It is with a heavy heart that I am turning away from a local business. Through the years, I have been a believer in shopping local when possible.
I was fiercely loyal to Johnson’s Creative Corners by getting my haircut there. Granted, a part of the reason was that I could walk there and back.
After Johnson’s went belly up, I switched to Hair Cut Hut on North Main, for pretty much the same reason, supporting the small business instead of the big franchise operations.
But I was more than sad when I heard tell the local emporium last weekend was the site of a couple of petitioners trying to gain signatures for the recall of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. While I understand it is the business’ right of free speech to do that, I also have the freedom of choice to take my business elsewhere.
I have issues with “Big Gretch” as well, but I have nothing but admiration for her in her sometimes unpopular insistence we follow the science by masking up, keeping at least six feet apart and not permit congregating in the interests of public safety during a serious pandemic.
Her stands have even resulted in her being the target or threats on her life.
My personal boycott is nothing new, for me or just about anybody else.
I can recall the Beatles in 1965 as the targets of record burnings after John Lennon remarked, “We’re more popular than Jesus Christ.”
I recall the California grape boycotts of the late 1960s, led by Cesar Chavez.
I recall the boycott of recordings by the Dixie Chicks because singer Natalie Mains had some unkind things to say about President George W. Bush.
I personally boycotted Major League Baseball, but fell off the wagon twice over 25 years because of my children, after the 1994 baseball strike.
I have only rarely been caught inside or buying anything from Wal-Mart or Applebees because of their corporate attitudes toward communities and their employees.
Only recently did I relent in avoiding Cracker Barrel restaurants because I heard tell about their backward unfriendly policies regarding LGBTQ people.
I was most recently astonished to learn that Grand Rapids restaurateur Tommy Brann propose a state-wide mask mandate, a Republican state legislator who is a disciple of the Selfish Queen Ayn Rand, who had to be rolling in her grave. I may have to rethink my refusal to eat at his eateries.
One of the saddest stories about dog-eat-dog capitalism was about the late CEO Robert Woodrick, who preached the gospel of fairness to people of color and used to tell stories about his own racism. Because he was more kind to employees about vacations, family and compensation, his D&W grocery stores couldn’t compete with the stores that lowered prices because they paid employees less.
We all have freedom of choice in this great land of ours, at least until monopolies finally give us no other choices. I choose to pay a little more to support local and more employee friendly businesses. But when they champion and wrong-headed and even unhealthy cause in the name of making money, I will walk away.
Mr Young
Sometimes business owners get so ” caught up ” in an issue they fail to realize the consequences. ( a large number of years ago my business partner and I strongly supported the idea of an amphitheater in the area. Sadly this cost us 45% loss of business, just because we saw the benefit of the project) .
Only time will tell if things have changed and a business can support controversial issues and still exist.
Since the first shutdown many are cutting their own hair,having spouses or trusted friends.
I refuse to buy anything at Dollar General, Family Dollar or Dollar Tree stores. They are vulture capitalists. Get approvals in places like Moline and Wayland by schmoozing local zoning boards and if that doesn’t work try to bulldoze using their corporate legal team to eat away at a the small community’s relatively small legal contingency fund. They start slowly putting places like Dick’s Market out of business.
Once built there are often only 1 or 2 fulltime employees while every other employee is a part-timer. Because of their buying power of 1000’s of store and limited selection they can sell items like Campbell’s Tomato Soup for less than Dick’s Market or Hardings can buy it for from Spartan Nash.
If one decides to patronize the aforementioned businesses please don’t comment and complain about locally owned businesses closing their doors.
You are free to go to whatever business you prefer. I am not a real good boycott person of some business that does something I disagree with. If I was I would have boycotted this on line rag long ago. We may have different points of view on various things but I can disagree without getting to ticked off about it. I wonder how many have “boycotted” my daughter cafe because she has Christian sayings on the walls. People get all tied in a knot over someone’s belief, be it political or anything else. As for myself I prefer to say I like you even if you don’t think the same way as I.
