A new Walmart spending freeze is scheduled to begin soon. Additional economic protests are planned for the spring and summer. Organizers are urging companies to reinstate diversity, equity, and inclusion policies or change their stances.
Advocacy groups are encouraging more and more people to vote with their money, beginning with a nationwide 24-hour economic blackout of major corporations on February 28. A 40-day spending freeze at Target is in effect until the week of Easter, and a weeklong boycott of Nestlé products ended on March 28.
When President Donald Trump took office in January, he immediately began rolling back DEI at the federal level, while also encouraging a broader cultural shift. Multiple companies, including Walmart, Lowe’s, and Meta, have discontinued their DEI programs.
The NAACP encourages people to shop at Black-owned businesses and those that still offer DEI programs.
Protest organizers from various groups are primarily targeting major brands that have ceased DEI work, hoping to demonstrate that consumers want to support brands that help women, minorities, the disabled, and veterans. However, some protests, such as the one against Nestlé, focus on different issues.
In an Instagram video posted on March 17, John Schwarz, the Chicago native who founded the People’s Union USA, listed a number of reasons for targeting the Swiss company.
Among other reasons, he cited the corporation’s continued use of child labor in chocolate production. It has also faced criticism for paying low prices for the water it uses, despite the fact that communities such as Flint, Michigan, require affordable, clean water.
Here’s what California shoppers should know about the upcoming Walmart and Target boycotts, as well as other national economic protests this spring and summer.
What we know about the weeklong Walmart boycott
The Walmart blackout will begin on Monday, April 7, and will continue until April 14, affecting all Walmart stores, affiliated brands, and store brands.
“Now is the time to hit even harder. Walmart is one of the biggest players in the game. “A mega-corporation that has swallowed up local economies, crushed small businesses, underpaid their employees, and contributed to the same political machine that keeps us all stuck,” Shwartz wrote on his website.
The People’s Union is urging people to avoid shopping at Walmart, either online or in-store, Sam’s Club locations, and using services such as Walmart+ or MoneyCard.
He also wants people to avoid buying private label food and other products:
- Great Value: Food and home/cleaning supplies.
- Equate: Health products.
- Mainstays: home products, kitchen goods, appliances and furniture.
- George: Clothes.
- Parent’s Choice: baby and kid products.
How many Walmart stores are in California?
Walmart has 303 retail locations in California, according to the company website.
They include:
- Supercenters: 3,559
- Discount stores: 355
- Neighborhood Markets: 671
- Small formats: 20
- Sam’s Club: 600
The company employs approximately 104,525 people in the state and paid approximately $1.3 billion in taxes to the state in fiscal year 2024. Walmart pays approximately $799 million in taxes in California.
What we know about the 40-day ‘Target fast’ boycott
Atlanta pastor Jamal Bryant and other faith leaders organized the boycott of Target. They encourage people to avoid shopping at major retailers during Lent. They also encourage investors to sell their Target stock.
It began on Ash Wednesday, March 5, and encourages people to skip Target until April 17. More information is available at targetfast.org.
How many Target stores are in California?
There are 211 Target locations in California according to its store directory .
What boycotts are coming up?
The People’s Union boycott will include a variety of companies throughout the spring and summer, according to USA TODAY. A new, broader economic blackout will be implemented on April 18-20, with a third scheduled for July 4.
More boycotts and other actions are scheduled for the coming months. Organizers hope to gain momentum following previous smaller-scale protests. The Amazon boycott lasted from March 7 to 15. The Nestlé one took place from March 21 to March 28.
Here are some more brand boycotts that the group has planned.
National Action Network set to announce new boycott soon
The National Action Network, founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, has encouraged Costco to continue its support for DEI.
In a news release issued on February 25, the group stated that it will announce an authorized boycott at the NAN Convention, which will take place from April 2 to 5.
