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Store Wars: Conservative Consumers v.s. Social Justice Warriors

Store Wars: Conservative Consumers v.s. Social Justice Warriors

Conservatives “anger signal” with their wallets and sense of empowerment.

https://twitter.com/Forbes/status/817471053761048576

President-Elect Donald Trump is humorously referred to as a “Galactic Level Troll Master” for his ability to yank the chains of progressives and their media minons.

However, after his epic press conference this week, I would argue that Trump is the Obi Wan Kenobi of the rebellion against political correctness and social justice warriors that have dominated American culture for far too long. His example is now empowering America’s conservatives to push back against progressives who will never be appeased, using their wallets as their weapons.

Legal Insurrection fans are aware that Trump opponents organizing a boycott off L.L. Bean after it was reported that a member of the family that runs the business, Linda Bean, donated $60,000 to a Trump-supporting super PAC.

The organizers will be in for a big shock when they discover that “Tea Party”, independent conservatives who united in support of smaller government and adherence to constitutional principles, has not died. Our networks of communication are still intact, and we are now using them to engage in “store-fare”.

Within a week of the L.F. Bean story, every one of the pro-Trump and/or conservative news boards I monitor was encouraging a buy-cott of the apparel company. I know fellow author Mark Finkelstein is planning to make a purchase. And while I am a classic fashion maven, and Ivanka Trump’s line is more my style, my son is authorized to make a wish list of clothes.

In the wake of this boycott, Linda Bean reports that online sales have upticked. Additionally, L.L.Bean is moving into a new 110,000-square-foot warehouse Maine to support stronger demand for its iconic boots.

Furthermore, the “Tea Party network” is sharing the link to the progressive boycott website, grabyourwallet.com, and encouraging people to purchase from those businesses.

Of course, our wallets can cut both ways. Firms that think “virtue signalling” by insulting a large swath of its consumer base may want to rethink their marketing schemes.

One entity in my hometown has nearly been struck down in this consumer battle.

Macy’s apparel store, the original anchor for the 1961 Mission Valley Center mall, is closing starting next week, the struggling department store chain announced Wednesday.

It is one of 65 stores that will close this year nationally following three that closed last year. About 3,900 employees are affected with 140 at the Mission Valley location.

A clearance sale is set to begin Monday and run for eight to 12 weeks.

Pundit Don Surber noted that the department store chain’s troubles were tied into the corporate decision to give Donald Trump’s line of clothing the boot during the primary campaign mania in 2015.

.. CEO Terry J. Lundgren became an SJW.

After Trump entered the presidential race, Lundgren very publicly voided his company’s contract with Trump.

…In response, some customers ended their relationship with Macy’s.

From TMZ on July 13, 2015: Sources connected to the department store tell TMZ, Macy’s has received complaints from approximately 30,000 customers since ending its relationship with Trump nearly 2 weeks ago. We’re told the store has been “inundated with complaints” from customers who believe the department store is unfairly punishing Trump for his views on immigration.

Part of Macy’s problem is that on-line shopping is cutting into bricks-and-mortar store profits. However, dramatic messaging that insults a significant portion of your consumer base will ensure these consumers use their computers instead of the cars when seeking products.

Kellogg’s corporate types demeaned many their American consumers when they publicly decided to cancel their ads on Breitbart, because the conservative political opinion site wasn’t aligned with Kellogg’s values. The executives could have cancelled their ad buys quietly, and nobody would have suspected anything other than a revised marketing approach.

However, because of their choice to demonize Breitbart’s readers (including myself), I have decided that Kellogg’s will no longer be aligned with my money. It is amazing how many alternatives to Pop Tarts and Frosted Flakes you can find in today’s grocery stores when you look!

Time will tell how many other Americans are making the same free market choice, and if the Breitbart-lead boycott of Kellogg’s products will teach elite executives a valuable, free-market lesson.

The Huffington Post recently tried to persuade readers to boycott the publisher of the dramatic and entertaining conservative activist, Milo Yiannopoulos. Again, the conservative network stood strong.

LESS THAN 24 HOURS AFTER Milo Yiannopoulos’ upcoming book was announced, pre-orders for the controversial young conservative’s “Dangerous” propelled it to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list, knocking the recently deceased Carrie Fisher’s “Princess Diarist” down to No. 2.

“I think he has a much wider fan base than people realize,” said Tom Flannery, Yiannopoulos’ literary agent at AGI Vigliano.

Conservatism and traditional American values also have a wide fan base, and I suspect that many social justice warriors are going to be shocked by the “anger-signaling” of their fellow citizens through their purchase choices.

To progressives, I say: Witness the purchasing power of this fully-armed and -operational conservative consumer base. You have only yourselves to blame for its construction.

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Who advertises on buzzfeed? I know Hyundai is one advertiser. Email them at [email protected] to let them know how much you appreciate their support of buzzfeed.

Wife and I will make a trip to LLBean’s local retail store and make some purchases. We’ve not shopped there before, and we will pass on to the retail clerks that we are there because of our support for Trump and for Linda Bean’s rights of free speech and association.

    markinct in reply to Rick. | January 14, 2017 at 2:55 pm

    You’re in for a pleasant surprise. There isn’t a retailer in America that stands by their products like LL Bean does. They’ll replace an item YEARS after you bought it.

