(Nov 26. update: This blog is now closed. The fight continues at the Occupy Xmas blog. Click here for the Occupy Xmas blog.)
Nov. 25th Update: Today's the day. Click here to go to the Stop Black Friday summary post!
Keep in mind that we are NOT occupying small businesses or hardworking people -- we must make a distinction between the businesses that are in the pockets of Wall Street and the businesses that serve our local communities.
We are NOT anti-capitalist. Just anti-crapitalist.
Below is a shortlist for publicly traded large businesses to Occupy or to boycott on Black Friday. Luckily, most of them don't have good presents anyway. If you want to see the top 100 retail businesses for 2010 to boycott, click here.
On Black Friday, Occupy or boycott:
- Abercrombie & Fitch
- Amazon.com (yes, we have to stay away from Amazon, too!)
- AT&T Wireless
- Burlington Coat Factory
- Dick's Sporting Goods (I was surprised, too!)
- Dollar Tree
- The Home Depot
- Neiman Marcus
- OfficeMax
- Toys R'Us
- Verizon Wireless
- Wal-Mart
Solidarity!
Visit this political blog for general politics; here are other ideas to implement on Black Friday.
ON NOV. 25th: OCCUPY LARGE CHAINS AND PUBLICLY TRADED RETAIL. Hit the 1% where it hurts - in the wallet.
I hope there are knock-down, knock-out brawls, in which you idiot "occupiers" are left toothless, bruised, and bloodied.
ReplyDeleteSeriously... all this time, and you've accomplished NOTHING! Nor will you.
Most of you can't even agree on WHY you're all there in the first place!
I'm a conservative, but subscribe to no "party." My wife and I, and our 3-month-old little girl are in the lower middle class, to upper low class bracket. We work for what we have, and are working to give ourselves, and our children a better future. And it is coming. We niether expect, nor do we want handouts. The wealthy are that way because they, or their forfathers worked for it. They were iether very smart, creative, or determined. In any case, their success came about through their own efforts. They are fully entitled and deserving to have the wealth they do.
YOU DO NOT REPRESENT US AT ALL! Where do you get the idea, you're for the "99%?" Nobody we know thinks that what you're doing is good, right, or effective. Not a single person we know...
How do you know these businesses are in bed with Wall Street?
ReplyDeleteNo one said that we represent you. I can see from your response that you are simply parroting something you heard on AM radio, so all I will say is that your skewed perspective of our premise is wrong.
ReplyDeleteSay hey to your CEO for me! He's got a good worker bee.
@passthepopcorn
ReplyDeletePublicly traded companies are in bed with Wall Street by definition. Wall Street is what makes a company public.
Publicly traded companies take your money out of your communities and give it straight to stockholders. Local businesses keep money in your local economy. Support them.
Another reason we want this, popcorn, is to look at the political contributions of the retail sector. They gave $24 million in the 2008 cycle. If we want that money to go towards candidates that we support, we must show economic solidarity. Black Friday is the perfect day to do that because if it was done on some random day, no one would notice.
Thanks for your question. Any others? I love discussing this.
Why is IKEA not on this list? Is it because they are a bunch of Socialist Meatball eating Swedes?
ReplyDelete@ The Screaming Head
ReplyDeleteJust because you and your fellow degenerates can't make it in the real, working world, you feel the need to set up tar babies and stalking horses in misguided attempts to attack the capitalist system. Nearly all of your ilk are miscreants looking for a cause, any cause, soas to give your existences some kind of meaning.
You've been left behind by civil society due to your own non-conformist and neo-socialist values, and now you want to come out to the 'burbs to rattle your wankers ... good luck surviving the vast majority of the 99% on Friday. You idiots are viewed as a threat to real, working people -- no one wants you or your anarchists walking around in their neighborhoods, and the cops will simply shrug at what happens to you people as time goes on.
Morons, all of you.
What no Target? Lame....I will make sure stop by each of the above mentioned stores.
ReplyDeletemissing Apple on the list
ReplyDelete@jenn and @j.e. - do you guys not see where I said "this is a short list"? I have the link to all 100 in the blog. I didn't feel it necessary to list them all again...apparently it is!
ReplyDeleteThis is so utterly ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteYou know what I find funniest, though?
Amazon.com, while selling their own products, is also a marketplace for 3rd party sellers. So the mom and pop middle class workers who sell their creations on amazon.com might also get blasted because of this idiot OWSers.
You know whats going to happen if you boycott stores? Profits go down. Know what happens when profits go down? Workers get laid off. Nice job OWS, promoting what you're supposedly fighting.
I should call this spam, but it's no surprise you don't know how economics and politics work. I'll leave it to the ever increasing readership to counter your words with action.
ReplyDeleteObviously, Screaming head can't seem to find a real argument here so he/she has to let "the readership" of which I find so few, to answer the very intelligent comment by 18197. So typical of your average OWSer!
ReplyDeletemy response was based on my own observations and feelings. I don't care much for the likes of Rush Limbaugh, if thats the "AM radio" that was referred to. OWS's website doesn't really correlate with many of the opinions and views I've seen and heard, weather by reading, or seeing on online video. There have been a few arguments that make sense; a small number of people whos convictions I can agree with or relate to. Those views are iether completely absent, grossly misrepresented, or even contradicted by the "official" OWS people, and vast majority of its following.
