A business's chief aim from its own standpoint is to maximize its value for the owners/shareholders. My aim as a consumer is to maximize the value I get from the economic transactions I engage in. If I'm buying a particular good or service, I'm going to buy it from the firm that allows me to best meet that objective.
Do I agree with Chick Fil A's LGBT views? No. But I don't go there for socio-political commentary. I go there for chicken.
I generally avoid Wal-Mart. Not because I disapprove of the way they treat their employees (which I do), but because their low prices are outweighed by the inconvenient and unpleasant experience of shopping in their stores (which may be in part due to said mistreatment of employees).
How much does a company's political activity and personal policy have on your purchases?
For me it is a good deal. This is especially true for a company's environmental policies. I tend to seek out companies that are friendly to the environment and especially that are 1% For The Planet pledges. Politics plays a large role in my life and I don't see why I would consistently give my money to a company that advocates against my preferred policies when I could be giving it to one that will help my side for a near identical product.
Brands that I recommend for the progressives:
New Belgium Brewery
Patagonia
Ben & Jerry's
Chipotle
Costco
Intel
Kohl's
A lot of others that I just can't think of
Do you own any Apple products? Congratulations. You must support Chinese slave labor. Give yourself a pat on the back. Do you own any Samsung products? Congratulations. You must support Chinese slave labor. Give yourself a pat on the back.
Yes I believe the point of this thread is that Wal-Mart is a pretty unpleasant place to shop. I mean, almost every cashier I've had at a Wal-Mart have been very unpleasant. Of course, management probably treats them like sh*t and pays them minimum wage when a few years ago they were making $8.40/hr, so I shouldn't really be surprised. That is probably the only reason why I don't march to the back and demand that action be taken against these people, because I know that they are being taken over the coals and shat on by people higher up who really don't give a sh*t.
(I'm also a former employee of Wal-Mart, so I'm not exactly talking out of my ass here)
I will comment though that I find it hilarious that Illini "recommends" Kohls. I also worked at Kohls before and they gave the sh*ttiest breaks in the history of eight hour work days. Night managers really enjoyed walking by your area every five f***ing minutes and yelling at you for daring to be standing up for a second without a box or an item in your hand about to be stocked. We got fifteen minute breaks for evening shifts and were given a stiff talking to if we happened to be in the breakroom two minutes over (they supposedly had a deal with the Subway next door to give us discounts. However, it took like five minutes to walk from the back docks to the Subway store, another five to order the sandwich, and by the time we got back the break was over. So seriously, what was even the f***in point of the break in the first place?). Maybe it's different in other places, but the one I worked at was the second worst job I ever had (the worst was Carl's Jr., which really says a lot that Kohl's is second). Not to mention, the company promotes debt slavery through their "Kohl's Credit Card", which management and the sales people worship worship like they are a deluded cult. Kohl's is a religion, and their credit card is their god. They don't really care about selling shirts and sh*t, they just care about getting as many poor suckers onto their credit card scheme as possible in the hopes that 10% of those poor fools forget to pay their tabs on time and pay them outrageous
extortion fees interest rates.
Seriously, the only "liberal" thing about Kohl's seems to be their focus on "green" energy. Other than that, they are just a nicer looking Target.
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