Politics
#GrabYourWallet and Boycott These Trump-Supporting Businesses on Black Friday
Put your money where your mouth is.
November 23 2016 10:00 AM EST
November 08 2024 5:30 AM EST
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Put your money where your mouth is.
In October, Bay Area marketing professional Shannon Coulter took to Twitter to express her hesitancy about shopping in department stores like Nordstrom and Macy’s that carry merchandise from Trump family brands. The overwhelming response prompted Coulter to team up with another Twitter user, Sue Atencio, to create a comprehensive list of Trump-supporting businesses to boycott. Black Friday shoppers who want to hit the Trump family where it hurts—their wallets—can consult the #GrabYourWallet spreadsheet, which is frequently updated by Coulter.
.@Nordstrom: as a woman, longtime customer, and huge fan of your brand, I'm concerned that you carry the Ivanka Trump collection. 1/
— Shannon Coulter (@shannoncoulter)October 12, 2016
The spreadsheet lists dozens of major retailers that carry merchandise from Donald and Ivanka Trump’s brands, including Amazon, Bloomingdale’s, DSW, Marshalls, Neiman Marcus, Overstock.com, Sears, and Zappos.The spreadsheet also provides contact information, and encourages customers to reach out with the following script: "Hi. I’m a customer/fan of your brand. Unfortunately, I'll no longer be able to shop there because you do business with the Trump family. If you were to no longer do so I would consider returning as a customer. Please communicate my feedback to store management. (Optional: I have shopped at your store/brand for X years. I will be shopping at (name your local store or closest shopping competitor) until these products are no longer available for sale." Some companies, including Wayfair, Shoes.com, and Zulily have since dropped Trump family merchandise, though it is unclear if this was a result of the boycott.
Less than 24 hrs after writing @Nordstrom I get this note. I'll now be shopping elsewhere. More to go. Thx @shannoncoulter #GrabYourWallet pic.twitter.com/8xQKtBrsYK
— Faith K (@faithkaz) November 21, 2016
While it may seem like the #GrabYourWallet boycott leaves you with few places to shop, Coulter has also added a list of Trump-free alternatives, which includes Athleta, Everlane, H&M, Kohl’s, and Net-a-Porter. Shoppers can also compare the #GrabYourWallet boycott list to the Human Rights Campaign Buyer’s Guide, which ranks businesses on ethical issues, from LGBTQ inclusiveness to environmental protection.
.@zappos you do business with the family that wants to create a Muslim registry, so I don't do business w/ you. #GrabYourWallet pic.twitter.com/PQeHAOvByb
— Shannon Coulter (@shannoncoulter) November 21, 2016
Supporting LGBT-owned companies, or watching Kat Blaque’s series Buy Blaque and supporting black-owned companies is another way to put your money where your mouth is on Black Friday. For a more ethical Black Friday, shop online instead of in stores where staffmembers have to leave Thanksgiving celebrations in order to work, or skip Black Friday and find more personal gifts at local shops on Small Business Saturday.
Boycotting Trump family businesses and retailers that support them won’t change the result of the election, but it might prove that it doesn’t pay to be anti-LGBT, racist, anti-Muslim, sexist, or otherwise bigoted.