ReplyDelete@ Head... do YOU 'know' how economics and politics work? They are both rediculously complicated, and, as I'm sure you will agree, very very broken in this country. "No one said that we represent you." REALLY?? isn't that one of the larger points of OWS? You are the ones saying you represent the 99%. As such, you are doing quite a terrible job of representing a majority of this nation.
GET A JOB...after you take a bath.
ReplyDeleteWhy isn't Men's Wearhouse on the list? What a sellout this movement is.
ReplyDeleteWhere is the approved store list? Where do you say We should shop?
ReplyDeleteHint I'm looking to avoid the OWS nut cases
My problem with this is that you simply Posted NRF's top 100 list and said boycott them without regard the fact that there are a good number of franchises on the list. A good chunk of franchises are run by small business owners. Most of Subway's owners own one store and work in them. The same can be said for McDonalds. Then there are entries for companies like Nordstrom and Costco who consistently treat their employees and customers better then the rest of the industry. It seems like their is a huge amount of laziness in this list. Why not actually make the effort to make a list that you came up with and have reasons for each store instead of the blanket statement that they are in the pocket of Wall Street.
ReplyDeleteyou wrote....
ReplyDelete"Another reason we want this, popcorn, is to look at the political contributions of the retail sector. They gave $24 million in the 2008 cycle. If we want that money to go towards candidates that we support, we must show economic solidarity.."
What candidates do we support?
Since I do not believe in what OWS stands for or maybe better said do not support them, does that make me part of the 1%? I think not, the 99%ers do not represent myself, therefor the slogan is misrepresenting and is no better than those you are going against.
ReplyDeleteHAHA
ReplyDeleteYou fully say "We are NOT anti-capitalist. Just anti-crapitalist."
Then you followup with a boycott list that shows EXACTLY the opposite. You ARE against capitalism - or more correctly, you are against corporate capitalism.
It actually reminds me of all the marxists out their who claim "state capitalism is still capitalism". This is hardly true.
When you expect the government to take control and regulate how much a person can make, how much a company can make, how much a company can expand, and allow said government to set fixed prices (or pricing caps) on certain products - that IS the breakdown of capitalism in favor of socialism.
If you think these boycots and protests are anything other than a statement to the government to control and regulate you are SOLELY mistaken.
Another question,
ReplyDeleteYou say boycott Wall Street and the companies that have damaged the economy, but you used godaddy.com to register this site. Godaddy is owned by two private equity firms, one of which is KKR who has been notorious for creating and mastering the Leveraged Buyout. How can you tell people to avoid Wall Street when you support a business that has been one of the worst for helping create the current conditions on Wall Street?
You are no longer, or never have been the so-called 99%...You are exposing yourselves more and more to the rest of the country...as being the 99% of ignorant, nasty, and arrogant (and stinky too)...
ReplyDelete@passthepopcorn - I think the movement needs to work out which candidates it supports at the same time it is doing this. The Tea Party was great at that. Great question.
ReplyDelete@55 - ?? 55 and can't form a coherent thought...sad
@blog4bucks - Stop Black Friday has nothing to do with regulating the market. It is a PROTEST and a call for communities to redirect their money into local stores rather than big chains who take money out of local communities to pay stockholders. If anything I am preaching your doctrine of self-reliance - that's what capitalism is, right? Choice? Where the hell did you get regulation from? Stop misreading.
@Patrick - I am not against capitalism at all, so your question is moot. And I especially care nothing for one corporate shark buying another. Who cares? That's a fair fight and great capitalism in my book. Maybe you should read above my answer to blog4bucks
@Free - check the stats - a higher percentage of OWS ppl have jobs than Tea Partiers...redneck moron
Thanks for your comments!
Thanks for making my shopping list for me. I'll be sure to shop at these stores and counter your thoughtless movement.
ReplyDeleteStumbled upon this via G+ so reading along...
ReplyDeleteThose whom seem to be ripping “The screaming head” and OWS as a whole, a new ass-hole. At worst it sound as some of you, If you could, would rather shot OWS them as to look at them. Sort of reminds me of the 60's during Vietnam war or civil rights days. How little we have come. No matter where one might stand on any issue, violence, ridicule shouldn't be one response.
Now you can flame on me.
Can I take from this past exchange that those wishing the ows to just go away and die. Believe the following statements to be false.
Corporations directly and indirectly have taken over our political, financial and the free media in this country.
Capitalism in this country has become immoral, unethical and counter productive to a free and open economy, democratic and socially responsible.
Just a couple point that come to mind...i'm curious
I would think if you find that these are true statement, you just might use it as a starting point to find some common ground to work with OWS and possibly start a movement that more and more of us can join in to save this country from itself. I personally didn't agree with all the tea-party represents – but one thing I do believe, this country is on the wrong track. This isn't a democrat, republican (their both on the payroll) , tea-party OWS thing – it's an American thing.
