Utahns join "We Ain't Buying It" boycott as holiday shopping begins
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Utah's holiday shopping season will kick off alongside a boycott of corporate purchases, with some progressive groups making "buy local" the season's greeting of 2025.
State of play: The boycott focuses on three corporations that organizers say have enabled "the Trump administration's abuses of power," according to a statement this week from No Kings:
- Target, which dialed back its DEI initiatives
- Home Depot, which has not pushed back against ICE raids at store locations
- Amazon, for CEO Jeff Bezos' alliance with President Trump and disputes over the company's labor practices.
Why it matters: The "We Ain't Buying It" boycott is being promoted by groups like Indivisible and No Kings, which propelled millions into the streets for "No Kings" and "50501" protests.
- That level of organization — and political motivation — could mobilize more shoppers than the annual Small Business Saturday.
Between the lines: The boycott, planned for five days starting on Thanksgiving, runs alongside a Mass Blackout movement, calling on participants to avoid shopping or working on those dates.
Zoom in: Some activist groups are highlighting local shopping opportunities as an alternative to corporate commerce.
- Utah County Indivisible, for example, is hosting local vendors for a holiday market and donation drive Dec. 6 at American Fork Library.
- "We are encouraging members to shop locally, support small businesses and to use cash when you can," Sarah Buck, an organizer with Salt Lake Indivisible told Axios.
What they're saying: "When corporations align with cruelty and authoritarianism, they must understand that our purchasing power matters," LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund, said in a prepared statement.
- "Economic noncooperation is a powerful, nonviolent tool for a free people, and we plan to use it to make America better for all of us — not just the wealthy few," Brown said.
The other side: Some research into past boycotts suggests they can have a counterintuitively positive effect, as a larger, silent majority ends up voting with their dollars by shopping instead of staying home, Axios' Ben Berkowitz reports.
The big picture: Holiday business forecasts are mixed, with retailers trumpeting projected spending of $1 trillion, while surveys show shoppers plan to pull back.
- Visa and Bank of America report wealthy households will drive retail growth, while lower- and middle-income consumers will struggle to buy as much as in previous years.