Re: Last week's economic blackout

Results from a day boycotting Amazon, Walmart, and other big corporations.

I found this little plastic muscle arm on the sand by the Hudson River this week. It seems like the very right symbol to represent the “resistance” we’re talking about here.

There was plenty of zeal around Friday’s national economic boycott, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the big day of no spending made an impact.

As many are quick to point out, a one day boycott isn’t going to effect a corporation’s bottom line. Totally. But — excuse the naive optimism I’m refusing to stifle — I think there’s a shift emerging. Whether it lasts is to be seen, but for now it’s worth documenting.

The results are in (kinda)

Forbes reported that transactions on Amazon during the economic blackout “ended the day 1% higher than the average across the past eight Fridays.” Whomp. While not exact apples to apples, Walmart saw a 5% decrease in web traffic, and Amazon’s site traffic saw a 2% decrease.

The number crunch continues. Similarweb, a digital marketing intelligence company (what now?), analyzed traffic the site traffic of the top 100 e-commerce sites, finding traffic dipped 6% on Feb. 28 compared to the same date a year ago, per USA Today.

This data reveal tells us…not much? Sites fluctuated in traffic, some more than others. But I think we’re looking at the wrong information. Of course it would have been satisfying to see sales drop so far down into hell and then curve upward only to physically kick Jeff Bezos in the face and then drag him back down into a fiery pit and stuff, but it’s OK. As I wrote in my first post about the blackout, whether the boycott makes a tangible difference this first time is sort of second to the momentum it can potentially foster. The action is good kindling for the fire: It can rally a people to start taking action.

And, this is kind of awkward, but I feel it necessary to share: In my research around the blackout results, I came across the New York Times article that reports John Schwarz, the 57-year-old founder of the People’s Union (the group that organized the Feb. 28 boycott) was previously registered as a sex offender for “disseminating voyeuristic material.” You can read the story for more information — I’m not yet sure how to feel about it (or if it’s relevant) and wonder if it’s an art-vs-artist kind of debate. But I’ll gracefully exit this part of the drama for now, if you don’t mind.

Outside of the numbers

@svershbow on X

There are varying sentiments around the boycott and the act of not shopping, and I’ve gathered and categorized a few into themes that I’m catching whiffs of, sniff sniff. This boycott got people talking and thinking about money, and I do think that’s a wonderful place to start. We’re living through the strangest of times where inaction feels draining and impossible to overcome. We can at least do something by being more intentional with our cash.

Here are some of the themes I saw floating around.

Spend not with your nemesis

As

Larry Cornett, Ph.D.

wrote in a note, it’s pretty simple to ditch Amazon and still get the things you want. You can lean on Amazon as a search engine and then direct your dollars to the original supplier rather than the behemoth (the same can be said of Walmart, etc. etc.).

I’ve experimented with this, and it does pose some initial challenges (like, you might not get free shipping, it takes some extra time to research and then extra time to receive your items), but this is all about making intentional change. Some of that will require a bit more friction than you’re used to.

Reframe the experience for yourself: Amazon has basically trained us to believe that consuming and spending should be as simple as flipping on a light switch. Maybe this isn’t a good thing for everybody. Hear ye, break free from shackles of consumerism!

Extend your boycott, bro

The economic blackout was a call for one day of spending abstinence, but there’s no rule that says you have to go back to recording your Shein hauls for the internet. Did you feel exhilarated as you kept your money out of the hands of big corporations? Do you want to keep it up? 24 hours? More like 24 years, am I right?!

Toure

’s thoughtful positioning rings true: You have get uncomfortable to see change. We’ve gotten very accustomed to the ease that mega sellers provide, and yet we want them to behave differently. Why would these corporations change their behaviors if they’re seeing such great results from their current strategy?

Maybe you’re more of a toe-dipper than a cannon-baller when it comes to progress. There’s nothing wrong with slow and steady.

Alex Friedman

proposes we dedicate one day a week to no spending. This also needs to be done intentionally: You shouldn’t necessarily buy extra on the days before your no-spend to “survive” your day without. I like the idea of framing your particular day as an event: It’s the day of the week you’re most resourceful, crafty, and experimental. I think there’s a lot of fun to be had when you commit to this kind of bit.

Elizabeth

left a comment about her plan to make the day feel special by playing games and eating homemade food by candlelight. Literally, how fun? Seems like there are whole traditions begging to evolve from a boycott dedication. It’s a new-age Shabbos!

Break up with success when it compromises your values

Quitting Amazon hasn’t been a stretch for me (I’m on month 3, yo), but I’m in an easier position than I was with newborns, and also a more privileged position than many — had to be acknowledged.

But beyond us as individuals consciously uncoupling from big corporations, there are other entities that need to reevaluate. If you haven’t noticed, virtually every online media outlet in existence has some kind of commerce effort in their catalogue¹: Whether it’s a round up of the best spatulas, dupes du jour, or even heartfelt product recommendations, everything comes with an affiliate link to bring in a little bit of money. It’s all kind of understandable in this ~ media landscape ~ (enter tumbleweed), if you will, but to what end? To what end I say?!

Been going through a breakup since August

I was heartened to read

Caroline Moss

’s announcement about exploring ways to give her readers great recommendations outside of Amazon, even while she’ll more than likely take a financial hit while figuring it all out.

Moss, who runs the product recommendation community

Gee Thanks, Just Bought It!

notes that while she was grappling with her own relationship to Amazon, her readers, too, were revealing their own distaste. “Making the decision to pull back from Amazon links basically guaranteed a $60,000 deficit in annual company income. It was not a decision I made lightly, but it felt like the right decision for me and for this community,” she writes. Pretty good stuff. More from her:

"The world is constantly shifting and reshaping how we approach shopping and spending money. It’s an incredibly complicated time to be a shopper and consumer, and when people say there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism, they’re right. But that also doesn’t mean we give up and don’t try at all to reconfigure how we do things and where we bring our dollars. To me it means we try our best, be open to change, and spend less time beating ourselves up for the systems put in place by billionaire losers.

You can read more in her write up about her decision — I’m excited to see how the plan evolves. And I give her and others who rely on affiliate linking a lot of credit here — it’s so damn complicated. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, yadah yadah.

I’d love to see bigger media corporations follow suit, but that’s even more complex. Nevertheless, there’s change brewing.

Alrightyyyyy

This was quite lengthy, no? I gotta get out of here. There are more days associated with the People’s Union boycott efforts, and you can obviously perform your own stick-it-to-the-man day of no shopping whenever the hell you want.

Tell me your thoughts, hopes, dreams, outrages, and beyond in the comments.

1. Admittedly, I have written a handful of these. I am focused on turning down these opportunities moving forward!!