LOL...nobody's ripping me a new anything...we hold our own over here...have you seen these guys' political arguments? Trite and obsequious. C'mon, gimme a challenge before Black Friday!
ReplyDelete@The Screaming Head
ReplyDeleteI never said you where anti-capitalism. My point with the KKR comment is that in one breath you have a list of companies that you say need to be boycotted because of their ties to Wall Street, and yet you are doing business with a company owned by KKR. KKR is the poster child for the 1%. They go in loot companies and fire the employees to make a quick buck.
My other issue is that you have companies on the list, like Subway, that are primarily franchises. The vast majority of Subway locations are owned by small business people who have one, maybe two locations. Why do you want to boycott them?
@Patrick - No one's going to Subway on Black Friday.
ReplyDeleteThis particular movement is focused on the retail sector, because as a political bloc, they gave $24 million to political candidates that year. We want to control to which candidates that money goes.
Let's be real: A one day boycott is not going to put anybody out of business or get anybody fired. The point of this is NOT to put the "1%" businesses out of business, KKR included. Stop Black Friday encourages support of local, small business and the redirection of political monies into candidates that the 99% supports.
To be effective, you can't take on everything at once, wouldn't you agree? Focused effort is what makes a statement worth something, not swearing off America as a whole.
For clarification, when I said that no one's going to Subway on Black Friday, I meant that Subway is not a retail store - it's a fast food joint. That isn't even on the radar in this leg of the movement anyway. So whether it is on the list or not does not matter. And again, a one day boycott is not putting anyone out of business. Be realistic.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Patrick, I'd like to thank you for presenting your position in this way. I feel that no matter whether you agree with Stop Black Friday or not, this is the type of discussion that is needed to get America back on track. Everyone here is FOR America, let's not forget that.
ReplyDelete@ The Screaming Head,
ReplyDeleteI would also like to thank you for being willing to have a discussion. I agree we need these forums to keep free speech alive. Let me say I agree with a great number of your points, and some of the points of OWS. My biggest issue is the generalizations. The idea that all big publicly traded retailers are part of the problem, when I simply do not believe that to be the case. I'll bring up Nordstrom again. Nordstrom treats their employees well, the treat their customers fairly, the give back to the community. (They are a huge supporter of the hospital I receive my MS treatment at) So for me to lump them in and more that I could list here seems unfair to me. We need to shame the retailers and companies that do wrong, and reward and spread the word about ones that are good corporate citizens.
DON'T TREAD ON ME!!
ReplyDeleteSo the Tea Party is against big government. The OWS movement, seemingly is against big business. Has anyone ever thought that the real problem is the collusion between government and big business? I can vote out politicians. I can choose not to do business with a company. But when legislation is passed that erodes either of those choices my freedom is at stake. Like wise when businesses are rewarded by career politicians for their financial support the system breaks down. Here is my opinion on the beginnings of a solution: 1) Term limits for Congress 2) Campaign finance reform 3) Flat tax that eliminates loop holes for businesses 4) Jobs export tax for companies who outsource jobs oversees- which puts them in a higher tax level above the flat limit. Maybe I'm wrong on some things. What do I know? But isn't it time for us all to start offering solutions instead of just signs?
ReplyDeleteYou fucking losers! You people are just jealous of those of us who happen to have more money than you, and who are making a profit. If you people would just get off your asses, go out and get a job, maybe your situation would improve. Things won't get better for you if all you do is complain & blame others for the financial mess you're in.
ReplyDelete@Patrick - There is not enough time to single out everyone individually. But as stated before, this one day boycott is not going to destroy anyone's business. So including or discluding Nordstrom's is moot. We're not trying to take sales or money. OWS didn't stop the bell when they occupied the doors of the NYSE. But it got POLITICAL ATTENTION. Holding these politicians' feet to the fire and redirecting funds to local business is the cause. Self reliance.
ReplyDelete@Just - shut the fuck up, dumbass
@PF - Dude, I'm all for it. These solutions are reasonable. Stop Black Friday is to bring the attention of politicians to reasonable people like you, because right now, they are only listening to lobbyists. Why? MONEY! What's one of those lobbies? RETAIL! Boycott the publicly traded stores on Black Friday to bring media attention to the economic power of those without the means to buy lobbyists, and then the retail bloc will be forced to back the politicians that espouse the solutions that you just stated? Get the logic?
Ho! Ho! Ho! You trust fund groupies are so silly.
ReplyDelete@Jack Brown - you're a fuckin jackboot idiot that can't read. I just spent an entire thread of comments explaining why your bullshit is just a gross overstatement. But you don't listen, so all I can say is you're an idiot.
ReplyDeleteSelf reliance! Capitalism! Choice! That's what TheScreamingHead and Stop Black Friday is about!
PF - On every point, I couldn't agree with you more - So what should we call our movement, what form of our democracy shall we take for change?
ReplyDeleteI'm with you 100% but you cant vote the problem away. I'f you try to protest and your message gets distorted, easily done given the media is another example of big business- so you sound like "you're against free markets, hate the rich, I'm a bum looking for a free lunch...so on so on.
Not to sound like a defeatist, this is mine and most american dilemma where to begin.
