By now, most of us have heard of the planned economic blackout by The People’s Union USA, a grassroots organization “dedicated to economic resistance, government accountability, and corporate reform,” according to its website. I have a few friends that plan to take part in this event that could prove to be monumentally significant. If you are considering joining this movement, you should be aware of all this entails.
First off, there are 11 companies that own the majority of everything we buy in the US. These are called oligopolies because they control a large portion of the market. These companies are: Kellogg’s™, General Mills™, Kraft-Heinz Company™, Mondelez International™, MARS™, Coca-Cola™, Unilever™, Procter & Gamble™, Pepsi Co™, Johnson & Johnson™, and Nestle™. This is part of the reason why the boycott has the potential to be so remarkable. Let’s take a look at what you will need to avoid should you choose to participate on Friday.
February 28, 2025– Economic Blackout
Basically, you would try and avoid spending all together. Obviously, there are some necessities that are unavoidable. For these situations, it’s suggested to support small, local businesses instead. The Economic Blackout goes from 12:00am to 11:59pm on Friday, February 28th.
March 7-14– Amazon Boycott
For 1 week, avoid anything owned by Amazon. For those who enjoy technology, this could be more difficult. This would mean not using your Ring™ doorbell, avoiding Amazon subscription orders, as well as some TV apps shown below.
March 21-28– Nestle Boycott
This will probably be the most difficult to follow. Nestle owns over 2,000 brands in various categories. Depending on your current life situation, this may not be doable unless you purchase in bulk ahead of time. Some families would need to switch baby formula for a week (not an easy feat!). You would also have to avoid Starbucks™, a plethora of bottled waters, Hot Pockets™, Dreyer’s™ ice cream, and Purina™ cat and dog food to name a few. If you don’t know what all Nestle owns, please see the infographic below.
April 7-14– Walmart Boycott
For this week, you would need to avoid Walmart & Sam’s Club. Walmart is a huge player in the consumer market, but many of the products they sell are exclusive to their stores. For other items, you could shop at another grocery store for your needs. I don’t see this being too difficult unless you live in a rural area. Our small town has a Walmart, Aldi, and one locally owned grocery store. Again, you could purchase your items ahead of time, but I’m not sure if this helps the mission all that much.
April 18, 2025– Economic Blackout #2
My understanding is that if the previous boycotts did not create waves, a second economic blackout will occur from 12:00am – 11:59pm on April 18th. It would follow the same rules as the first blackout.
April 21-28– General Mills Boycott
General Mills is another larger company, well known for cereals and baking products. For one week, you would need to avoid the following brands:
:ratio, Annie’s, Autumn’s Gold, Betty Crocker, Bisquick, Blue Buffalo, Bugles, Cascadian Farm, Cheerios, Chex Cereal, Chex Mix, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp, Dunkaroos, EPIC, Fiber One, Gardetto’s, Gold Medal, Golden Grahams, Green Giant, Häagen-Dazs (Owned by General Mills and sold under Nestle licensing in the US), Kix, Larabar, Latina Fresh, Lucky Charms, Monster Cereals, Muir Glen, Nature Valley, Old El Paso, Oui, Pillsbury, Progresso, Raisin Nut Bran, Reese’s Puffs, Total
Totino’s / Jeno’s, Trix, Wanchai Ferry, Wheaties, Yoki, and Yoplait™.
Keep in mind that these are the brands, not the specific products. Pillsbury™ alone makes well over 100 different items sold in stores all over the US.
Well-known celebrities such as John Leguizamo, Bette Midler, and Stephen King stand behind this movement. Will you? Whether you choose to partake in this event or not, I’d love to get your feedback on the impact this could have on the US during an already trying time. Leave a comment or email me at admin@babblingbabe.com.
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