Bad news for Walmart and Costco: Here’s everything we know about the Feb. 28 “Economic Blackout”
Plans for an Economic Blackout, a consumer boycott, are spreading on social media for Friday, February 28, as anger over high prices grows.
As inflation continues to drive up the price of groceries, housing, and other essential goods and services, some consumers have had enough. As tensions rise and anger grows, one organization is giving people a tool to fight back. The People’s Union USA, an organization that describes itself as a “grassroots movement dedicated to economic resistance, government accountability, and corporate reform,” has called for an ‘Economic Blackout,’ or boycott, to take place on Friday, February 28.
What is the People’s Union?
The People’s Union seeks to bring people of different political affiliations, races, faiths, and genders together to “fight for fairness, economic justice, and real systemic change.”
The Instagram account linked to The People’s Union brings users to the profile of John Schwarz, the group’s founder. The organization’s website hosts a short biography of Schwarz, where he explains that he is “just a man who has lived through struggle, seen the truth, and decided to do something about it.” Schwarz has amassed 236,000 followers on Instagram and recently posted a video explaining the purpose of the boycott planned for Friday.
What you need to know about the ‘Economic Blackout’
In the post, he alludes to the powerful having ignored the power that sits with the people for too long. He also encourages those viewing the video to participate in the one-day boycott, naming companies like Amazon and Walmart as targets. Though Schwarz projects confidence in the power consumers hold, and the boycott has been noticed and picked up by some celebrities, history shows that these efforts are often ineffectual.
Targeted boycotts that take place over a longer period of time, pick up additional followers and receive political backing have been shown to be effective. A reseracher at Northwestern University, found that the success of a boycott often has to do with the media coverage it is given. The People’s Union is unlikley to find an ally in corporate media, but the agency has so far grown without the megaphone that those outlets could provide. The spread of Schwarz’s call to avoid corporations for one day is clearly resonating with many people online and he has already announced a slew of days and weeks of action to take place through April.
- February 28: 24-Hour Economic Blackout – No spending for one full day.
- March 7-14: Amazon Blackout – No Amazon purchases, no Whole Foods, no Prime orders.
- March 21-28: Nestlé Blackout – Boycotting Nestlé-owned brands due to water exploitation, child labor, and corporate greed.
- March 28: 24-Hour Economic Blackout #2 – No spending for one full day.
- April 7-13: Walmart Blackout – Shutting down spending at one of the biggest price-gouging, worker-exploiting corporations.
- April 18: Economic Blackout #3 – Another full 24-hour halt to the economy.
- April 21-27: General Mills Blackout
After the boycott set to take place on Friday, a week-long boycott of Amazon will begin on March 7. “No Amazon purchases, no Whole Foods, no Prime orders,” says the People’s Union.
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