Not all the businesses you have listed are publicly traded companies so therefore the information you extend to the public is flawed. If you truely want to do some good, first take your head out of your ass and get the facts correct!
ReplyDelete@The Screaming Head - I get it. Honestly I must say I'm not fully on board with the boycott. Mainly because I need a job. For that to happen, I (and many, many, many like me)need the economy to turn around. And for that to happen, we need people to spend money. I do applaud your efforts and understand you are absolutely being a good American, trying to affect change by doing so and not the other way around! People (like Jack Boot) need to understand that freedom of speech applies to everyone including those who disagree with your opinion. Go for it.
ReplyDeleteLove them or hate them, the Tea Party got like-minded people elected. Whether it results in permanent change remains to be seen. But for me, I like that approach as it does not just put pressure on government, it puts "butts in seats" of the government. That cuts to the chase as it were. In essence it turned a group of citizens into a powerful lobbyist. I find that approach hard to argue with.
The reference to "butts in seats" of government above was for @ahali_1st. Sorry for leaving that out and for hogging this thread.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest that anyone who opposes OWS simply go shopping at any and all of the stores on the list and do so peacefully. Make sure that if you are legally able to, that you go shopping armed. If you cannot or will not carry a firearm, I would suggest that you carry OC spray to use in self defense. If one of these OWS miscreants assaults you, simply defend yourself by any means necessary. OWS hippies and miscreants be warned and beware. People are getting very sick and tired of your BS.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you simple minded morons find a cave somewhere, far away from the civilization you hate so much, and die? You are pathetic, worthless, vermin. Go feed off yourselves and become the true cannibals that you are.
ReplyDeletethese protesters are a bunch of losers who aren't accomplishing anything. You do NOT represent 99% of us! You're a disgrace!
ReplyDelete@mad and @steven - Thank you so much for adding to the conversation! You guys really represent America well. I'm going to petition Obama for an ambassador position for each of you! LOLOL
ReplyDelete@ahali and @pf - You guys are alright. Hopefully we can crack a beer one day and solve world problems.
ReplyDeleteApple is surprisingly absent from this post. Apple is bigger than the oil companies. Why are you not boycotting them? I am not trying to start a fight, I am asking a serious question. I never hear anyone talking about the evil Apple company, and I am just curious as to why. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning I could maybe see some misinformed reason for you protest , but as time has gone forward the movement has done nothing but tear down any support you may have gained at the start. Dont pay any attention to the Democrats in Washington , they are more misguided than your movement has become. They dont give a damn about you, only what publicity can they get for them selves. This idea to interfere with retailers at a time when the economy needs every penny of earnings, is the dumbest plan you have come up with yet, and will for sure cause many of your followers to get hurt.
ReplyDeleteYou talk of occupying WalMart, may be you ought to read their history and see how many of the 99% you claim to be, are employed by them.There are 8000 publicly traded companies and all them supplying income for all the employed of your 99%. Times are tough, but its not the banks and WallStreet to blame , you ought to be following your group marching from NY to Washington , where all your problems originated and are still being generated. Here is a link to the history of WallMart, all the companies you are protesting have similar stories .. http://walmartstores.com/aboutus/7603.aspx
Just sayin
No one takes "Occupy Black Friday" seriously anyway. So you shouldn't, either. Maybe 100 people will participate in this nonsense, the rest will be out buying stuff and supporting capitalism.
ReplyDeleteDo it when I'm there and see what happens. Sporting Goods has lots of items to pick from-catch my drift?
ReplyDelete@SS - oh yeah! So tough on the Internet! I catch your drift...now gimme fries with my combo!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete@fed up - awwww cmon. You don't even have the balls to post your comment? It still came thru in my gmail acct.
ReplyDelete"You are ALL stupid, dingbats idiots!!!!!!! Doesn't any of you get it???? If you destroy capitalism and the whole country you destroy YOURSELVES."
Remember that?
LOL. Have you read any of the fucking thread, you fuck? Goddammit, this is a REDIRECT of consumer funds into small business, NOT KILLING THE GODDAMN SYSTEM. You fucks just come here and post...you don't read at all. You are the reason America is dying on the vine. Economic solidarity is what is necessary! Your job at Wal Mart is not going to save you! You should start your own business like a true capitalist, you hypocrite!
The occupy movement are ALL idiots!!!!!Don't of you get it, you destroy the economy you destroy you self too. You really think your going to be better off? Have you heard the line about biting the hand that feeds you. We will soon be a third world country. You don't fix anything by destroying it. My father had a saying about "going ahead backwards" or "1 steps forward 2 steps back" and that is what you are doing. If any of you can read, pick a copy of Atlas Shruugged, it was written by Ayn Rand, who grew up in the Soviet Union. You are all walking off a cliff right into the New World Order (socialism,communism on a worldwide scale). If communism is so great why have hundreds of thousand of people risk their life and many more died trying to escape it. Why have they they kill hundred of millions that who don't want to be their robots? If any of you have any brain cell left think about it. By the way, I am 99% working at Wal Mart and I want my kids to live in a world not controlled by George Soros and the new world order.
