I refuse to buy anything at Whole Foods, I do not like the grandiosity complex of 99 percent of the patrons and employees, the no-gmo, gluten free, vegan, non-hormonal bottled water they sell is way over priced. There is constant chatter among the 30 something twice divorced women who roam in groups of 2 or 3 of their recent self diagnosis of celiacs disease and price they have to pay to live such clean life. It is a mecca for those who do not know how to cook as no less than 5 different bistros, cafes etc. adorn each whole foods. You are not better than everyone else if you decide to pay 11.99 per pound for a "free range" turkey who did not experience any fear or pain or bleeding, it just died in pure bliss, you are a fucking idiot. My wife does shop there for some kind of gluten free butter and I do go along to gawk at the incredible asses and tits of the trophy wives. Non-Focus I wear Nike, I love Nike they fit me better than any other shoe, I like how they look I like the way they are made and they are the only sneakers I buy, standing for 8 hours you learn what you like and what you don't like. A girl I work with hates Nike because of their support of Michael Vick and she works for a Pitbull rescue and has pitbulls herself, Lucy and Rickie, both of which I like very much. I also have dogs that have been severely abused and do not care for Mr. Vick myself so how do I justify wearing Nike shoes is the question she asks me. Nike as a company does some very good things as far as charity goes, that includes NARF their animal charity, a sponsorship of one particular person does not negate everything else they have ever done as a company or the quality of the Nike product. Really if the NFL banned Mike Vick this would be a moot point, Nike would not sponsor him so why is Nike the scapegoat? When I hook up my three rescues to their leashes to walk them to the dog park they could give fuck one that I am putting on my Nikes.
Oh, don't think this counts, but I don't buy anything from Starbucks because I hate the work/money they put into making their product appear superior. Yet in every single blind taste test against other coffee brands they lose. Then again, I don't drink coffee, so the core reason for me going in there is meh. Just the general pretentious vibe of the place, the silly Italian names, and even more so the people that like to spend time in there throw me off.
I don't really have a problem with Starbucks because they have forced other coffee shops to improve their quality. They are now the standard that everyone has to beat if they want to compete. They're also great as a starting point if I'm meeting someone - free wifi, coffee, and comfy chairs. Also, most of the time I've gotten great service. The few times that I haven't, I got gift certificates giving me free coffee the next time I come in. Their snacks and food suck ass, though.
I just don't like that Oprah is all over everything over there. I haven't really gone in since I saw that because I don't want to give any money to any of her causes.
Fuck Nike...that's the danger you have when you spend millions on endorsements. They could spend that much money on financing school sports programs uniforms (high school, not fucking Oregon with a wardrobe that would embarrass Elton) and gotten some brand loyalty, but gave it to Vick and several other unscrupulous folks and got burned. Focus: Samsung, because they are some unethical, corrupt fuckers. The chairman is a twice-convicted felon, who was miraculously pardoned by the president. Their influence in SK society is like a tumor and it's amazing how fucked up they are. I would also say I avoid Apple, but there's a classic ipod gleaming in the moonlight next to me. Any major commercial bank. The Gf's dad works for a local credit union, which is where I'll be doing all of my banking in the US. I fail to see why people still deal with BofA, Wells Fargo or Chase after the past few years. Everyone in my hometown that I've asked knows someone who got an illegal foreclosure or false fees or some other bullshit. The thing that bothers me is the fine line between "I don't go there because of X reason" and "I don't go there because of populist reason". Starbucks is fucking delicious, and I don't mind them considering that they give insurance to anyone over 20 hours a week. You don't have to look hard to see some mistreatment of employees by a company, but at a certain point you have to look at what they do right. I'd also be interested in what you avoid because of who the customers are: Wal-Mart, Oakley, and the Ed Hardy/Tapout/brand du jour come to mind.