    Granny in reply to Rick. | January 14, 2017 at 4:34 pm

    I bought one of my daughters an LLBean anorak when she was at college, age 18 or so. She wore that anorak all through college, through her pregnancy with my granddaughter and for YEARS afterwards. She did finally replace it a few years ago, mainly because she had been wearing it for almost 20 years and wanted something newer. These days it is keeping somebody else warm, but still going strong.

In recent years it seems that organized boycotts usually backfire, regardless of which side is calling for them. The “One Million Moms” boycott of JC Penney because of them using Ellen Degeneres as a spokesperson flopped, as did the Chik-fil-A protest.

OTOH, spontaneous boycotts (like of Macys) and buycotts (organized and spontaneous) seem to have been effective. (Most or all organized buycotts have been in reaction to organized boycotts.)

    I pointed out on another site calling for boycotts that boycotts only work if two conditions are present:
    1. Enough people committed to participating, and
    2. Enough alternative options (or failing that, the ability to do without).

    Both conditions must be met. As an example, the infamous Montgomery Bus Boycott (which made Rosa Parks a household name) worked because people were committed to not using the public buses, AND found or created other options. They carpooled (a lot), rode more bikes, or failing that, walked (read: did without).

    A lot of “Progressive” boycott attempts fail because “Progressives” by and large still haven’t realized they don’t have nearly the following they think they do* (fails condition #1), and/or what followers they do have aren’t often willing to give up their conveniences or favorite products for long (fails condition #2).

    The people-driven bottom-up (i.e. “grassroots”) approach usually works; people participate because they WANT to, not because they’re being TOLD to. The top-down (false grassroots, or “astroturf”) approach usually falls apart.

    ——
    * – A side-effect of “othering” the opposition. When you operate in an echo chamber and your enemy is “those people”, it’s easy to convince yourself that you are the majority and your opponents are a minority, even if that conclusion has no basis in fact.

The market is capitalist and organic. Just shop.

To many of them seem to have forgotten their first job is to sell stuff … Not politics

Actually the expression is

Troll Level: Galactic Overlord

PUBLIX SUPERMARKETS has decided to cover the front of National Enquirer magazine at checkouts because some customers are offended by the fact The Enquirer had endorsed Trump for President. The Enquirer also has had a picture of the President Elect on the front page of most issues since his election. Crybaby delicate snowflakes.
PUBLIX caving to Toxic PC.
I stopped buying there.

http://api.nasdaqomx.wallst.com/InvestorRelations/API/Chart?symbol=M.N-M&height=250&width=320&bgColor=FFFFFF&fillColor=E01A2B&lineColor=E01A2B&gridLine=B&volume=0&frequency=1dy&duration=1yr&scale=linear&bdr=1|2|3&display=Mountain&headerType=l|f|d|lc&volColorUpDown=397C2C|DC0A0B&bdrColor=999999&gridLineColor=DDDDDD&fillOpacity=100

I think you’ll find it very difficult to correlate any Macy’s stock performance with T-rumpism.

All brick and mortar retailers had a pretty crappy Christmas.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=Walmart+stock&pc=MOZI&form=MOZSBR

http://finance.yahoo.com/quote/SHLD?ltr=1

Another swing and miss by Leslie.

    I don’t think Leslie is talking about stock performance, though. She writes about the backlash against Macy’s for pulling Trump’s line for political reasons. 30,000 complaints about that move is pretty significant. I’m sure we didn’t boost Chick-Fil-A’s stock, either, when we all buycotted them some years ago and had lines wrapped around Chick-Fil-A’s all across the nation (though, heck, maybe we did!).

      Ragspierre in reply to Fuzzy Slippers. | January 14, 2017 at 4:51 pm

      And we all know that there are social media algorithms that can be used by a handful of people to generate thousands of bogus “complaints”.

      Rush waxed grandiloquent about this just the other day.

      Chick-Fil-A was the real deal. I don’t recall Der Donald being big on it.

      BTW, I asked the other day about how Mr. Command Economy and his pard, Wilbur (Industrial Policy) Ross are going to counter the tens-of-thousands of lost jobs in retail.

      No takers from “T-rump Effect” pom-pom gurls and bois.

        Not being a Trump pom-pom gal, I can’t say. My guess is that it’s not really under his purview except as much as federal regulations, rules, onerous tax burdens and work hour requirements, etc. affect retail.

        Bricks and mortar retail is going away. Kind of like whale oil lamps and horse and buggies. Actually, it’s probably not going to be extinct; it’s just going to have to change a great deal. I think the big box and department stores are going to be hit the hardest, and the mom and pops that managed to survive their (big box stores, in particular) massive growth over the past several decades will still be there when they are all gone. Also, I can’t remember where I read about or saw a story on a new retail approach that is all app-based, you essentially walk around the store, picking up whatever you want and walk out. No cashiers, no tellers, no nothing. I think it was an amazon enterprise, but don’t quote me on that. Anyway, these places will clearly need stock people, clean up crews, security, managers/accountants, etc.