ReplyDeleteThe NWO is not going to save you!
ReplyDeleteDo you even know who George Soros is? He is a billionaire, one of the richest person in the world, but you are playing right into is hands. Do your homework.
ReplyDeleteOccupy morons. Make sure you give up your iphones and ipads.
ReplyDeleteI wish the Occupiers would properly vet their facts:
ReplyDelete"Below is a shortlist for publicly traded large businesses:" The list includes Neiman Marcus.
NOT a public company; went private years ago. Either way this naiveté amazes me.
Most, if not all, of regular workers have 401K or some type of pension that are tied to and dependent on many differing publicly traded companies.
ReplyDeleteThese companies are not all "big uncaring corporate megaliths" that you morons keep railing against. Rather, most are small, start-up companies that need the investment capital to run their business.
These businesses are run by local entrepreneurs that employ locally and contribute to local economies. By trying to affect profits for these companies you hurt employees that have these pensions and savings investments.
I'm not talking about people saving to retire to the Hamptons, but the majority of us who are saving to try to put their kids in college and build some small amount of financial stability for our families in these hard times. By mindlessly attacking larger companies you are also affecting our local economies and the futures of the children that these workers are saving for.
If you really want to help your fellow man why don't you spend your time helping the homeless or those afflicted with injuries or illnesses that need assistance.
Occupy thugs, your boycott list is discriminatory.. You've selectively chosen certain retailers over others. Why is that? I suspect you've chosen retail chains you perceive to be "white owned". FAIL!
ReplyDeleteOK, I haven't taken the OWS movement seriously until now, because they seem like the same anarchists that I hung out with in my college days, but I saw a statement by someone above, maybe it was screaminghead, that started me thinking. The statement was that the OWS is against corporations because they remove profits from the local area and give it to shareholders. This means that OWS is not against capitalism, but against the current structure of capitalism, which is based on the joint-stock corporation. Now, I can see that eliminating corporations would remove certain evils, such as $50 million pay packages for CEOs. But how can you run a complex economy without corps? For instance, how can you build an oil tanker or wire a city for internet, if your basic biz unit is a sole proprietor or family owned business, which is what you would have left without corporations?
ReplyDeleteHey geniuses who do you think work at those stores stocking shelves and checking out customers, rich fat cats? when you accomplish hurting the profits of these companies don't be surprised to see the unemployment rate rise because you idiots don't seem to realize that some of these "PROFITS" go to pay there employees, but then you wouldn't know that because you don't WORK!!!
ReplyDeleteOn my blogspot....what everyone is thinking about the pepper spray incident at UC Davis, but not saying. http://www.mancakes.blogspot.com
ReplyDeletere. @Free - check the stats - a higher percentage of OWS ppl have jobs than Tea Partiers...redneck moron
ReplyDelete"Professional Statue" hardly qualifies as a job. Laughable.
@mitch - take a hint from your guy Herman Cain...it's a joke!
ReplyDeleteI'm actually an Amateur Statue.
How did you arrive at the 12 retailers on your list? Why do you pick one retailer, but not another similar one? ie...home depot but not lowes, walmart but not target/sears, abercrombie but not gap/aeo, att/verizon but not the main product they are selling...apple. It seems you are unfairly targeting one company but allowing others to skate by
ReplyDelete@steve...gotta read, man. that is the shortlist because the long list is contained in the link. I'm not typing up all 100 companies again if the list is already there.
ReplyDeleteI saw the list...but people who are pulling your comments and using your list ie...cnn (how I found it) are only saying these companies.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I was asking how you chose the 12 to be your short list...just interested.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletere. That's why I was asking how you chose the 12 to be your short list
ReplyDeleteThey denied his credit card application because professional statue is not a recognized occupation?
Malls to begin tracking shoppers cell phones, where is the public outcry?
ReplyDeleteAs i'm posting this story, i'm dumbfounded this isn't headline news across the country. If the "Occupy" movements needed something to protest this story is surely something we should all protest. It won't be long before authorities subpoena a mall's cell phone records to track Americans.
Starting on Black Friday and running through New Year's Day, two U.S. malls -- Promenade Temecula in southern California and Short Pump Town Center in Richmond, Va. -- will track guests' movements by monitoring the signals from their cell phones.
http://massprivatei.blogspot.com/2011/11/malls-to-begin-tracking-shoppers-cell.html
Attention Black Friday Shoppers: You Will Be Tracked.
ReplyDeleteA notice appearing at Promenade Temecula in California, and Short Pump Town Center in Richmond, Va. will advise shoppers that their cell phone signal will be used to track them as they move from store to store.
Although the system that is being employed claims it is guaranteed not to collect personal data, and people can opt-out by turning off their phone, we have heard this all before when justifying why it is OK to track, trace, and database the movements of everyday citizens.
According to a CNN report:
"The goal is for stores to answer questions like: How many Nordstrom shoppers also stop at Starbucks? How long do most customers linger in Victoria's Secret? Are there unpopular spots in the mall that aren't being visited?"
