Shoppers are boycotting Walmart over rollbacks in DEI efforts. Here's when.
The boycott of Walmart, which runs from May 20 to May 26, is organized by The People's Union, the same grass-roots group that coordinated the one-day economic consumer blackout on Feb. 28. The boycott includes Walmart retail and online stores, Sam's Club and other affiliated Walmart-branded companies and private label brands such as Great Value and Equate. The People's Union has had weekly boycotts since Feb. 28, including ones aimed at Amazon and Nestle.
Boycott plans continue for the group through July 4, when it says it will ramp up its efforts with longer actions.
These boycotts are in addition to separate actions by other organizations protesting Target and other retailers, similarly for their retreat from DEI initiatives.
John Schwarz started The People's Union, which has been coordinating many of the boycotts. Schwarz has previously told USA TODAY that he did not know that his first video suggesting a national one-day consumer blackout on Feb. 28, would gain so much traction.
Since then, Schwarz who is active on Instagram using the handle @theonecalledJai has outlined several other boycotts.
In a post on May 20, Schwarz encouraged people to boycott Walmart, "because after all the record profits, all the tax loopholes, all the corporate greed, Walmart now once again wants to raise prices. But this time, because of the tariffs, as if they're not already raking in billions, as if they can't absorb the cost. As if you and I should carry this burden."
When asked for comment, a Walmart spokesperson referred USA TODAY to a previous statement given in response to the first one-week boycott in April.
"As one of the largest corporate taxpayers in the country, not only do we pay our fair share, we are an economic force multiplier strengthening communities nationwide through job creation, supplier growth, and over $1.7 billion in cash and in-kind donations last year,'' it read. " We remain dedicated to earning the business of all Americans and giving our time and resources to causes that uplift and unite communities who rely on us every day."
Consumer boycotts: Target boycott leaders plan protests on anniversary of George Floyd's murder
Future boycotts from The People's Union include:
June 3-9: Target
June 24-30: McDonald's
July 4: Independence Day Blackout
Full information about the planned boycotts by The People's Union can be found on the website, https://thepeoplesunionusa.com or videos posted by Schwarz on Instagram and TikTok. The group's website includes a section called "Consumer Awareness," which lists and ranks companies based on criteria such as unethical practices, and also notes businesses it deems to be "doing it better."
Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at blinfisher@USATODAY.com or follow her on X, Facebook or Instagram @blinfisher and @blinfisher.bsky.social on Bluesky. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, which will include consumer news on Fridays, here.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A second Walmart boycott is happening over DEI. Here's when.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
32 minutes ago
- CNBC
China wants US to relax AI chip-export controls for trade deal, FT reports
China wants the United States to ease export controls on chips critical for artificial intelligence as part of a trade deal before a possible summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Chinese officials have told experts in Washington that Beijing wants the Trump administration to relax export restrictions on high-bandwidth memory chips, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter. The White House, State Department and China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report. HBM chips, which help perform data-intensive AI tasks quickly, are closely watched by investors due to their use alongside AI graphic processors, particularly Nvidia's. The FT said China is concerned because the U.S. HBM controls hamper the ability of Chinese companies such as Huawei to develop their own AI chips. Successive U.S. administrations have curbed exports of advanced chips to China, looking to stymie Beijing's AI and defence development. While this has impacted U.S. firms' ability to fully address booming demand from China, one of the world's largest semiconductor markets, it still remains an important revenue driver for American chipmakers.
