Some Long Islanders will join national protest, boycott Black Friday sales

Some Long Islanders are planning to sit out the Black Friday holiday shopping frenzy, local activists say, joining an emerging nationwide campaign to protest rising corporate influence in government and Trump administration policies. 

Kiana Bierria-Anderson, 32, of Hempstead, is among those planning to stay home in support of movements that have called for a total economic blackout, except for small businesses, through a week that includes the most popular shopping days of the year. 

The Black Friday boycotts are the “natural next step” to “taking back control over our government and our lives,” said Bierria-Anderson, who has been boycotting major corporations like Walmart, Target and Amazon all year.

Bierria-Anderson, a board member with the nonprofit Long Island Progressive Coalition, said she plans to make gifts for her loved ones and spend as much time as possible with family instead of splurging on sales.

Economic blackouts and corporate boycotts have emerged as a popular tool among protesters pushing back against President Donald Trump's agenda since he started his second term. There are at least two movements pushing for boycotts this week, organized by dozens of grassroots coalitions across the country, even as a retail trade group projects that a record-breaking number of Americans will shop for deals. 

But there will be a slowdown in holiday spending growth this season compared to the same two-month period in 2024, retail experts say, amid concerns about the rising costs of goods, which have been impacted by tariffs.

“We’re really just trying to, on Long Island, give people the muscle memory of, how does a boycott really work? How do we effectively pull off a boycott in these flashpoint moments, [like Black Friday]?” said Matthew Kanarek, co-founder of 50501 Long Island, a local branch of a national grassroots coalition that’s supporting the boycott. 

Economists have expressed skepticism about how effective some of the boycotts may be at promoting change without targeting specific companies and policies, although they said the efforts may serve as a uniting force for protesters across movements.

At least a few thousand Long Islanders are participating in the boycotts, based on social media engagement, Kanarek said. Organizers are hopeful for a turnout numbering in the tens of thousands by the end of this weekend. 

“For a week, we won’t spend our money when they think we’re going to spend the most,” Kanarek said. “You have economic power. The power sits in your pocket.”

Boycotts 'often create solidarity' 

The “Mass Blackout” protest started Tuesday and will run through Dec. 2. It also calls for participants to avoid working if possible, avoid streaming, cancel subscriptions and donate to hunger relief group Feeding America. The movement was organized by more than 80 grassroots coalitions across the country.

Another movement, called “We Ain’t Buying It,” is more targeted in its approach, calling on consumers to boycott Target, the Home Depot and Amazon from Thanksgiving  through Cyber Monday in protest of the companies rolling back diversity initiatives; serving as the site of ICE raids; and pursuing corporate tax cuts from the Trump administration, respectively.

Amazon and Target did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

In an emailed statement, Home Depot spokeswoman Beth Marlowe said the home improvement retailer isn't "notified that immigration enforcement activities are going to happen," and "aren’t involved in the operations."

"In many cases, we don't know that arrests have taken place until after they're over," she said. "We’re required to follow all federal and local rules and regulations in every market where we operate."

Immigration enforcement is legally allowed to enter public areas of businesses, like parking lots, without permission, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. 

Boycotts “often create solidarity among people who are part of a broader movement,” said Brayden King, a professor at Northwestern University with a research focus on boycotts. “But as a tactic to actually hurt the bottom line it’s not very effective.”

Boycotts usually have very little impact on consumer behavior, he said, but they can be highly successful by generating media attention that casts the targeted company “in a negative light,” creating a “reputational threat.”

Black Friday weekend's sales figures have historically been used as an indicator of the nation's economic health and consumer confidence. The National Retail Federation has estimated that a record-breaking number of people, 186.9 million, plan to shop from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, a symbolic start to the holiday shopping season.

That figure, based on a survey of 8,000 adults, is up more than 3 million from the 183.4 million projected to shop in the holiday season last year, the NRF said.

The trade group also estimates consumers will spend between $1.01 trillion and $1.02 trillion this holiday season, an increase from the $976.1 billion spent in the holiday season last year.

Kanarek said there are plans for longer, more sustained boycotts in the future and pointed to the success of recent consumer protests, such as the outcry against ABC parent company Disney when comedian Jimmy Kimmel was temporarily pulled off air.

Target, a subject of boycotts for months, has subsequently reported declining foot traffic, sales and operating income, according to news reports. The company reported in September that it anticipates a "low-single digit" sales decline for the fiscal year. 

Jasmine Johnson, an organizer and executive director of the veteran-led Fight Against Fascism Organization, said the boycotts planned for this week are “a starting point” and plans for the future include an effort to educate people on how to spend more strategically in ways that benefit their communities.

The boycott planned for Black Friday has already seen enormous support from protesters around the country, said Isaiah Rucker Jr., boycott organizer and founder of Blackout the System, a grassroots coalition focused on economic inequalities. He noted that the initiative follows another economic blackout in September.

“The symbolism behind doing this movement this week corresponds with the fact that we know we need to use our economic power,” said Karress Marie, another organizer and co-founder of The People’s Sick Day, an online campaign also focused on economic justice. “And we can partner that with … giving back to your family, giving back to small businesses and taking care of your community.”

Newsday's Tory N. Parrish contributed to this story.

By Brianne Ledda

brianne.ledda@newsday.com@brianne_ledda

Brianne Ledda covers personal finance and affordability for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.