This is supposedly being done, of course, to identify which stores and items people desire most, thus enhancing the shopping experience for store customers. This is the very same reason that was presented to encourage people to sign-up for "loyalty cards" and "frequent-shopper" cards. However, as we have come to find out, these systems of convenient shopping are more accurately described as data collection systems that can be used to profile people's shopping habits, their physical movement, as well as for other uses far beyond the scope of the shopping experience.
http://www.activistpost.com/2011/11/attention-black-friday-shoppers-you.html
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/blackfriday/chi-malls-track-shoppers-cell-phones-on-black-friday-20111122,0,2668219.story
@steve - Yeah, I know...unfortunate. That's my mistake for thinking the media would delve deeper than they did. It's a mistake I won't make again.
ReplyDelete@ Screaming Head
ReplyDeleteI would be interested in an in depth discussion on much of the focus of the OWS movement and the reasoning behind the OWS choices.In depth answers not generalities and precanned statements, to be chanted in unison, that means nothing. Seems I didnt get any comment on my post , and Steve I believe, asked how you came by the 12 companies you posted , I would like to know for what reason you picked any of the top 100 publicly traded retail stores. I would be interested in why Wall Street at all. A little research would show that Democrat housing policies starting in the Clinton era, were responsible for the housing collapse and the fall of the economy, compounded by Obamas unprecedented amount of spending, that did nothing but kick the can down the road to be be dealt with later. Derivatives are a product of Fanny and Freddie under the guidance of our Federal Democrat controlled Houses. They were an effort to try and spread out the damage from the housing free fall, created by their sub-prime mortgage legislation. Wall Street did trade in these Derivatives but thats what Wall Street does. All the Democrat hoopla was an effort to focus attention against Wall Street , and keep themselves out of jail. Wall Street was not squeaky clean but they did not cause the housing collapse that collapsed the banks. Lets have this discussion....
OWS'ers are such complete idiots. I never knew there were so many stupid people in the USA. You guys aren't the 99%. You are the 5% of the nation that are morons. OWS = Only White and Stupid
ReplyDeleteThey're actually the .001%.
ReplyDeleteBen Cliff---Hmmm. A post from a father and husband who wants people bloodied and teeth knocked out? You should probably get off you butt go to the gym--and work out some of your anger. You have children who look to you as a role model. You sound like another dime a dozen nasty conservative.
ReplyDeleteBegrudge people moving up and making it big? Thats not what this is really about. I was raised with the American dream and what America is about. What the occupiers are addressing is the WALL STREET MELTDOWN which really happend. It wasn't made up. THERE ARE COMPANIES THAT PAY VERY LITTLE TAX. You are being brainwashed by FOX TV into thinking that the TAX EVADERS are JOB MAKERS.
Good thing I do yoga to calm myself.
The attention occupiers have brought to some issues is admirable. What have you done lately...except eating cheetos? OK --I'm annoyed at the blood and teeth knocked out stuff you started with. The occupiers don't know why they're there, you say? Thats BS smack. Go down and ask one of them. (Oh yeah...you HEARD that someone asked a stoned occupier and they didn't know why they were there) If what comes from this is a change in the taxation of companies that have never paid very much to the IRS then good. You, sir, should volunteer and give something back to your community. THAT S THE AMERICAN WAY. You no doubt are working hard, but don't be fooled into thinking the opportunities today are the same as 30 years ago. Don't believe everything your told. The occupiers are not about getting a "hand out"
True Value is a member owned buying co-op. If you occupy a True Value, you are occupying a small business.
ReplyDeleteAlso, 100% of True Value sales are not in the Unites States.
File under: how to get a good idea wrong.
You are a bunch of a..holes. You are un-American and the scum of the earth. I bet every one of you voted for Obama (that is if you got out of bed that day).
ReplyDeleteDear Screaming Head,
ReplyDeleteWhy boycott publicly traded corporations? They are more regulated and are required to be more transparent than privately held companies. Publicly traded companies stocks are often owned by very average people in their retirement accounts; mutual funds in 401k’s and Traditional and Roth IRAs, for example. Corporations seem identified as an evil “it” by OWS when in reality many of the “99%” are co-owners of publically traded corporations. It seems ironic that progressives want to treat a corporation as a single entity/advisory and fail to see publically traded companies as a group of stock holders; many of which are saving for retirement in the face of the inevitable crumbling of Social Security in the face of Baby Boomer demographic realities. Also interesting is the Progressive wish for increasing the taxes on “corporations”, as if a corporation an entity to tax. Such taxes will be paid by the stock holders or by the consumers of the corporation’s products.
OWS and the Tea Party may have in common a belief that there is too much money in Washington spilling out of the trough to the swine of politicians, lobbyists, and connected insiders. However, their solutions are fundamentally different; the left thinks they can create new rules that will stop hogs from being hogs (or at least to become clean hogs that are taught to dance to the left's tune) and the right thinks hogs will always be hogs, so the Washington trough needs less feed in it and more feed should be kept at the local level because it is easier to control the eating of a small hog than a big hog. Left and right may have identified a similar problem but their solutions are very different. I'm a conservative because I expect to see clean dancing hogs when pigs can fly...