Washington Post
36 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Russia and Ukraine hold fast to their demands ahead of a planned Putin-Trump summit
The threats, pressure and ultimatums have come and gone, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained Moscow's uncompromising demands in the war in Ukraine, raising fears he could use a planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska to coerce Kyiv into accepting an unfavorable deal. The maximalist demands reflect Putin's determination to reach the goals he set when he launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump order opens 401(k)s to private assets: What advisors need to know
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order directing regulators to clear the path for 401(k) plans to include private market investments and cryptocurrencies — a shift that could reshape how advisors construct retirement portfolios. The order instructs the Department of Labor to review and clarify ERISA fiduciary guidelines for offering alternative assets in defined-contribution plans. If implemented, the changes could expand advisors' toolkit to include asset classes such as private equity, private credit, infrastructure, real estate and digital assets. READ MORE:The lure of private equity investing comes with these risksMindful of risks, RIAs steer clients into private marketsWith Trump admin rule rollback, will 401(k)s see more crypto options?Annuities in 401(k)s? Savers show interest, but advisors are hesitant The executive order calls for the Labor Secretary to examine past and current guidance on fiduciaries' duties when including alternatives in asset allocation funds, such as target date products. Within the next 180 days, the department must clarify the criteria fiduciaries should use to weigh the higher costs of these investments against potential long-term gains and broader diversification benefits. American Retirement Association CEO Brian Graff argued that fiduciaries, not the government, should be the ones deciding if an investment class is appropriate for plan participants. "Professional retirement plan fiduciaries that are subject to strict fiduciary standards — not the federal government — are in the best position to assess developments in the financial markets and determine what is in the financial best interest of retirement plan participants and beneficiaries," Graff said in a statement. The move also aims to curb ERISA litigation that has historically deterred plan sponsors from offering private market and digital assets. Industry interest in alternatives has been building in recent years. In 2024, 3.9% of plan sponsors offered alternative investments to participants, up from 2.2% in 2023, according to PLANSPONSOR's latest Recordkeeping Survey. In the Financial Planning Association's 2025 Trends in Investing survey, researchers saw a sharp increase in the use of alternative investments among advisors. Nearly 1 in 5 advisors surveyed said they currently use or recommend investing in private debt to their clients, up 55% from the previous year. Proponents say alternative assets offer an opportunity for improved returns and diversification, but critics warn that higher fees, lower liquidity and a lack of transparency could ultimately harm retirement savings for the average investor. A niche investment for the masses Although alternative assets can play a role in some clients' broader portfolios, advisors say that defined contribution plans aren't the right place for such a specialized investment class. "I don't think it's appropriate to have private investments and private credit and private equity inside of a 401(k)," said Kashif Ahmed, founder of Bedford, Massachusetts-based advisory firm American Private Wealth. "It really is for people who max out all of the common 401(k) vehicles and everything else, and they have tremendous liquidity. Those are the people who should be rolling the dice on private equity and private credit, because they're really illiquid," Ahmed added. "It's for people who have no issues with tying up a substantial amount of [money] that they may or may not be able to get for many years. The 401(k) is just not that. It's just not that vehicle. The average client is better off avoiding private investments." Despite their unique drawbacks, some investors are still drawn to alternative assets due to their novelty among the average person, according to Ahmed. "That's why this is so devilish, right? It's human nature to be able to want something that either you can't get or you've been told for a long time that you can't have, and all of a sudden it's available," Ahmed said. "And I think people are just going to let their emotions get the better of them." Will private assets invade target date funds? The mechanics of adding private assets to 401(k) plans are still up for debate, but many experts point to target date funds as the most likely entry point. In a T. Rowe Price survey of defined contribution plan consultants and advisors, most respondents said private assets are most likely to show up inside off-the-shelf or custom target date funds. While stand-alone options for plan participants are possible, respondents viewed them as far less likely. For advisors like Cristina Guglielmetti, the founder of Future Perfect Planning in Brooklyn, New York, the addition of private assets to target date funds would be reason enough to revisit how she allocates clients' 401(k) holdings. By 2027, target date funds will account for about two-thirds of all 401(k) contributions and hold roughly 46% of total plan assets, according to estimates from Cerulli Associates. "As an advisor, that would cause more of an issue because it's much harder to avoid, right? So that's kind of my concern is, will a client be able to avoid these if they decide that they don't want it, or their advisor wants to advise them against it," Guglielmetti said. "How hard is it going to be to not have any of this stuff?" Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
