‘We Ain’t Buying It’ Boycott Targets Amazon, Home Depot, Target; Shop Local Instead

by | Nov 20, 2025 | COMMUNITY, EAT DRINK, NEWS, POLITICS, SMALL BUSINESS

Editor’s note: As the holiday shopping season begins, we are encouraging Richmonders to support independent businesses, you can find a list of those in our ongoing “Support Local, Vote Local” 2025 Readers’ Poll, which highlights hundreds of local shops, restaurants, and services across the region. Every dollar spent locally makes a difference. 


A coalition including No Kings Alliance, 50501 Movement, Indivisible, Black Voters Matter Fund, and Until Freedom is calling for a five-day boycott from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday. The campaign, titled We Ain’t Buying It, urges consumers to avoid three major retailers, Target, Amazon, and Home Depot, and redirect their holiday spending toward small and local businesses instead.

The reminder comes as national advocacy groups launch a coordinated economic boycott during one of the busiest retail weekends of the year, which also includes Small Business Saturday.

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No Kings protests October 2025, photo by Landon Shroder

This move toward economic action builds on the momentum of the recent No Kings protests, which organizers estimate drew more than seven million people across the country making it one of the largest coordinated demonstrations in recent U.S. history. With engagement that high, shifting from the streets to consumer pressure is a logical next step. When traditional political avenues feel stalled, people often turn to their wallets. “Voting with your dollars” may be cliché, but it’s still one of the few tools that can produce immediate, measurable pressure.

According to a press release from the No Kings Alliance, organizers describe the action as a “coordinated weekend of economic noncooperation,” protesting what they characterize as corporate complicity in policies tied to the Trump administration. The campaign identifies three companies for specific allegations:

  • Target, Target has rolled back their DEI initiatives, which included ending programs that help Black employees advance, cutting financial support for Black-Owned businesses, and removing LGBTQ+ products from their stores.
  • Home Depot, for allegedly allowing or cooperating with immigration-enforcement activity connected to ICE on or around certain company properties, claims advocacy groups say reflect broader concerns about corporate participation in aggressive immigration policy.
  • Amazon, for benefiting from and lobbying around federal tax policies under the Trump administration, including provisions that significantly lowered the corporate tax rate. Amazon donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, which Bezos attended; its streaming service paid $40 million to license a documentary about First Lady Melania Trump; and Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud arm, remains one of the federal government’s largest contractors.

Organizers have also released a detailed timeline for the campaign. The effort formally launched on Monday, November 10 at 10 a.m. EST, with a national partner call scheduled for Wednesday, November 12 at 7 p.m. EST. The boycott itself runs from November 27 through December 1, covering Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Sunday, and Cyber Monday.

Each day includes a specific action: “Don’t Spend a Dime” on Thursday; “Blackout Friday” on Friday; “Shop Small Saturday” with a focus on local, Black, immigrant, and POC-owned businesses; “Circulate the Dollar” on Sunday through mutual aid and community support; and a “Cyber Shutdown” on Monday encouraging a digital blackout. Organizers say these daily targets are designed to build collective power throughout the weekend.

Supporters are encouraged to avoid shopping with the targeted retailers between November 27 and December 1 and to amplify the campaign on social media using #WeAintBuyingIt.

LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund, said the coalition views the effort as part of a broader strategy of nonviolent pressure. “Economic noncooperation is a powerful, nonviolent tool for a free people, and we plan to use it to make America better for all of us, not just the wealthy few,” Brown said in the release.

The boycott comes amid projections that U.S. consumers will spend more than $250 billion online during the 2025 holiday season. Organizers say the timing was chosen to maximize national visibility and symbolic impact during a peak spending period.

As of this week, Target, Amazon, and Home Depot have not issued broad public statements in response to the boycott. It remains unclear how widespread participation will be or what economic effect the action may have.


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Since 2005, the dedicated team at RVA Magazine, known as RVA Staff, has been delivering the cultural news that matters in Richmond, VA. This talented group of professionals is committed to keeping you informed about the events and happenings in the city.




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