A second Amazon boycott is happening May 6 to 12. Find out why.
A second boycott against Amazon and its affiliated businesses will be held from May 6 through May 12 as some shoppers protest what they call corporate greed, companies that have rolled back their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and President Donald Trump's efforts to eliminate federal DEI programs since taking office.
The boycott of Amazon 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 Amazon and its affiliates, including Whole Foods Market, Amazon Fresh, Amazon Prime Video, Audible, Twitch, Ring, Zappos and Kindle. The People's Union has had several weekly boycotts of various businesses and retailers since Feb. 28, including Walmart and General Mills. The group also had a second three-day economic blackout in April.
Boycott plans continue through July 4 for the group, when organizer John Schwarz has said longer-term boycotts against specific companies will be announced.
These boycotts are in addition to separate actions by other organizations protesting Target and other retailers.
Why is there an Amazon boycott?
Schwarz started The People's Union, which has been coordinating many of the boycotts. Schwarz has previously told Paste BN 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 2, Schwarz took issue with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos after the White House said Amazon would not display how much more items would cost due to Trump's tariffs.
Schwarz said Bezos backed down "and this is what we're up against. A billionaire who doesn't pay his fair share of taxes. A billionaire who manipulates the markets, silences his sellers and flaunts his obscene wealth while Americans struggle to stay afloat."
In an Instagram post on May 4, Schwarz said the Amazon boycott was "rattling the corporate cage. We're letting Jeff Bezos know and Amazon know that we've had enough."
Amazon said it had no comment on the consumer boycotts.
Do consumer boycotts work?
Boycotts can have mixed results. They have worked for the political right.
Conservative activists have successfully rallied in recent years to force retailers and companies to rein in their DEI efforts by staging boycotts to hurt sales, Paste BN has previously reported.
Sometimes boycotts, especially multiple efforts and messages, can be confusing to consumers who may not know which action to take, Brayden King, a professor of management and organizations at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, has previously told Paste BN.
Target has had multiple boycott efforts against it that are continuing; starting with a boycott on Feb. 1 by Minnesota activists and a boycott by some in the Black faith community, which started a 40-day Target Fast during the Lent and Easter season and is continuing an indefinite boycott against the retailer.
Target stock has plummeted since the beginning of the year and several firms have reported in-person foot traffic and online traffic have been impacted.
But other firms say data has shown web traffic and sales for retailers like Amazon have either stayed the same or increased during some of the targeted boycotts.
More boycotts planned
Future boycotts from The People's Union include:
- May 20-26: Walmart boycott #2
- June 3-9: Target boycott
- June 24-30: McDonald's boycott
- July 4: Independence Day Blackout
The Latino community has also been active on social media using the hashtag #LatinoFreeze, encouraging supporters to "hold your money" amid freezes on DEI initiatives, reduced funding for the National Institutes of Health and actions on immigration.
The website latinofreeze.com has a list of companies that have been supportive or critical of DEI efforts.
Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for Paste BN. 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.