Reporters should report the news, not their personal feelings. If you don’t like it you do not go back. You want to use a publication to attack a small business that is having a tough time surviving already. I say Boycott Townbrocast for such actions. You should be ashamed of yourself for attacking a neighbor with your personal feelings. Be a Big boy and walk away. I will delete my link to Townbrodcast as I am a Big Boy and will walk away
David, this is very sad news. I have always enjoyed having conversations with you and others who may disagree with me on personal, political, and religious views. I learn something new every day. I did allow them to use my parking lot , and I am sorry that people feel offended.
When did we become people who can not just have conversations about things and disagree and discuss things? Why do we have to pick sides to the point of not patronizing businesses or not supporting our neighbors? I also find it sad that you would hold my decision against the stylists who work at the hut. They are all self employed and had no knowledge of what was going on. You may boycott me but what about them? I hope you have a wonderful day and Happy Holidays!
Thank you, Stacie
Stacie,
Now you realize what nutjobs the lefty Democrats are … they support only those with ideas that align with theirs. If you don’t agree with them, they will try to hurt you any way possible, they just can’t help themselves. Sick.
Stacie
Whether a boycott affects you or not, only time will tell. One who owns a business many times forgets, that many issues have to never be supported at the business site. (It was a hard lesson for me to learn). I also had self-employed salespeople, there was no pandemic, five months later all was once again business as usual.
I sincerely hope your loyal customers continue to patronize you.
As a stylist from the Haircut Hut I would like to say that not all of the stylists agree politically and that we didn’t know what was going on and we’re put in an awkward position.
Because he chose to write about this personal boycott of a local business, Mr. Young has opened himself up to discussion and criticism of the issue.
It would seem some useful dialogue has resulted, with the exception of Don’t Tread On Me. He chooses to be a name-caller (“nutjob”) who casts aspersions (“Sick.”) This is counterproductive and divisive, and his only approach to our differences.
I would do all of us well to exclude his remarks from the discussion when we explore the philosophy of boycotts.
So sayegh the Oracle of wisdom and reason. I know people like you, all nice and fuzzy, but never doing a damn thing to improve anything. Just come up with hot air.
Really? Complaining that someone is being a “name caller”? There’s a kettle I’d like to introduce you to…
Wow!!! Coming from a mouth that continually name called and couldn’t address President Trump respectfully. Try again sweetheart………..So typical!
Cheers!!!
Ms Mandaville
Though I very seldom agree with you, this time I must.
Trigger words and phrases (name calling, etc) do have some effect. The reader is distracted since what is written has little basis.
Boycott does not belong to just one party or group of people. Depending on the time and cause it may become a formidable weapon against a business.
The majority of time the business (target of the boycott) will survive with minimal damage (loss of profit, some employees, consumers, etc.)
In this situation the cause( the governor) the timing (the pandemic) does not bode well for any business to be boycotted.
If your occupancy is reduced, your clientele disagrees with your cause, and a possible future “lockdown ” looms.
Do you really want to put everything (your business, your employees’ livelihood, etc.) in jeopardy for your cause/ beliefs?
The other side of the “coin” — does the “organizer” of a boycott truly understand the “ripple effect ” this could have on so many people, community or country?
I do believe there is a lesson to be learned here. Any small businesses (local or otherwise) before supporting controversial issues. Understand the liability (employees, profit/loss, consumers, timing ) before acting, especially at your business site.
Though this is not an organized boycott… in a small community it only takes a small percentage of consumers to affect a business.
We all learn through our mistakes. Once is a mistake if it is repeated it is intentional.
There is a different attitude by business owners than there was 32 years (six Presidential election cycles) ago. When I started in business 40 years ago it was sometimes clear in private conversation what a business thought about a political figure but rarely did you see signs on their company’s property, in windows or even politcal election bumper stickers on company vehicles.
The owners knew they may offend a portion of their customer base. Depending on the county it may be 25% (or 75%) and given this year’s results it could be close to 50%. But in this political climate if a business owner decides to show their political stripes, no one should be shocked when some customers decide to take their business elsewhere and in some cases employees end up suffering the consequences.
The difference in this case is one of the offended customers decided to make the decision to find similar services at another business public. Decisons like this happen every week. We just don’t know about it.