FOCUS: I have a list. Many are completely intractable and my views will not change on them regardless of their actions. - The association football teams of Manchester United F.C., F.C. Barcelona, Chelsea F.C. and Tottenham Hotspur F.C.. Because they're all cunts. - Nedbank. Known bankers of the African National Congress. My dad volunteered for the Army in the 1970s and those twats made funding available for the ANC to start their campaign of violence. Fuck them. - Reebok. Uncomfortable and some of the most expensive sneakers around here. - Adidas. Ugly as fuck shoes. No. - Checkers. I try very hard to get nothing from these fuckers as the stock in their shops is always very small in number and gone within a day of being put on the shelves. it's almost always a wasted trip going there. The only thing I get from them is instant coffee as their house brand is decent and inexpensive when you can get it. - Incredible Connection. Local computer retailer and related supplies purveyor. Nagging, irritating sales staff that badger you every 3 minutes and a 25% higher cost for anything bought there over any other shop that stocks similar items. Only shopped there until 2004 due to absolute lack of choice. Cunts. - Apple. I will never own ANY Apple product where I've had to shell out cash to get it. So far, I've successfully never owned: iPad, iPhone, iMac, MacBook, iPod, etc. etc.. The only product of theirs that I will tolerate is iTunes because it's a good podcast aggregator with subscriptions and because it costs nothing. Tottenham and Chelsea's shirt sponsors are HP and Samsung respectively - I use some of their products. HP Printers have always worked well, as have the three Samsung monitors and 2 phones (both of them are Galaxy S4's - my dad loves his and mine is awesome too). I'd use HP and Samsung products where possible since both have always worked well for my family and I - I have a 15 year old Samsung 17 inch CRT that still works...
Like others, I don't go to chick-fil-a because of their stance on gay marriage. I don't wear Nike shoes because when I first got into X-country, years ago, the first three shoes I purchased were nikes, and all of them were non-functional (popped laces; tread separating; two of the major seams breaking apart) within the first two weeks I owned them. I'm sure (I hope?) that not all their shoes suck as much as those did, but that experience turned me off forever. I don't go to SeaWorld because they take highly-intelligent mammals who's migratory patterns span the globe, and put them in a fucking fish tank. (Sorry to pull the hipster card here, but I was boycotting seaworld before blackfish).
I won't shop at American Apparel because Dov Charney is just the worst. I read that now notorious profile of him in Jane when it came out, and it was one of those moments where, by the time I got to the end of the article, my whole world view had changed knowing that these kinds of things could happen. The many subsequent news items that have broken since then and all of their problems with their advertising didn't help. (Although I do actually like that they have a more diverse standard of beauty for their models than other fashion brands.) When the article came out they weren't that big of a chain so I didn't have to think about it too much, but once they blew up and became what all the cool kids were wearing that's when I actively tapped out of not shopping there.
It is clearly a pointless gesture but I don't shop at B.P. I don't buy Apple because I find their shit overpriced, marketed within an inch of its life and merely equal or inferior to comparable products. The fact that I am required to have an Apple laptop for my major pisses me off to no end. Fortunately my father bought my mac book for me. Chuck-e-cheese. Over priced shitty food. Terrible customer service and a clientele that make Walmart look like a bastion of sophistication and charm.
Can I comment on the opposite - who do you go out of your way to give your hard earned dollars because you like what they are about. For me, obviously I like shopping local so that goes without saying. For a "corporation" I love QuickTrip. I have never met a surly employee there, the store is always clean, and nobody glares at you if you go in just to use the (clean) restroom. One of my patients is an employee there and had nothing but glowing things to say about her employer and how they treat their workers.
The only thing I actively boycott is Nicholas Sparks. In a USA Today article from a few years ago, he criticized Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and Earnest Hemingway among other authors for writing predicable, formulaic love stories. He's under the impression that his books are neither formulaic or predictable despite the fact that every book has a strained relationship with a parent, a person who dies out of nowhere, and two main characters who are complete opposites but fall in love anyway. I also stopped reading any of his books or seeing any of his movies because of the formula above. His stories are too predicable. If you have experienced one, you have experienced them all. On a side note, I fucking HATE "The Notebook". It's a stupid name for the story, Ryan Gosling is a better actor than that and it makes people associate him with the wrong thing, and it's the sappiest piece of shit I have ever experienced.
