After being elected to office, one of President Donald Trump’s first official acts as president was the signing of an executive order that called for the immediate discontinuation of all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies within the federal space, as well as in all major companies.
As such, this decision prompted individuals aligned with the political right wing to begin pressuring big ticket companies like Walmart, Amazon, and Target, to name a few, to discontinue any DEI practices or measures within their respective companies. Many of these retailers complied with these demands and as a result, they are now facing widespread backlash from consumers and shareholders.
Now, a largescale blackout boycott has been scheduled for February 28, 2025 — which is tomorrow.
Shoppers urged to think twice before shopping at Walmart, Target, and Amazon
An organization that goes by the name of The People’s Union USA is encouraging shoppers to participate in a boycott of all major retailers starting on Friday, February 28. This boycott has been titled “Feb. 28 economic blackout” and will last for 24 hours. The People’s Union is asking American shoppers to hold back on making purchases from Walmart, Amazon, and various fast-food chains.
The People’s Union was founded by John Schwarz and aims to promote “economic justice” by means of protesting the rapidly rising costs of consumer goods and services. As such, Schwarz has dedicated the last few weeks to promote the February 28 boycott on social media platforms. Schwarz is also maintaining a sense of neutrality in terms of political affiliation.
In a video shared on Instagram, Schwarz reiterated his stance and the goals of the blackout boycott as follows, “For our entire lives, they have told us we have no choice, that this is just how things are, that we have to accept these insane prices, the corporate greed, the billionaire tax breaks, all while we struggle just to get by. For one day, we are going to finally turn the tables.”
This video sparked great support from other social media users who responded to the initial video post by naming corporations like Ford, McDonald’s, Target, and Walmart as potential boycott targets due to the fact that all of these companies had made the decision to end the implementation of the DEI policies.
The People’s Union, however, is pushing for a larger scale impact through the boycott of all major retailers.
This movement has even garnered support from Hollywood celebrities like Stephen King, Bette Midler, and John Leguizamo.
Is this blackout boycott on February 28 really capable of making a difference?
The People’s Union is asking shoppers to halt any and all spending, both online and offline from February 28 at 12:00am. Consumers participating in this boycott are not to make any purchases at these major retailers for a full 24 hours with the blackout ending at 11:59pm that night. Whilst the main goal of this economic blackout is to hit big corporations, the movement is also encouraging consumers to redirect their support and money to small, local businesses instead.
Despite the large and growing support for this movement, economic experts are of the opinion that these major retailers will not notice any real difference in their bottom lines.
“A lot of people dismiss the idea, arguing that a one-day spending freeze won’t move the needle for major corporations or the broader financial system. And I agree — it’ll likely have a minimal direct impact,” Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group, shared with Newsweek.
Costco Warehouses have also been facing boycotts from the opposing wing of people after the warehouse announced that it will continue to implement DEI policies within the company and as a result, the “MAGA” group launched a boycott campaign on the warehouse retailer.
The People’s Union has weekly boycotts for all major retailers scheduled with the next boycott on Amazon set to begin on March 7.