- Boycotters are planning an economic blackout on February 28 to protest corporate corruption.
- The People’s Union USA wants people to avoid major retailers and call out from work if possible.
- It remains unclear how many are engaged in boycotting and what the impacts may be.
On February 28, protestors aligned with a grassroots organization called the People’s Union USA plan to hold an economic blackout targeted at corporations.
“Corporations and banks only care about their bottom line,” the People’s Union USA website said. “If we disrupt the economy for just ONE day, it sends a powerful message.”
For the whole day on February 28, the organization calls on people to refuse to make purchases online or in-store from major retailers or spend money on gas or fast food. If spending is necessary, the People’s Union suggests buying from small businesses only and using cash.
“For one day,” the website said,” we show them who really holds the power.”
The effort is spearheaded by John Schwarz, who described himself on the website as “just a man who has lived through struggle, seen the truth, and decided to do something about it.”
“The system is designed to keep all of us trapped,” Schwarz wrote. “That is why I started this organization. Because I believe we deserve better. Because I believe it is possible to break free from a system built to exploit us.”
Schwarz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The People’s Union USA also plans longer and more focused boycotts down the road, including a weeklong boycotts against Amazon, Nestle, and Walmart in March and April. The organization also called on people to take Friday off from work, if they are able to do so without risking their jobs.
It remains unclear how many people are committed to boycotting the economy on Friday and what kind of impact it may have.
Historically, some boycotts have had short-lived or even counterintuitive effects. When there were calls to boycott Goya after the company’s CEO praised President Donald Trump in 2020, the company later said sales actually increased thanks to Trump supporters initiating a counter-movement called a “buycott” that encouraged people to buy from Goya.
An analysis from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University found that the “buycott effect overwhelmed the boycott effect,” temporarily raising the company’s sales.
That said, other boycotts may have been more effective depending on the cause that mobilized people to boycott. In 2023, Bud Light faced fierce conservative backlash after a brief branding stint with a transgender influencer. Well over one year later, sales for Anheuser-Busch, which makes Bud Light, remained down.
