to ask if anyone has boycotted stores etc

[spence82]

Have any of you boycotted any shops or particular brands because you don't agree with some of there policies?

I often see on things like fb or twitter people saying this. For example people boycotting tesco due to the bad taste 'mental' patient Halloween costume.

I will be honest and say I've never even thought about boycotting somewhere.

"Progress" is not necessarily right IMO and just because the shops in the town centre don't have the means to or aren't able to cater for disabled people doesn't mean we should boycott them. It's more likely the council's fault for extortionate rents and planning regulations. Although I wouldn't like a medieval town to be ruined by having to have access for everyone in their shops.

No we should boycott them because 'access' doesn't need to be expensive or ruin a medieval town it can be as simple as a doorbell and staff being willing to go outside to serve someone.

I have never shopped at ASDA since a member of their staff told me to F off and I didn't get a satisfactory reply to my complaint.

Very true sashh I hadn't thought of that of course . They should do that and publicise the fact It would be a selling point unless it's raining but they could provide big umbrellas.

Would someone please tell me why they boycott Israeli goods? I really have no idea why. I imagine it's something to do with Palestine, but I'm not sure?

boycotting Israeli goods is to do with the dispute over Palestine. The fact that Hamas shoot back tends to be forgotten in the argument.

goods from far worse regimes are not subject to this kind of boycott. Draw your own conclusions.

A few restaurants that have treated my badly and a hotel where my money disappeared.

Exactly special

Funny how no one is boycotting Russia despite the awful things they've done and are doing in Chechnya, south Ossetia, abkhazia and Ukraine.

Luckily people who 'boycott' Israel tend to be as simplistic and hypocritical in how they implement the boycott. I'm willing to bet my bottom dollar that not one 'Israel boycotter' on here has actually refused medication because it was produced by the Israeli company Teva (they supply about 1/6 of the drugs to the NHS) or sought out a computer which doesn't use any intel processors or microchips.

For example the poster who made the ridiculous claim she avoids ALL Israeli products because it's so easy to do so. Unless you live in the stone age, it's actually very hard to avoid Israeli products and would require real commitment and a lifestyle change - but I guess people don't care that much because its far easier to just feel good about yourself by not buying Jaffa oranges!

I don't really care and don't claim to avoid ALL Israili goods but I would not knowingly buy them anymore than I would go there. I am not allowed their stamps in my passport for my job. We have a marks and spencer and Starbucks here which I assume is this means that globalisation means that franchise overrides it.

I boycotted a local charity shop after the miserable cow behind the counter shouted at me for bringing a pram in when it had been raining and the wheels were wet and left marks on the floor. Surely shops just have to suck it up in bad weather and clean the floor at the end of the day, and yes I have worked in retail and that it what we did instead of mouth off at customers.

M&s and Starbucks aren't Israeli companies (there's not even Starbucks in Israel - it failed there) but they are Jewish owned. Is that considered one and the same now?

So you boycott Israel when it's easy to do so and doesn't really impact your life (it's easy not to do something knowingly if you don't actually ask!)?

Presumably, given your employer's intrusion into your personal life, you work in a country which has no respect for workers' rights and employment legislation?

All cleaning products that, as far as I know, test on animals.

I use co-op, tesco own brand, aldi own brand & astonish products. Quite often I use smart price stuff so it's massively cheaper.

I am not allowed their stamps in my passport for my job.

Like I said upthread, Theodorous, that's no bar to going there. If you don't choose to, that's your good right, but don't blame your employers.

Austin Reed since 1999. Their manager decided to put me on hold when I was politely making a complaint about something that had gone wrong. She forgot however to mute the phone, I heard all the bitching about me for over 10 mins before she put the phone down on me. Apparently she had form for this and the company was trying to get rid of her. (I escalated my complaint). I politely explained that I would boycott the store until she was sacked. They told me it would be dealt with after her return from holiday and they would be in touch. 15 years - long holiday.

andrew

Presumably theodorus works in an Arab country or a country without any relations with Israel like Iran or Pakistan. None of these countries are well known for protecting workers' rights or even human rights in general (but that's ok, because at least they're not Israel!)

Whenever I go to a supermarket I always make sure I buy at least one item of fruit or veg from Israel.

I think you can have more impact buying stuff than not buying stuff that you were not going to buy anyway.

And yes, it's interesting that the only country that anyone in this thread has mentioned boycotting is Israel.

Marks and Spencer is a publicly owned company.

It was started by a Jew. Obviously mud sticks.

shakshuka I hope you are right but I can imagine some companies in the UK "requiring" their employees not to visit Israel!

having an Israeli stamp in your passport will indeed stop you going to some Arab countries.

no-one claims that the ongoing war is totally without blame on either side - but the oldest hatred has far more to do with an Israel boycott than the usual half-arsed understanding of a complex historical issue.

Reading this has made me feel a bit as I shop in loads of places that other people boycott - costa, primark, amazon, boots, vodafone. I would like to say I don't shop somewhere because of ethical reasons but I only don't shop somewhere if I've had really bad service.

Having said that I will only buy free range eggs from a local farm as I know how the chickens have been looked after!

All the tax ones I hear about, specially Amazon, which means I have an unused Kindle.
Scarlett Johansson (spelling?) for choosing Soda Stream over Oxfam.
I try to use local traders and markets over chains.

Oh also Halfords are on my hit list (their 'cheap' children's bikes that aren't really safe due to the shit quality cheap parts they use and then try to charge you to replace when they break the 3rd time your child rides the damn thing because "it's been riden". Err use 3 times, I expect that part to withstand use by a 5 year old for longer than that! ).

And also Ryanair for being cock sucking arseholes.

I am glad that I am not the sole voice on the thread actively buying Israeli goods.

The Sun
The Sun
The Sun
The Sun
The Sun
Would have liked to have seen this posted a bit more.
Any show with Ray Winstone in it. He says didn't pay tax for 20 years due to avoidance. Makes my skin crawl just looking at him now.

The Body Shop. I think it's lost its ethical stance since being bought by L'Oréal.
I also avoid cosmetics tested on animals. I had to give up Avon after i found they changed their animal testing products for China.
I avoid Harvey Nicholls in Leeds too, when I was getting married I wanted a pretty bra. OK I have a difficult size but they didn't need to look me up and down and then snigger as they said no. Or whisper behind my back as I turned to leave. Even the customer next to me looked shocked at their reaction and said she couldn't understand why they only made bras for twig sizes as they had nothing to put in them anyway.
If they would have been nice i would have bought knickers.
It's a shame as the staff in the shoe dept.were lovely

Nestlè