AT A GLANCE
- Two nationwide economic protests, Mass Blackout and We Ain’t Buying It, will overlap Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday.
- Both actions urge Americans to boycott major corporations and refuse participation in Black Friday consumerism.
- Target, Home Depot, and Amazon are specifically accused of collaborating with the Trump administration’s anti-DEI agenda and immigration crackdowns.
- San Antonio’s Shop Small Saturday on Nov. 29 offers dozens of locally owned alternatives.
National Movements Target Corporate Power As Holiday Shopping Kicks-Off, Pushes For Local Business Support
The biggest shopping weekend of the year is poised to hand corporations another billion-dollar haul, and two major boycotts want to stop record-breaking profits. As Thanksgiving lands in the wake of a recovering federal shutdown, Mass Blackout and “We Ain’t Buying It” are urging Americans to pause their spending at corporations tied to the Trump administration’s agenda.
Both actions run through the entire extended holiday shopping window, beginning Wednesday, November 26, and ending Tuesday, December 2, overlapping the traditional Thanksgiving-to-Cyber Monday retail surge.
The holidays are a critical period for small businesses, a stretch where demand spikes and stress rises as owners scramble for inventory, logistics, and staffing. For many, these weeks can make or break the year, with some earning up to 30 percent of their annual revenue during the season.
When the government shutdown left 42 million people without food assistance, and continue complications since re-opening the government federal workers have endured mass firings, and ICE raids have intensified across the country. But major corporations continue to profit. That contradiction, and who pays the price for it, sits at the heart of this year’s boycotts and motivation to shop at small business.
Mass Blackout: Nov. 25 – Dec. 2
Mass Blackout, backed by more than 50 grassroots organizations, calls for no spending, no work, and no digital consumption for a full week. Participants are urged to:
- Avoid all online and in-store shopping except small businesses
- Cancel subscriptions and stop streaming
- Log off entertainment platforms and ad-driven apps
- For those who must shop: buy essentials locally, pay in cash
“The system isn’t broken. It is working exactly as designed- for the wealthy,” the movement states. Organizers frame the action as a refusal to fund injustice, authoritarianism, and corporate systems that profit from inequality.
The boycott also urges people to avoid nonessential travel and restaurants and encourages donations to Feeding America to support workers refusing to participate.
We Ain’t Buying It: Nov. 27 – Dec. 1
Running concurrently, the We Ain’t Buying It campaign boycott zeroes in on the corporations that organizers say have enabled or benefited from harmful federal policies:
Target – Rolled back DEI under political pressure
Home Depot – Cooperated with ICE raids on store properties
Amazon – Backed the administration in exchange for tax advantages
LaTosha Brown of Black Voters Matter, part of the coalition, put it plainly:
Economic noncooperation is a powerful, nonviolent tool… We will not fund our own oppression.
LaTosha Brown of Black Voters Matter
Target’s rollback of DEI programs has already produced real-world consequences, with coordinated consumer backlash led in part by Pastor Jamal Bryant driving down sales and foot traffic, cutting the company’s stock value by nearly 33 percent, and contributing to about 1,800 corporate layoffs.
Canada is seeing similar trends: a record-breaking “Buy Canadian” movement has taken hold in response to Trump-era tariffs, as consumers reject American products altogether.
Buy Local- Small Business Saturday: How To Shop Small and Local November 29th in SA
Even as both boycott movements emphasize restraint, Saturday, November 29 is the moment to intentionally redirect dollars into local economies, including San Antonio’s Shop Local Business Day.
According to the City of San Antonio Economic Department, redirecting even 10 percent of holiday spending locally makes a measurable difference. About 68 dollars of every 100 spent at a local business stays in the community, small businesses generate up to 90 percent of net new jobs nationwide, and they reduce environmental impact through shorter supply chains.
San Antonio offers a wide range of ways to shop local this holiday weekend. Markets and arts villages across the city bring together local artisans, growers, vendors, and makers offering handcrafted goods, fresh produce, and cultural items you’ll seldom find in national chains.
Boutiques and specialty stores, including liquor and convenience stores in our neighborhoods, provide the small in-betweens people need throughout the season.
To find businesses in the city, residents can use community-curated lists and official directories, including the City of San Antonio Buy Local Campaign. For those who prefer to skip the boycotts but still want to support small business, online shopping also offers thousands of Amazon sellers who operate as independent small businesses.
For residents choosing to skip consumerism entirely, holiday donations can support local charity organizations working to help families this season.
