Background

The People's Union USA, a grassroots organization, is organizing a week-long boycott of Amazon, starting March 7. The boycott is a response to Amazon's corporate greed, its impact on small businesses, and its treatment of workers. The organization's founder, John Schwarz, described the boycott as a "calculated strike" and encouraged followers to shop at small businesses instead.

The first major message from People's Union USA came on February 28 with a 24-hour economic blackout aimed at big corporations. The effort gained support from celebrities like Mark Ruffalo, Bette Midler, and John Leguizamo, and spread quickly over social media.

What the Boycott Entails

The boycott calls for avoiding not only Amazon's main website but also its subsidiaries, including Whole Foods, Prime Video, Zappos, Twitch, Alexa, Ring, and IMDb. For consumers deeply integrated into Amazon's ecosystem, this means unplugging Alexa devices, turning off Ring cameras, and holding off on watching Prime Video content.

The boycott's impact on Amazon's sales is uncertain, but the company's massive size and daily sales of over $1 billion make it naturally resilient to short-term disruptions. However, the boycott's organizer sees any drop in sales as a success and a step towards a larger movement to take back control of the economy and government.

Future Boycotts

The Amazon boycott is just the beginning of a series of boycotts planned by the People's Union USA. The organization has scheduled boycotts of other major corporations, including Nestle, Walmart, and General Mills, in the coming weeks and months.