The Consumer Conscience

When I recently learned that the Target and Best Buy corporations donated large sums of money to the political group MN Forward, an organization that is supporting an extreme anti-gay political candidate, I included them in my growing list of businesses that no longer hear the ka-ching sound from my wallet. Despite the “apology” from Target CEO Greg Steinhafel, Target will not be getting any business from me until they make a contribution of an equal amount or greater to a pro-LGBT candidate or organization. Considering that Steinhafel and his wife have donated $5,000 each to Rep. Michele Bachmann, I have a feeling that isn’t going to happen anytime soon.

I believe being a smart shopper goes beyond clipping coupons, looking for good deals, and avoiding paying full retail. A smart shopper also shops with their conscience. We all have our own ethical beliefs and values, neither of which should be compromised because of a good deal.

There are issues we all care about, whether it be equal rights for gays, environmental concerns, sweatshop and child labor, animal testing, war funding, white-collar crime, etc… I believe that giving money to a business that goes against our ethical values is like directly contributing to the very issues we object. We would never do that, so why do it when we shop or eat? As consumers, we’re a powerful group. We have our voice and we have our wallets. When we voice our objections to bad business practices and close our wallets, we’re making a powerful statement.

I’m not urging my readers to take up the same causes that I believe in, but I am urging everyone who reads this to listen to your conscience before you buy. Educate yourself about companies that you regularly buy from and how your purchases were manufactured or produced. Learn about their political contributions and donations. We’re not always going to be aware of bad business, but we should all be doing our best to know as much as possible. That’s what makes us a smart shopper.

Are there businesses you don’t support for one reason or another? Would love to hear about your own story.

Interested in knowing more about the businesses that I currently boycott? See below:

Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A has donated large sums of money and has a long history of cross-promotion with Focus on the Family, a fundamentalist Christian organization that takes an active and costly stance opposing same-sex marriage and other social issues that I strongly support.

Kentucky Fried Chicken

I haven’t ordered from Kentucky Fried Chicken in over a decade simply because I don’t like their food. But now I have even more reason to ever go back – KFC has a long history of animal cruelty towards chickens. The birds are caged in horrible conditions and then slaughtered using cruel methods. Yes, the chickens will eventually die for our bucket of fried chicken anyways, but that doesn’t mean they need to be treated cruelly and horrifically killed before ending up on your dinner table.

Nestle Corporation

When I learned about the unethical business practices and their use of suppliers that violate human rights, I stopped buying products from Nestle. This includes a host of other brands that are owned or jointly owned by Nestle.  From buying cocoa from suppliers that use child slaves and purchasing milk from Mugabe to promoting unhealthy food products for infants and children to workers rights issues, Nestle has a very long history of problematic and unethical business practices. In addiction to the candy and chocolate products that most Americans are familiar with, the Nestle Corporation owns many brands, including Dreyers Ice Cream, Haagen-Dazs, the Skinny Cow, Lean Cusine, Hot Pockets, Stouffers, Jenny Craig, Coffee-Mate, Taster’s Choice, Jamba bottled juices, Alpo dog food, Friskies, Fancy Feast, Gerber baby foods and products, Perrier water, Arrowhead water, Polan Spring water, and Power Bar. They also have joint business ventures with Coca-Cola, L’Oreal, and General Mills.

Procter and Gamble

P&G has a long history of testing on animals for their household products, pet food, and cosmetics. Brands produced by P&G include Always, Ariel, Bold, Camay, Crest, Daz, Dreft, Fairy, Flash, Head and Shoulders, Insignia, Iams, Milton, Napisan, Oil of Ulay, Old Spice, Pampers, Sinex, Tide, Viakal, Vidal Sassoon, Vortex and Zest.