Question about boycotting GOP supporting businesses

[dr.strangelove]

I have seen a few threads during the past week or so about boycotting businesses that give to the GOP. I have thought about boycotting the Target I usually shop in and several of the shops in the local mall.

I am having a very hard time doing this though.

I come from a union family. My grandpa was a union plumber and my dad and uncles were teamsters. At my core I am a union first democrat. I have a very hard time boycotting union shops.

The Target by me is a union-shop. The target workers union is active and strong in this store. Several stores at the mall are staffed by local retailer union members.

These unions, and their members, are huge Democrat Supporters. They give money in the wallet and give votes at the polls.

I just can't boycott union shops, just because they work at places where the bosses kick money to the GOP.

I need some feedback, because I am still trying to decide on this issue. The target is my biggest concern. The target workers union fought long and hard for approval two years ago. I gave some free legal advise and time to their cause. They won support and recently got double time for those working stock on christmas day and time and a half for those on Dec 24. I was very proud to read this in the local paper and want to support the union by shopping where they work.

This isn't about buying from other union shops that don;t give to the GOP. It about this particular store. These guys worked hard to get protection and now their work is showing through the organized marketing of their labor. I want to support these employees and this store. I want my money to go into their pockets too. I want to shop to show them I support their hard work.

Feedback please. Thanks for your time.

[Radical Activist]

1. Target isn't so bad

I always shop there over Wal Mart, which is clearly an evil company. In the end, you have to shop SOMEWHERE don't you? Most corporations give to both parties. If you decide to not shop at stores whose owners have given to the Republicans the result is that you will never shop anywhere again. If you live in a large city and can shop only in locally owned business that may be an option. But, the rest of us have to shop someplace. Target and Costco would be my first choices.

[dr.strangelove]

4. Target did give overwhelmingly to the GOP this past year

I think they were in the high 90th percentile. But you are right. I have to consider many things when I consider where to shop.

[Left Is Write]

21. Can you link me to where this information is located?

I've been searching, and all I can find is soft money donations for the 2000 election cycle (which noted a 94% giving to Republicans).

I've always been a big supporter of Target, having come from Minnesota. If the Target Corporation has become a big Republican supporter - and I'm a bit skeptical until I see all the numbers of actual contributions to Republican causes vs. Democratic causes - it would be a crying shame for the company founded by the Dayton family (as in Mark Dayton, Democratic senator from MN).

I've always liked Target's spirit of community, and their well-known generous gifts to philanthropic causes. I will always choose Target over WalMart.

[Maat]

2. I know what you mean.

I've decided that I am not 'boycotting,' but directing my $ to progressive businesses when I can. This fits in with my faith's philosophy of not trying to hurt someone or someting, but rather focusing on directing your positive energies towards your goals. I belong to Church of Religious Science.

I, personally, have decided, taking all factors into consideration, to shop at Target. I avoid Wal-Mart for the vast majority of the time (exception: when my hubby drags me in - but he is getting better).

[Starlight]

20. That's what I'm doing, too.

I live in a major metropolitan area & I have a lot to choose from, but I generally do most of my shopping at a handful of stores that I've decided "deserve" my dollars. I check out their political giving as well as their labor & environmental records on these sites:

http://www.followyourmoney.com/

http://www.responsibleshopper.org/

I prefer that corporations stay out of politics entirely, so IMO "No Political Giving Information" is even better than donations to Democrats, but either either one is acceptable.

[Pirate Smile]

3. I love Target and hate Walmart. Boycott Walmart. Wasn't it

about not allowing the Salvation Army to put up their collection pots outside Target doors for Christmas that was why some people were calling for a boycott? I haven't paid that much attention but I did see that.

I'm impressed that anybody managed to get a new union shop going in the current political environment. Great for them!

[dr.strangelove]

5. There was some activity about the Salvation Army thing

but the campaign donations came out last week and Target was up there on the GOP side.

As for the union vote, it waqs a hard battle, and Target pulled out all the old tricks. Even flat out bribes. It was not pretty. But they won, and they are getting the benefit.

[cally]

6. I support Union shops when possible

I try to support local businesses, Dem supporters and Union shops. Many factors go into who I boycott.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. I think you can make an exception in this case

I know target is not overall Union... and I am glad to hear one of the stores IS UNION.

Now any other target I woudl not...

That said, try to join us with ohter GOP suporting bidnezz, can we say Walmart?