This is more broad: But, I refuse to wear any clothing that is prominently blazoned with a logo or the name of the company. I don't mind if in the corner there is a tiny little logo, but when its across the entire shirt or the name of the company I'm not going to buy it. I'm not paying to be a walking advertisement. I also refuse to ever again do business with sprint. After being a customer of theirs for 10+ years with 3 phone lines they treated me like complete shit when I needed a replacement phone when mine randomly decided to stop receiving calls and texts. It took 5+ visits to the store, a call to the main company to finally get the right of getting a replacement phone without paying full price...only to be told at the store that I would have to wait a week for a replacement phone to be delivered, because all the phones in the store were for "new accounts only."
I don't know if this is a mod-only thing, but I'm noticing that some of the responses are straying from the focus. I thought of another one - I would never obtain a cat or dog from a breeder. Even if the breeder provides the most loving and well cared for and happy environment imaginable, I still feel personally obligated to give the homeless animals priority.
My convictions aren't really strong enough to justify spending money based on things that are circulated via the press - which I don't watch. I do like to spend less money at places I find contemptible. If I go to a gas station and they don't have one of those little automatic handle levers, I only fill up 75%. They would have had 100% if I could sit in my car or not hold the stupid handle. Same thing if they have audio advertisements or ask for a car wash. These types of conversations go in my head for these sorts of things: Marketing Executive: We have a great idea we need approval for. We're going to slightly annoy our customers but increase our total revenue per transaction by 5%! Sales Executive: What happens if we annoy our users? Marketing Executive: Nothing! They do nothing! They fill up their damn gas tank all the same! Board: Brilliant! Audio ads at every gas pump! Also, how much do those little levers cost to maintain? $1M a year? Away with those! <sounds of executives masturbating to profits aided with jelly extracted from the grease of collected currency> If I sign the receipt at a restaurant, do the tip, and realize I just signed the customer copy? That cost you 50 cents on the tip. I do actively avoid all mainstream news and media companies - I hate the stuff CNN spews off as news and the DRM and political power the media companies have. If I had any type of conviction about which fast food chain I'm eating at, I wouldn't be eating at any of them. But I like convenience too much. Though coincidentally I do like Chick Fil A the most due to their quality. Sorry gays, I was born to like Chick Fil A.
How is it the waitress' fault you didn't read the slip that said "Merchant Copy"? Because she didn't put it on top for you?
I quit wearing Nike ages ago. Not because of their sponsorship - but because their stuff stopped fitting me. Whoever mentioned above the not wearing clothes with logos on them - YES. Same. I wear lulu stuff - but the logo is tiny and unobtrusive. I don't have any moral code that causes me to boycott anything - I like what I like for the reasons I like it. White shirts, dark jeans, cut off shorts, lulu for workout gear. I DO - however - object to cheap nasty ass beer. But we've covered that. I admit being a beer snob.
I often wonder if the various outlets for phones have asinine bureaucracy. It seems like the simplest things with them are impossible. I was told I couldn't pay cash at a Verizon store. What business doesn't take fucking cash?
Most of my clothing's from only a few brands. Not out of any loyalty to the company, but rather, I've found those particular brands fit me, their products are durable and reasonably priced. Otherwise, this is one of the few guidelines I follow. Like Shimmered I don't mind small logos however unless a company starts paying me an advertising fee, I'm not walking around with your logo emblazoned on my shirt, etc. Local sports teams and businesses are my one caveat. If I really enjoy an establishment or a product, I will occasionally purchase a T-shirt, beer koozie, etc with their logo. Somebody mentioned they won't buy Oakley. Granted their shit's expensive if bought at the mall, but I've bought multiple prescription and non-prescription glasses/sunglasses from them through their US Standard Issue website at prices comparable to any other eyeglass store. Most if not all of their glasses are ANSI rated and I've found their glasses very durable through multiple deployments. I needed a new pair of prescription glasses while in Iraq and they caught a screw up in the prescription, contacted me to confirm and then rushed the order through the manufacturing since the shipping to Fallujah alone would take over a month.
I said I wouldn't buy Oakley. I bought a backpack and had the strap rip right out, as well as a few seams busted. I owned it for about 2 weeks. I also had two pairs of glasses that were as fragile as a reality tv star's ego. They will treat military well, I'm sure, but for me...never again. Over-price, under-quality and not worth it.