What gets me about these blackout days is... The companies will just wait you out and get your money later. Stop shopping at Walmart and Target, period. Go to local restaurants for takeout instead of fast food every time. Support small businesses every day. Make their pockets hurt long term. - ThreadSky

sarafrommi.bsky.social • 12 hours ago

What gets me about these blackout days is... The companies will just wait you out and get your money later.

Stop shopping at Walmart and Target, period. Go to local restaurants for takeout instead of fast food every time. Support small businesses every day. Make their pockets hurt long term.

Reposted from

Celebrities are pushing Blackout Friday, telling people not to shop at places like Target or Amazon. But it's unclear what Blackout Friday actually stands for – and its creator is a "Mindfulness Coach" who wants to abolish income taxes and the federal government.

www.cnn.com/2025/02/28/b...

Comments

alexcmers.bsky.social•12 hours ago

Things like this reminds me of how the Montgomery bus boycott needed to last *a whole year* for anything to change, and that was for a local bus company. A single day of no spending isn’t gonna do jack shit on nationwide companies unless their accounting is somehow abysmal.

alexcmers.bsky.social•12 hours ago

Not to mention the absolute lack of unification for these kinds of “movements;” I doubt anyone I know IRL, even those with left-leaning views, know anything about this or other one-day things like it

not-meowth.bsky.social•11 hours ago

Can't boycott where you don't shop lol

specialistjack.bsky.social•11 hours ago

What small businesses? They're all gone. The big corpos are practically all that exist anymore. People can barely afford the cost of living as is, no one is paid enough to "shop local" even when it is an option.

Boycotts don't work on large scales for this very reason.

This solves nothing.

sarafrommi.bsky.social•11 hours ago

Sorry I read your post wrong initially 🙏🏻

There are fewer for sure, and some people won't be able to participate in every way, or maybe even any way. All I can do is hope it will help change people's mentality and lead to bigger more sustained actions. I welcome the baby steps.

specialistjack.bsky.social•9 hours ago

I hate to say it, but the baby steps were needed in the 1980s. We are -well- past kid stuff.

thekoboldprotocol.bsky.social•11 hours ago

I already mostly do that. I'm lucky in that regard for local business eateries. Not so much for groceries, but I go to CostCo for that.

I think it's more about those that can't do more, sending a message when and however they can.

bluedavrial.bsky.social•11 hours ago

Many people do not have the option to never shop at such places, due to lack of other options in their area. To belittle an effort simply because you personally don't think it's enough, and are privileged enough that you can personally do more, helps nobody

alaskanweeb.bsky.social•11 hours ago

Okay? Darn? If you can’t participate in meaningful action that sucks, but it doesn’t change that some actions just don’t help.

bluedavrial.bsky.social•11 hours ago

So you think it's better for people who can't do more to do nothing at all? Rather than do things actually within their means? Also how do you know if this blackout is not meaningful action, or are you just making assumptions?

alaskanweeb.bsky.social•11 hours ago

I’m looking very soberly at “Buying groceries and gas on Saturday rather than Friday does not impact anyone’s bottom line.”

alaskanweeb.bsky.social•11 hours ago

There is also no clear demand being made of companies. “People are mad? I guess?”

alaskanweeb.bsky.social•11 hours ago

I advocate for people jerking off, I just don’t advocate for them calling it sex.

riptide360.bsky.social•11 hours ago

Amazon, retailers and restaurants look at their daily sales volume. They know what a normal Friday sales day looks like. If suddenly you get a 30-50% reduction you are going to take notice. Skipping one day of spending isn’t hard. If you do shop today spend it at a small local business.

alaskanweeb.bsky.social•11 hours ago

And if numbers go back to normal, they won’t lose sleep over it. “People got in a tizzy but they need us, they won’t actually quit buying our shit.”

riptide360.bsky.social•10 hours ago

Sure they will. An organized group of customers can flex their power. Companies that don’t pander to their base are either a monopoly or bankrupt.

bluedavrial.bsky.social•11 hours ago

Again, as I stated in my initial comment, comments like yours do literally nothing to help anybody. They are pessimism for pessimism's sake. What is your goal with saying such things? To discourage people from doing anything at all? What do you even hope to accomplish?

sarafrommi.bsky.social•11 hours ago

Nobody said don't do what you can, but we should be realistic about what we will accomplish. Maybe it will send a message.

We know because these methods have been tried before, the companies know they can wait them out unless they're sustained. The Montgomery bus boycotts went on for over a year.

sarafrommi.bsky.social•11 hours ago

Ok but we're not talking about those people. Not every post encompasses the totality of human experience.

vegan3.bsky.social•11 hours ago

small biz uses amazon. wtf.

safemuffins.vip•12 hours ago

The fact it was so widely broadcasted is hilarious.

Do people even pay attention? Do they not think a corporation which makes thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars a minute hasn't factored all of these things into their bottom line?

sarafrommi.bsky.social•12 hours ago

On the positive side I feel like I'm starting to see people who would have blown off a boycott before wanting to participate now, which is progress.

handleofgin.bsky.social•11 hours ago

Ya the stronger point I feel is to use these as a way to get people to realize they have local alternatives (hopefully) or to atleast evaluate how they spend going forward. If it's easy for one day, why not the next and so forth. And maybe get them to look at further action like a gen strike

sarafrommi.bsky.social•11 hours ago

This is important, when I started participating in BDS it really opened my eyes to what was out there that I didn't even know about.

sarafrommi.bsky.social•11 hours ago

And let me say I welcome the enthusiasm, but we should still be realistic about our tactics and what the aims and outcomes are.

Not everyone is able to participate in a long term boycott perfectly, or at all, but those of us that can should.

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