Nationwide Boycott of Walmart Planned for April 7
Beginning Monday, April 7, Walmart will be the target of a week-long boycott driven by allegations of "corporate greed" and recent decisions to scale back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. The protest comes in response to the retail giant’s move last year to eliminate its racial equity training, defund its racial equity center, and pull out of the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.
The boycott is being organized by People’s Union USA, a group advocating against what it describes as systemic corporate exploitation and unethical business practices.
While similar in tone to past actions against companies like Target—which drew criticism for reversing certain DEI policies—this particular boycott, according to Supermarket News, is being positioned more broadly as a stand against “corporate greed and corruption.”
“No matter what side of the political fence you stand on, you should be able to agree that corporate greed and political corruption are choking this country,” the organization stated, as quoted by the outlet.
“If you need something, look locally; if you can’t find it locally, wait. We are cutting the cord,” they added, encouraging consumers to refrain from shopping at large retailers during the protest.
Despite the campaign, Supermarket News reports that Walmart may be better equipped to weather the impact compared to companies like Target.
Using figures from Numerator, the report notes that Walmart’s customer base hasn’t shown significant shifts since it changed its stance on DEI. In fact, among various demographics—including white, Black, Hispanic, and Asian shoppers—only a 2.6% dip was observed among Asian consumers.
This isn’t the first protest of its kind. Back on February 28, multiple retailers faced backlash for similar DEI reversals. Target’s online traffic dipped 9% that day, Walmart experienced a 5% drop, and Amazon fell by 2%.
Meanwhile, Costco, which has taken a different approach by reinforcing its diversity initiatives, experienced a 22% surge in web traffic on that same day.
Looking ahead, People’s Union USA has more demonstrations in the works. According to a post on their Instagram, the group’s “economic blackout tour” will return to Walmart from May 20 through May 26.
Additional coordinated protests are scheduled: a broader economic blackout is planned for April 18, followed by a week-long boycott of General Mills from April 21 to April 28.
Spring and summer will also bring actions against other major corporations, including Amazon and McDonald’s.
People’s Union USA isn’t alone in these efforts. Other progressive groups are preparing similar boycotts as a means of pushing back against the direction of the current U.S. administration. In a separate effort, civil rights leader Al Sharpton has urged PepsiCo to meet with him in the coming weeks to discuss reinstating its DEI programs—or risk facing a boycott, according to the Associated Press.