Or non union Targets

[dr.strangelove]

9. There are a few Target Union shops

Check out this site for some info if you are in a non-union target store.

http://www.targetunion.org/

[Raenelle]

12. Yeah, pro-Union makes up for a lot of other defects.

In fact, I'd take a pro-Union Repub over an anti-Union Dem , , , if such an imaginary animal actually existed.

[Mike Niendorff]

8. I think the most important thing to do is just get the information out

The fact that we're paying attention and voting with our dollars is what matters.

Personally, I'm of the "throw a dart" school of thought -- as in: throw a dart at a list of Republican-supporting businesses and stop shopping at whoever it hits. But I also understand that there are people who will approach questions like this differently. The key point is to put the economic information out there so that people can act on it as they see fit, and so that people who don't want their money going into the pockets of Bush-supporting businesses will have a reliable basis to work from.

</.02>


MDN

[SoCalDem]

10. I think you just need an awareness. (which you have)

a Traget that is union vs walmart.. you just choose the best one. and you might encourage others.

a letter to the store manager informing him of WHy you chose his store vs Walmart, WILL make it to the next managers' meeting..

I once wrote a complimentary letter to a grocery store manager about how helpful his staff was, and how I like the store.. I got a thank you letter, a personal phone call, and a special "cookie card" for my kids (I had to shop with THREE boys 2,3 & 7..the letter regarded the help I got with them on a particularly frazzled shopping trip)..

It was a new store, and when they did a write-up in the paper, they printed my letter to the manager..

A single letter is very valuable to a store manager..and a company CEO..

[pelagius]

13. There's a casual restaurant in my town that I eat at...

...a couple of times a week. I know the owner and his family. I found out the business donated $300 to the Republican Senate Committee. I walked in and caught the owner behind the counter.

"Tim," I said, "What's this I hear about you giving money to the Republicans? Maybe me and my Democratic friends should stop coming here?"

I had a big smile on my face, but was only half-joking.

He turned several shades toward the red side of the spectrum and said, "Whattya talking about?"

I said, "It's on the Internet, Tim, I can look up everybody in the zip code who gave a political contribution and find out how much they gave and who they gave it to."

Now he turned slightly white.

"Anybody can snoop on what I do with my money?"

"Yep. And it's legal, too."

We ended up having a discussion where he admitted he'd been pressured into a contribution by one of his suppliers. I told him about the "starve the beast" campaign. He was mortified that people could find out about his contributions. Not for any political reason, mind you, just that it might be bad for business.

"I serve everybody here!" he was protesting, "Doesn't matter who they are! I don't care about politics anyway."

I doubt he'll make another 'Pug contribution in his company name. Now whenever I come in he calls me "Mr. Kerry."

"Right away, Mr. Kerry, sir. You want ketchup with that?"

[Mend]

11. We are trying not to shop

or to buy from resale stores and small businesses if they are not obviously repuke (covered with flags and * stickers). We think Target is the best of the worst and would shop there if we absolutely had to go to a big box store.....we would never go into walmart.

[SmokingJacket]

14. Nothing is clear cut.

If shopping at Target supports local workers and a local union, it's worth considering, even if it does support R's.

If the choice is Target or a locally owned, Democratically owned, unionized business, I'd support the latter.

If the other choice was Walmart, I'd definitely choose T.

[49jim]

15. There always seems to be

several new RW TV/Radio boycott sponsor-threads on DU every day. If I followed them all, I'd wouldn't have to shop or wouldn't have anything in my house!

[RedCon1]

16. I was thinking and talking about this within days of the election

I did my research at opensecrets.org and came to the conclusion that Shell gas is the only gas we can buy. I also came to the conclusion that we should be quiet about this lest we give our enemy a good idea to use against Democrat supporting businesses. It does have the potential to drive a wedge into our country causing even greater division... which is a plus. :thumbsup:

If anyone cares to continue researching the good and the bad companies, check this out:
http://www.opensecrets.org/

Rememeber, if we can't have it, we can always break it so nobody else can enjoy it.

[genieroze]

17. Walmart is the biggie so is Home Depot.

I'm boycotting both

[buycottJoe]

18. Selective buying

If anyone wants to become really serious about selective buying see the DU group: Economic Activism and Progressive Living. You can sharpen up your buying skills so that you support Blue businesses to a large degree. I personally lead a boycott lifestyle where I pay attention to every dollar I spend and try to have fun doing it.

You have to balance off different factors. If it's a union shop, then at least you are not buying at random, and you have a good reason for buying there.

[yurbud]

19. The letter is the thing

Write Target a nasty letter saying you won't shop there because they donate to republicans.

Then shop there if you want.

The letter will make them skittish about any dip in their business whether or not you actually stop shopping there.