        But I get side-tracked. I guess the Trump economy will be so yuge that people losing jobs in retail will find new ones building infrastructure, mining, on oil rigs, or whatever else will be opened up by cuts to regulations, etc. We’ve seen this type of thing before. Television was supposed to make radio obsolete (it didn’t), microwaves were going to revolutionize kitchens and make ovens and stoves obsolete (they didn’t), and on and on. Retailers who adapt or change to meet new/different demands will do fine; the others won’t. It’s not the federal government’s job to stop that or fix it.

          Ragspierre in reply to Fuzzy Slippers. | January 14, 2017 at 5:14 pm

          “You guess”…???

          And you contradict yourself. You correctly state that this isn’t a matter for federal dicking around, while you seem sanguine about T-rumpian dicking around.

          In healthy market economies there will always be displacements caused by innovation and progress. The issue here is that T-rumpism is ANTI-market. It is dangerous. And the rah-rah around it is delusional.

          I want to give Trump a chance, Rags. He’s not even president yet. I very much understand where you are coming from, though. But I’m happy with Sessions and Pence close to him, and it seems he’s even working with Cruz on a couple of issues (Congressional term limits, defunding the UN). Mattis, too, is a good pick. As are many other cabinet picks. I just want to wait and see what happens over the first 100 days before I blow a gasket.

          I am worried about the ridiculous taxpayer-funded child care entitlement being pushed by the Trump camp. A couple of other things (like how will they pay for Trumpulous?) worry me. For now, though, I just want to see what happens and assess things that actually happen when they happen.

          Ragspierre in reply to Fuzzy Slippers. | January 14, 2017 at 6:13 pm

          Well, with Der Donald, they either happen or they don’t…depending on his whim.

          Economically, I don’t have to wait for anything. If he does as he’s said, it will be a very dark time ahead. He’s a crony crapitalist every bit as much as Barracula, with a different emphasis.

          You mentioned “infrastructure”. You’ve gone full Keynesian, like Neutered Gingrich. I’m glad you’re worried. I’m not. I’m certain.

          You mentioned oil field jobs. That’s pretty much already maxed out at current oil prices. You won’t see much of any kind of boom that’ll employ nice little old ladies from Macy’s, or even stock boys.

          Mining? As I stated the other day…and can show…unless T-rump outlaws automation, those jobs are gone to robotic trucks and heavy equipment. The same with steel production.

          On the “give T-rump a chance” thing, he’s showing his ass already, and Pence has, too. He COULD turn around, but I think you’ve seen the REAL Collectivist already, and he ain’t nobody I want to see playing Mr. Command Economy at all. Ever.

          The real “T-rump Effect” won’t be pretty…

Our numbers are greater, as is our wallets.

Shop as if the money you spend is paying a deranged leftist CEO, or Al Sharpton.

See the list:
http://thefederalistpapers.org/us/heres-a-list-of-companies-that-are-helping-to-fund-al-sharptons-war-against-the-police

And if you pay to see a movie or a television show, you’re out of your mind.

http://investor.kelloggs.com/stock-information#historical-stock-quote

Kellogges seems to be doing just fine, as well.

Full disclosure: I doubt I’ve purchased anything from a Macy’s in decades, never from LL Bean (outfitter for the yuppie elite), and a coon’s age for any Kellogge product. Actually, some multiple of a coon’s age.

LOL –
After Trump entered the presidential race, Lundgren very publicly voided his company’s contract with Trump.

…In response, some customers ended their relationship with Macy’s. Macy’s apparel store, the original anchor for the 1961 Mission Valley Center mall, is closing starting next week, the struggling department store chain announced Wednesday.

https://grabyourwallet.org/

Macy’s Retailer that Does Business w/ Trump Family and/or Sells Trump Family Products

Hit from both sides. The CEO should be tarred and feathered by stock holders.

Macys started its suicide mission just a few years ago, when it started selling a line of clothing featuring the Soviet “CCCP.”

Obviously Macys executives are leftist loons bent on using the corporation for leftist political causes than making profit for the shareholders. The shareholders of its parent company should file a lawsuit.

Continuing the name-game from the name of Jeff Sessions:

Macy – from the husband of the half sister of William the Conqueror aka William the Bastard.

http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Macy
https://www.geni.com/people/Guillaume-de-la-Fert%C3%A9-Mac%C3%A9/6000000003827883045
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_the_Conqueror

They tried this with Chick-fil-A and sales went through the roof. I guess we should be glad that these morons are slow learners. They keep outing themselves with these ridiculous pronouncements against conservatives.

At some point they will realize that protesters and social justice boy-cotters don’t have any money and don’t buy their products. They are aligning themselves the wrong group!

But it’s okay, we’ll keep draining the swamp!

Ignorance-signalling defines the left.

JackRussellTerrierist | January 16, 2017 at 2:07 pm

I like to know the personal political tilt of a CEO and a company. I don’t want to put one thin dime in their pockets. Not one dime.