In our consumer driven culture, where the cost of goods is soaring, one of the most radical things you can do this Black Friday is not to buy anything.
That’s the message from “Mass Blackout” a coalition of grassroots groups that are protesting the Trump administration’s policies, and urging you not to participate in this year’s extended Black Friday sales, starting the day before Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26) until the day after Cyber Monday, (Tuesday, December 2). There’s also a second boycott underway targeting Amazon, Target and Home Depot called “We Ain’t Buying It” around the same time.
Don’t think boycotts work? Just look at Target, which just reported another lackluster quarter and declining sales, partially due to customer backlash and a boycott from customers after a rollback of DEI policies.
The idea of buying locally, or from businesses aligned with your politics, isn’t all that radical. In fact, many Canadians have started to banning American products, and only buying “locally,” as the “Buy Canadian” movement has drawn record participation as a reaction to Trump’s high tariffs on their country’s goods.)
What am I supposed to do for the ‘Mass Blackout’?
“NO SPENDING. NO WORK. NO SURRENDER. The system isn’t broken. It’s working exactly as designed—for the wealthy,” according to the Mass Blackout, a nationwide economic action, organized by a coalition of grassroots organizations is calling Americans to:
- Stop online or in-store shopping (except for small businesses)
- Stop streaming, cancel subscriptions, no digital purchases
- Stop work (if you can)
If you must spend: support small, local businesses, and pay in cash.
“We’re not targeting small businesses or communities—we’re targeting the corporate systems that profit from injustice, fuel authoritarianism, and crush worker power,” their website explains.
The boycott also includes: avoiding non-essential travel, restaurants and normal consumer behavior; staying off ad-driven platforms unless organizing; halting spending; logging off entertainment platforms; and donating to Feeding America to support those refusing to work.
How can I participate in the “We Ain’t Buying It’ boycott?
The “We Ain’t Buying It” campaign targets three companies: Target, Home Depot and Amazon, and is made up of a coalition of progressive groups including the No Kings Alliance, and Indivisible, behind the protests earlier this year. It is asking Americans “to withhold their purchasing power from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday (Nov. 27-Dec. 1) to protest three retailers who, they argue, are cooperating directly with the Trump administration in these ways:
- Target, for its rollback on DEI
- Home Depot, for working with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) which has been arresting, detaining and deporting immigrants
- Amazon, for funding the Trump administration to secure corporate tax cuts
“When corporations align with cruelty and authoritarianism, they must understand that our purchasing power matters,” LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund, a member of the “We Ain’t Buying It” coalition, said in a 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.”
Why now?
The boycotts come as the gap between the richest and poorest Americans is widening in what’s increasingly bifurcated economy and target billionaires and businesses supporting the Trump administration, which they argue is eroding civil rights, labor protections, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and weakening the United States’ democratic institutions. Its both a political and economic boycott.