this board have been avoiding them for a very long time already so a call to boycott them now would be very late in coming anyway. Many here have been well aware of their greed and poor treatment of their employees even before DU came into existence, so that boat has already sailed.

Personally, I consider every penny I spend as a "vote" of confidence in each business I patronize and I avoid enriching the businesses I disapprove of, when possible.

Having said that, to boycott every business that may have a person in a position of power that supports the GOPee would be almost impossible, especially in this day of global, multi-outlet, diverse businesses such as GE and Johnson and Johnson, two companies that have their hand in almost every facet of the consumer product market. Not to mention the everyday worker bees that are employed by these companies that do NOT support GOPee policies. Do they also deserve our ire for having the audacity to feed their families by working for a Republican?

[guillaumeb]

14. Agreed on your points.

We prefer to shop locally when we can. During spring and summer we go to the farmers' market weekly for produce.

[RBInMaine]

21. They sell MANY U.S. made products including the Bean Boots, canoes, and other items. Because they

went so big and vastly diversified their stock, and because so many of the large volume items are imports everywhere, they were virtually forced to function as other large volume retailers. Their customer service is AWESOME, and they give a lot of money to MANY causes especially environmental causes. They also treat their workers very well.

[tazkcmo]

24. ok

I'm not trying to argue with you. My experience was different when last year I ordered a catalog from LL Bean and was very surprised. I can only repeat what I wrote already to describe what I found.


On edit: Just wanted to add that I know nothing about how they treat employees or their business practices or ethics. Other's experience may be different.

[cwydro]

34. I've been a Bean customer for 30 years or more.

I have clothing, bags, backpacks, and shoes from them that have lasted that long also.

They don't sell "trinkets."

Their customer service is the best. A customer can return ANYTHING at ANYTIME. No questions asked. They'll replace or refund in a skinny minute.

All this nonsense on DU lately has caused me to peruse the latest catalog. Ordered a pair of shoes today.

[Wounded Bear]

10. A lot of folks already do boycott Wallie World...

I hardly ever go there, partly because of geography, partly because of moral feelings.

But I do shop there from time to time. I have relatives and in-laws that work there.

[guillaumeb]

16. I have a couple of friends who work there.

They complain about the pay and their treatment.

Another friend works at Costco. He loves the conditions at his union store.

[RBInMaine]

22. I know people who work at LL Bean and really like it.

[guillaumeb]

23. I have no idea about wages and working conditions at LL Bean.

But have read plenty about WalMart.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

25. I "boycotted" WalMart my entire life until I received a gift card from an employer a few years ago.

We all received a $10 gift card as the Christmas bonus. Well, the managers received thousands of dollars and openly bragged about it like sociopaths.

Anyway, I had never stepped foot inside a WalMart until I used that card. I'd heard about WalMart destroying communities, but the main reason I avoided Walmart was because there wasn't one my immediate area.

Co-workers assumed I was lying about all of the stores that I'd never visited before, but I'm just not much of a shopper.

Just like I expected, WalMart wasn't anything special. Their prices weren't all that low and a bunch of stuff looked cheaply made.

[guillaumeb]

26. And the stores are increasingly understaffed.

Profit for the Walton family is the number 1 goal.

[HAB911]

29. Complete list to boycott

https://grabyourwallet.org/

[guillaumeb]

30. Thanks.

The AFC-CIO also publishes a regular list.

[HAB911]

31. Here in Florida

Walmart hires minimum security, rather abuses tax payer support of police

http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2016/08/how-walmart-makes-you-pay-for-its-lack-of-policing.html

http://ijr.com/2016/05/605662-walmart-is-saving-big-by-not-hiring-store-security-heres-how-everyone-is-footing-the-bill/

[Historic NY]

32. Amazon is hiring 100000 workers all jobs and salaries.....

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2237110

https://amazon.force.com/


I sorry you think cameras in the workplace are bad. You'd be surprised how much stuff goes out the backdoor or over the fence.
No large scale warehouse operation UPS, FedEx, Trucking Co., etc is immune, even the big outlet stores now have them.

[guillaumeb]

44. And how many of those jobs pay a living wage?

WalMart likes to talk about the (very few) Associates who move up to higher level positions, but unless the company is paying a living wage to its employees, those employees are likely to qualify for various forms of Federal and State aid.

And this allows these plantation-style companies to externalize their employee costs onto the US taxpayers.

[Historic NY]

47. Well if you actually looked you'd find out. EOM

[guillaumeb]

48. The question was rhetorical.

And the plantation companies enjoy an advantage over companies that pay a living wage. And taxpayers, presumably including you, pay for this.

[matt819]

33. Not quite

This is kind of like telling someone suffering from depression that he shouldn't because he doesn't have it has bad as others. What the depressive feels is what he feels, regardless of how others feel or who should feel worse because they are in much worse a predicament.

Much of large corporate America is corrupt to the bone. They take massive subsidies. They pay lousy wages further subsidized by government social welfare programs. They are lousy corporate citizens. And that includes companies many of us use every day. As others have observed, if you boycotted every company with a tie of some sort to trump or that contributes widely to RWingers, or is "evil," then we would stop shopping. And eating. And traveling. No DIY jobs at home - can't shop at Home Depot. No driving to Home Depot in the first place because "oil companies." Hell, even organic food providers are well known RW supporters.

You do what you can. If boycotting LL Bean is something you want to do, do it. If you don't shop at Walmart, fine. Sometimes it makes a difference, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it makes you feel good, sometimes it doesn't. Consider the controversy of the minute a few years ago about Target executives' support of anti-LGBT movements. A boycott ensued. I believe that those contributions dropped off and Target is, I think, known as a supporter of LBGT rights, transgender bathroom rights, etc.

If this LLBean boycott makes a small difference - Linda Bean off the board of directors - then it will have worked. And the message goes out that at least a portion of their market is concerned about these issues. If they aren't, well, there might be a price to pay.

[maxrandb]

36. Hell

If I could make it happen I'd have a nationwide strike and buy nothing from anywhere!!!

That's how critical and important stopping this freak show is

[guillaumeb]

46. WalMart and Amazon are big contributors to the wage stagnation problem.

WalMart is the largest US employer. Second is the US Postal Service.

One company has many thousands of employees receiving welfare benefits because the company pays so little, and the other pays its unionized workers a living wage with good benefits.

Care to guess which is which?

[JI7]

37. walmart IS usually on the boycott list

[guillaumeb]

45. I know it is generally on the AFC-CIO list. eom