Why the February 28 Economic Boycott Won’t Work

We need more than one day

We’ve seen the memes and read the posts promising to make the billionaires feel our pain by implementing an economic boycott for today, February 28. The idea has a sound basis, but it isn’t going to work.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not buying anything today. But one day isn’t going to make a bit of difference. Do you think these big, fat retailers are going to notice a dip in their first quarter profits because I bought stuff on March 1^st instead of February 28^th? Absolutely not.

This is why I proposed a much longer boycott lasting at least until March 31^st. That’s when the first quarter ends. If we withhold our dollars from their cash flows for a full month, they will notice. A single day will accomplish nothing.

How Am I Going to Survive A Full Month Without Spending Money?

Look, we all need to buy groceries and medicine and gas to get to and from work. But only buy the essentials and shop small. Not everyone has this option, and I understand. If you can do it, purchase groceries from a small grocer instead of a supermarket. There’s a small family-owned butcher and deli near our house. Our youngest son worked there during high school. We’re going to buy our meats there. Likewise, a fruit market a few miles down the road is locally owned. I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, and I’m going to only buy them there. It’s going to take a couple extra trips to get what I need, but I won’t be putting my dollars into any corporate pockets.

Delay, Deny, be Deliberate

I was thinking about getting a new pair of running shoes, but I won’t. My old ones are still usable. What have you been thinking about buying? A new laptop, car, refrigerator? If you can wait until April to get those big-ticket items, postpone those purchases. Those larger dollar items can make a bigger impact that switching where you buy your milk and bread.

Ditch the Drive-thru

Are you in the habit of grabbing a cup of coffee on your way to work? I’m not telling you to ditch your coffee but maybe change the supplier for your caffeine addiction. Skip the line at StarBees and find a local coffee shop. Or brew your own at home.

Likewise for food. You might be in the habit of grabbing a quick burger or burrito on your lunch but consider packing a sandwich or salad. Again, you’re keeping your dollars out of corporate pockets, and you just might improve your health.

Permission to Spend – Gift Cards

Here’s a loophole on the spending boycott. Do you have any unused gift cards sitting around? Use them. The business already collected their money when the card was sold. You might have a few still sitting around from Christmas. Make a point of spending all of your gift cards during the month of March. This forces them to give you their product without taking in any new cash flows. Companies generally carry unused gift cards as a pending liability and use it to offset their assets. Make those gift cards a real liability this month.

Return Everything

Do you have something you ordered online, and it isn’t exactly what you wanted or you haven’t decided if you really like it? Send it back. If it’s still within the return window, send it back. The only thing better than refusing to give them your money is making them give your money back to you.

While you’re returning things, return your cans and bottles. If you live in a state with a bottle deposit, and you have a good-sized stash of returnables out in the garage like I do, take them back to the supermarket. After you finish stuffing them into the machine, take the refund slip to the service desk and get cash, then stick it in your pocket and don’t spend a dime in the store. The name of the game is to impact their cash flow.

Cancel Subscriptions

Do you know how many subscriptions you have? Sit down and look at your credit card bill and you will be surprised. Obviously, Amazon Prime is a prime target to get cut, but you might be surprised at where else you can cut. Got subscription to Washington Post or NY Times? Do you really read them that much? How about streaming services you barely watch? I switched my Netflix to the one with ads and cut that bill in half. If you don’t use it, stop paying for it.

Support Small Businesses

These are the real backbone of our economy and our communities. Shop local grocers, diners, coffee shops. Check out consignment shops. I’ve found some absolutely gorgeous “gently loved” outfits at consignment shops. Support local artists. Support independent bookstores.

Books – Books – Books!

Hey, I’m a writer. I get excited about books. Do you have a library card? If not, get one. If you do, use it. You would be amazed at the services available at your local library. They have a lot more than books. You can download e-books, rent movies and video games. You might be able replace a subscription or two with those services.

Support authors. I have several friends with books launching in the near future, and I want to support them by purchasing a copy. But I’m not going to give my money to the big A. Instead, I’m going to Bookshop.org. When you shop through them, you can designate an independent bookstore to receive a percentage of the profit from the sale of the book.

Questions or Recommendations?

Does anyone else have suggestions on how to limit the amount of money we’re forking over to billionaires who would love to feed all of us into the woodchipper? Drop it in the comments below.

Let’s stick together in solidarity. No spending for the entire month of March.

STARVE THE RICH!