A nationwide boycott is currently underway against the supermarket giant, Walmart. Here’s what you need to know.
Cost of living expenses have grown significantly over the last few years whilst salaries and wages appear to be stagnant. As such, consumers, even those from middle or higher income cohorts, have felt a need to become more conscious about how and where they spend their money. The sense of urgency regarding this was significantly increased this year after Donald Trump was elected to office in January and began making some controversial executive decisions. Amongst his first decisions, Trump decided that all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies should be immediately stopped and all major companies were then pressured to follow suit by the political right wing. Many companies gave in to this demand and as a result, boycotts and protests of this decision have since been ongoing around the country.
Now Walmart, is facing its second nationwide boycott since the year began and this one is of a much larger scale than the one that was organized in February.
Nationwide boycott of Walmart underway
The People’s Union USA is organizing another boycott against big box giant Walmart and this time it is set to last for a full week, beginning on April 7 and lasting right through to April 14. The country has been seeing a rise in these kinds of consumer driven boycotts as a result of Donald Trump’s election to office and its subsequent impact on matters like DEI policies, and more recently tariffs.
This boycott against Walmart is coming hot on the the heels of a similar boycott organized by The People’s Union against Nestle and Amazon. In February, the union organized a 24-hour blackout boycott against Walmart and the movement then spread towards other companies like Nestle and Amazon in March. Walmart recorded a 5% decline in online traffic for this day, however, it is likely that this is more “akin to overall consumer buying patterns than a consistent change.”
Additionally, another one-day blackout boycott appears to have been scheduled for April 18.
After declaring that they are not a political party, The People’s Union USA shared a statement that said, “We are not a protest. We are a movement of people, organizing to take back control of our economy, government and future of our country.”
“No matter what side of the political fence you stand on, you should be able to agree on this corporate greed and political corruption are choking this country,” the union added. The boycott against Walmart will be geared towards online platforms, private label brands, health services, warehouse clubs, financial services, subscription services, grocery delivery and pickup, and retail stores.
Walmart’s valuation tanks
This boycott is the cherry on top of a pile of bad news for the retailer it seems. Just last month, it was revealed that the company’s valuation faced a shocking $22 billion dip. CEO Doug McMillon has since waned that if “consumers’ faith in the brand doesn’t improve and they start to cut back on their spending, the retail industry may suffer greatly.”
If the state of the economy continues down this turbulent path, McMillon’s words may just ring true.
According to The People’s Union’s officia website, on a page related to this boycott, a statement reads as follows, “If you need something, look local, if you can’t find it local, wait … We are cutting the cord.”
Many individuals have taken to social media platform, X, to share their support of this movement. One user wrote, “I have been doing the Amazon economic boycott for a week, which ended today. I am stunned by how much I depended on Amazon … On to the next boycott: Nestle and Walmart.”
“They’re going to feel that pain,” another added.
“There are many reasons to boycott Walmart. This tariff fiasco is not one of them. They need to start hiring Canadian,” a third user proclaimed.