Farmer
Topcat's requested discussion on the housing bubble causes and the current economy would interesting particularly if you first read the NY Times book “Reckless Endangerment”. Pennsylvania Avenue, Wall Street, and K Street are a revolving door and it is pretty naïve for the OWS folks to focus on Wall Street as the main place avarice and megalomania reside. Farmer
ReplyDeleteYou people are so stupid. Did you know that poor folks work at those stores, and will be sent home unpaid if you are successful in your occupation? Did you know that if you took all of the money out of wall street.......just about everyone who is about to retire with a 401(k) or IRA would lose all of their money and have to work until they die, or live on the tiny penance that social security offers. What the heck is wrong with you people?
ReplyDeleteThe worst thing you can do to a fellow man is tell him that you are nothing with out solidarity. These vultures are stealing the productive creativity of young minds. Its the saddest thing I have ever seen.
ReplyDeleteI hope I see some of you when I'm shopping so I can try out my new giant can of mace.
ReplyDeleteYou are going to boycott Burlington Coat Factory, Neiman Marcus, and Amazon, because they control the Gubbmint!?!? You people are possibly the stupidest most unAmerican idiots in HISTORY!
ReplyDeleteJust move to North Korea, dirtbags.
Hey Screaming Head, I have reviewed your responses to numerous posts on this blog and the conclusion I draw is that you might be more effective directing your protest exclusively to washington in general and congress specifically. Crony capitalism, special interest lobbying, special deals for congressional members, tax policy and regulation that drives comanies to outsource overseass......the list is endless. It think if you look hard at the facts, you will find washington/congress the ground zero of all the problems existing in the USA.
ReplyDeleteOccupy FOOLS! The problem is not the 1% or the .1% or even the .01%. NO!!! it is the minute fraction of fools in Washington that "represent" us. It is them in Washington that are bankrupting America by buying votes from the freeloaders. It is those in Washington who are buying votes from the unions by agreeing to pension deals that are unfunded. FOOLS!!!
ReplyDeleteHot Topic is not on this list.... I wonder why
ReplyDeleteYour graphic on the top of the site seems to be advocating flash mob shoplifting...
Our forefathers formed a federal republic to protect us from, "The Tyrany of the Majority" and the chants of, "We are the 99%!" are as frightening as anything I have heard since The Night of Broken Glass that drove the Jews from Germany. There are so many thoughtless and wrong aspects to your movement, but this is the most frightening. Your actions, sadly, are a few more followers shy of fachisum. Grow up soon, or grow old filled with regret for what you have started. Being loud doesn't make you just; it simply makes you noisy.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you all spend today buying soap instead, you useless fucksticks?
ReplyDeleteYou guys are freakin' retards. Expecting something for nothing like a bunch of spoiled babies. NO ONE OWES YOU ANYTHING, you bunch of losers.
ReplyDeleteOh and please get soap and maybe some butt wipe.
I find this web page to be the product of someone intellectually lazy in the extreme. First we are led to believe there is a list of 100 stores to boycott: "If you want to see the top 100 retail businesses for 2010 to boycott, click here." When challenged that stores on the list such as Subway are franchise stores owned by individuals, we get this scoop: "Subway is not a retail store - it's a fast food joint... So whether it is on the list or not does not matter." So this 'organized' movement wants to boycott certain stores but proves itself incapable of compiling a list of stores to boycott. Was somebody else supposed to write the list for these people?
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, here we have a movement to boycott retail stores when the organizers do not even know the definition of 'retail'. "Retail - the selling of goods to consumers; usually in small quantities and not for resale." This is the very definition of a fast food store like Subway and the other food outlets on the list of 100.
So we're going to boycott stores but whether a store is on the list of stores to boycott "does not matter." We're going to boycott 'retail' stores, but not retail stores that sell fast food. WTF? If this exemplifies the 'work' quality of the typical whiny9%er, they might want to look in the mirror to figure out why they cannot find jobs. This level of effort probably won't even get you in the door to ask the real 99% if we want fries with our order.
Have you "occupy" people stopped to think about what you are doing and how hypocritical your movement is?
ReplyDeleteYou want to "occupy" retailers that are publicly traded because you think they are in bed with Wall Street. Fine. Now look at your shoes. What brand are they? Nike? Reebok? Asics? Converse? All publicly traded companies! And where did you buy those shoes...at a publicly traded retailer? Pick any other item of clothing you are wearing. I bet it's made by a publicly traded company and you bought it from a publicly traded retailer.
Where is the money for your movement coming from? Any celebrity who donates time and / or money achieved their fame and fortune thanks to publicly traded companies.
Is George Soros providing any funding? Soros, a Jew, made his billions in large part through investing on Wall Street and other stock markets.
At the end of the day, your movement is hollow and shallow and lacks a direction and is nothing more than a bunch of hypocrisy.
Screaming Head thank you for this and I hope you have a presence during the holiday season. I am a Biologist in the Northeast and I am very concerned about our forests. I notice some people here are blaming Occupy for harming the economy. I also notice they did not bother to factor in the cost of pollution, loss of resources and global warming. We're talking billions to trillions of dollars. Forests provide food, medicine, clean water, air and soil....for NOTHING. See how fast you can get those free services once the forests die off. Boycott all corporations!
