zenekar
08-30-2009, 01:58 PM
Whole Foods Boycott Growing - Coming To A Store Near You*
By Dolores M. Bernal*
Aug 27, 2009*
There are a lot of angry Whole Foods Markets shoppers
out there as the boycott against the health food store
continues to gain momentum across the country with
rallies and other acts of disdain for the popular
chain.
The number of Facebook members on the Boycott Whole
Foods group page since we last reported on this story
has more than doubled to 29,694 shoppers supporting the
boycott. But joining a Facebook group is more than what
these shoppers are doing - the movement has already led
to actions outside several stores in various cities and
there is even an official blog where people are sending
in receipts from purchases they have done elsewhere.
The boycott was born out of anger after an opinion
piece written by Whole Foods CEO John Mackey earlier
this month was published on the Wall Street Journal.
In the opinion piece, Mackey expresses his personal
libertarian right-wing views against universal
healthcare for all Americans, implying that having
health care is not a right and that Obama's plan would
bankrupt the country. He also said that most of the
medical problems Americans face are "self-inflicted."
Mackey's words didn't sit well with progressive
shoppers who had done their grocery shopping at the
chain for years. The often expensive organic products
at the chain had often attracted a more upper middle
class crowd, many of them very well educated and often
times more liberal. And this is what boycott organizers
are trying to capitalize on - the liberal yuppies.
Since the healthcare debate begun, numerous polls
have shown that the majority of Americans support a
single-payer or government run healthcare system. An
August 5 CNN poll showed that 50 percent of Americans
are supportive of Obama's healthcare reform plan
despite the fierce right-wing fear-mongering that has
been taking place over radio, Internet, and TV.
With such support for healthcare reform, specially
in larger cities where a majority of liberals live,
Whole Foods boycotters are trying to make an impact.
Organizers have been keeping track of the Boycott Whole
Foods campaign; they've posted a poll from Mashable.com
showing that the store's brand has been on the decline
since the campaign gained media attention.
But there is also a palpable physical presence from
boycotters outside some Whole Foods stores, including
in Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, New York City, and
in Austin, where the first store opened in 1980. The
organizers are gearing up for more actions to raise
public awareness about the campaign. All the
information can be found on their blog.
<<https://wholeboycott.com/>https://wholeboycott.com/>
The boycott will see its success if Mackey resigns.
It's uncertain how possible that could be since he was
the store's co-founder, but if sales at Whole Foods
Markets decline dramatically enough, the company's
board of directors may look into taking some sort of
action against Mackey to ease the public anger.
You can visit the boycott's Facebook page by
clicking here.*
<https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=119099537379>Boycott Whole Foods | Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=119099537379)
<https://newsjunkiepost.com/2009/08/27/whole-foods-boycott-growing-coming-t>Whole Foods Boycott Growing – Coming To A Store Near You | NEWS JUNKIE POST (https://newsjunkiepost.com/2009/08/27/whole-foods-boycott-growing-coming-t)
o-a-store-near-you/
________
By Dolores M. Bernal*
Aug 27, 2009*
There are a lot of angry Whole Foods Markets shoppers
out there as the boycott against the health food store
continues to gain momentum across the country with
rallies and other acts of disdain for the popular
chain.
The number of Facebook members on the Boycott Whole
Foods group page since we last reported on this story
has more than doubled to 29,694 shoppers supporting the
boycott. But joining a Facebook group is more than what
these shoppers are doing - the movement has already led
to actions outside several stores in various cities and
there is even an official blog where people are sending
in receipts from purchases they have done elsewhere.
The boycott was born out of anger after an opinion
piece written by Whole Foods CEO John Mackey earlier
this month was published on the Wall Street Journal.
In the opinion piece, Mackey expresses his personal
libertarian right-wing views against universal
healthcare for all Americans, implying that having
health care is not a right and that Obama's plan would
bankrupt the country. He also said that most of the
medical problems Americans face are "self-inflicted."
Mackey's words didn't sit well with progressive
shoppers who had done their grocery shopping at the
chain for years. The often expensive organic products
at the chain had often attracted a more upper middle
class crowd, many of them very well educated and often
times more liberal. And this is what boycott organizers
are trying to capitalize on - the liberal yuppies.
Since the healthcare debate begun, numerous polls
have shown that the majority of Americans support a
single-payer or government run healthcare system. An
August 5 CNN poll showed that 50 percent of Americans
are supportive of Obama's healthcare reform plan
despite the fierce right-wing fear-mongering that has
been taking place over radio, Internet, and TV.
With such support for healthcare reform, specially
in larger cities where a majority of liberals live,
Whole Foods boycotters are trying to make an impact.
Organizers have been keeping track of the Boycott Whole
Foods campaign; they've posted a poll from Mashable.com
showing that the store's brand has been on the decline
since the campaign gained media attention.
But there is also a palpable physical presence from
boycotters outside some Whole Foods stores, including
in Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, New York City, and
in Austin, where the first store opened in 1980. The
organizers are gearing up for more actions to raise
public awareness about the campaign. All the
information can be found on their blog.
<<https://wholeboycott.com/>https://wholeboycott.com/>
The boycott will see its success if Mackey resigns.
It's uncertain how possible that could be since he was
the store's co-founder, but if sales at Whole Foods
Markets decline dramatically enough, the company's
board of directors may look into taking some sort of
action against Mackey to ease the public anger.
You can visit the boycott's Facebook page by
clicking here.*
<https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=119099537379>Boycott Whole Foods | Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=119099537379)
<https://newsjunkiepost.com/2009/08/27/whole-foods-boycott-growing-coming-t>Whole Foods Boycott Growing – Coming To A Store Near You | NEWS JUNKIE POST (https://newsjunkiepost.com/2009/08/27/whole-foods-boycott-growing-coming-t)
o-a-store-near-you/
________