ReplyDeleteAfter this puerile, idiotic "Occupy Black Friday" is over, will all the little OWS kiddies finally get the hell out of my city? New York's economy is bad enough right now without having to commit resources from our shrunken police force to babysit a bunch of soi-disant Marxists, Wannabe Anarchists and Smelly Hippies, most of whom are just pampered babies from the burbs trying to P.O. Mom and Dad, smoke some ganja and get laid. The rest are just aging members of the Professional Protester class that took a hard acid trip in the 70's and never woke up from it.
ReplyDeleteThe oldsters are a lost cause, but here's a slice of advice to all the Occupy Idiots out there under the age of 30: go home to your mommy and daddy and Occupy a Shower, take three or four day break from the "wake'n'bake" routine to let the Purple Haze filter out of your brain cells. Then get to work on building yourself into a mature, responsible, rational adult. It's not too late for you to turn your lives around... yet.
The Occupy Movement has a Mission Statement:
ReplyDeleteWe Envision:
[1] a truly free, democratic, and just society; [2] where we, the people, come together and solve our problems by consensus;
[3] where people are encouraged to take personal and collective responsibility and participate in decision making;
[4] where we learn to live in harmony and embrace principles of toleration and respect for diversity and the differing views of others;
[5] where we secure the civil and human rights of all from violation by tyrannical forces and unjust governments;
[6] where political and economic institutions work to benefit all, not just the privileged few; [7] where we provide full and free education to everyone, not merely to get jobs but to grow and flourish as human beings;
[8] where we value human needs over monetary gain, to ensure decent standards of living without which effective democracy is impossible; [9] where we work together to protect the global environment to ensure that future generations will have safe and clean air, water and food supplies, and will be able to enjoy the beauty and bounty of nature that past generations have enjoyed.
The next step will be to develop a specific list of goals and demands. As one of the millions of people who are participating in the Occupy Wall Street movement, I would like to respectfully offer my suggestions of what we can all get behind now to wrestle the control of our country out of the hands of the 1% and place it squarely with the 99% majority.
[1] a truly free, democratic, and just society; [2] where we, the people, come together and solve our problems by consensus;
ReplyDeletePure democracy = mob rule. No thanks. I'll settle for a Constitutional Republic.
[7] where we provide full and free education to everyone, not merely to get jobs but to grow and flourish as human beings;
Nothing is free. Everything you feel entitled to must be paid for by someone. And the only way for you to get something paid for by someone else is to have a powerful government do the taking. Thus demand #7 contradicts demand #6.
[8] where we value human needs over monetary gain, to ensure decent standards of living without which effective democracy is impossible
Translation: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. Throw in mob rule, and what you wind up with is a huge list of 'needs' and a majority who suddenly have no 'ability.'
How about this: Let's add an opt out clause for anyone that prefers a Constitutional Republic and capitalism. And everyone who favors mob rule, socialism, or communism can pool their resources, form their commune, put up a wall to keep out evil capitalists, and live happily ever after.
"The next step will be to develop a specific list of goals and demands."
Ah yes, 'demands'. And then 'revolution'. Of course, OWS has already demonstrated its propensity for criminal behavior and violence - pushing old ladies down stairs and raping young women. Take some good advice. Pool your resources and peacefully and quietly go form your little communes. Because when you start with your 'demands' and ratchet up your violence, you're going to find out just how small your little group is. I'm willing to bet you won't quite fill up a couple of good sized prisons.
To allin the OWS you have my thanks.
ReplyDeleteTo all the thoughtful counter- arguments here I also thank you.
And to those who blindly attack your fellow American citizens, some of whom have recently fought and bled so that you may shove each other around for a $2 Wallmart waffle iron, I suggest that these people are doing the same thing the Tea Party started out doing. Protesting George Bush and now Obama's continuing theft of the national treasury to keep the wealthy happy and in control. If you think differently fine, but these people are not representing the views of the 99%,they are protesting the decimation of that percent of the Americans who are losing their homes,lives, jobs, and DREAMS,so that these few fat cats can have bragging rights within their peer group(of which we will never be)and laughing at us all.
And in the spirit of the Holy days to come Jesus' blessing on us all!
I have a question for all the OWS. Do you have retirement plans, IRA's, 401k's etc. If so, you better check the stock holdings. Most of the stores you mention are in most retirement plans,
ReplyDeleteIE, anyone with an investment is an owner of these companies.
On that point, don't we want them all to grow.
If you do not have one or do not participate, who do you expect to take care of you when you finally are too old to work!
So I take it none of you "occupiers" have a cell phone? Not one of you have Verizon Wireless as your carrier? Big, bad evil Verizon for allowing you to roam FB and blog to this crap ass blog from your crappy little tent. What about the "hardworking people" employed by these companies? What about the smart people who had the courage to START these companies? Isn't this the land of opportunity and big dreams? Maybe it used to be--now its the land of "be mediocre, don't be successful, strive for average and never make it past anyone, or those behind you will whine like pathetic babies". Guess what happens if these companies collapse? We all fall down w/them dumbasses.
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ReplyDelete