Boycotting Amazon, Walmart, & Target, but still want to give Christmas gifts? I got you!
This is my first year avoiding these retailers while Christmas shopping, too. It can be overwhelming, but don’t worry – you’re in the right place! I created this ethical shopping guide first and foremost to help myself this year. (Same deal with my Christmas shopping list template.) I hope it will be useful for you, too.
Why it’s important to boycott big box stores
Boycotting is important work. Your dollar is a source of power. You can use this power to avoid supporting corporations that support Trump, avoid taxes, exploit their workers, union-bust, exploit our shared environment, have rolled back DEI programs, support Israel’s oppression of Palestine, are anti-abortion, or any other cause that you don’t wish to support with your money.
There are now-permanent and/or rolling boycotts of Amazon, Target, and Walmart, as well as many other companies. And when you and I choose not to shop at these stores, we make a difference. They’re effective. It works. Target’s first-quarter earnings this year showed a decline, and share price fell from 30% from February to June.
Even when it’s hard to see the economic impact right now – yes, Amazon is still raking it in – by boycotting, we uphold the moral standards we’ve set ourselves. I choose not to give my money to Amazon because I believe that’s the right thing to do.
It was actually a friend who told me it’s “not that hard” to quit Amazon that motivated me to do it. At first, I was mad at her. She doesn’t have kids, so she doesn’t have nearly the volume of stuff to acquire that I do, and she has plenty more free time to research her shopping decisions. Of course it wasn’t hard for her! But every time I ended up on Amazon, I heard her words in my head – it’s “not that hard” to quit. I started wondering if maybe it wouldn’t be that hard. When I had something to buy, I started researching alternatives, or reconsidering whether I really needed it at all. I wouldn’t say it was easy – Amazon has long been in the business of making shopping as frictionless as possible, and nothing else can really compare – but it was a muscle and habit pattern that I was perfectly capable of building, and I did. In March this year, I finally canceled my Amazon Prime membership, and I haven’t bought anything from them since. You can be the change, like my friend was for me, and I hope to be for others.
Companies to boycott
Here’s a list of companies to boycott right now, which is by no means complete:
- AirBnB – donated to Trump’s inauguration fund, the co-founder joined DOGE, and contributes to housing scarcities.
- Amazon – the reasons to boycott the giant run from A to Z. Amazon exploits its workers with low wages and extreme working conditions, destroys small businesses, busts unions, pays almost nothing in taxes, monopolizes industries from fashion to cloud computing, sells technology to the Israeli military, and has constant surveillance on customers and employees. Amazon brands include Whole Foods, Audible, IMDb, Zappos, MGM, Twitch, Ring, and more.
- Coca-Cola – controls water resources at the expense of ordinary citizens, suppresses unions, supports Israel and has a factory in Israel. Coca-Cola products include Sprite, Fanta, Dr Pepper, Powerade, Minute Maid, Smartwater, Schweppes and many more.
- Home Depot – complicity in immigration raids at its stores in L.A., rollback of DEI initiatives, Trump supporter.
- McDonald’s – well, I’m guessing you didn’t have a lot of Big Macs on your Christmas shopping list, but while we’re on a list to boycott we’ll include this one. McDonald’s rolled back DEI initiatives in January. It avoids taxes and lobbies against wage increases.
- Nestle – water exploitation (they pushed for water to be considered a “need” rather than a “right” at the World Water Forum in 2000), history of aggressive and harmful marketing of baby formula, child labor and trafficking!!, pollution.
- Nestle owns a ton of brands. Here are some of their more popular ones: Coffee-mate, Nespresso, Perrier, Nestea, San Pellegrino, Stouffers, Hot Pockets, Drumstick, KitKat, Butterfinger, Nerds, Laffy Taffy, SweetTarts, Gobstopper, Purina, Friskies, Fancy Feast, Gerber, Carnation, Nesquik, Ralph Lauren, L’Oreal, Garnier, Maybelline, Kiehl’s, The Body Shop…gotta love the free and open market.
- Nike – sweatshop labor and child labor, primarily.
- Starbucks – anti-union, including a lawsuit against a Starbucks Workers United post that was in support of Palestine.
- Target – removed their DEI program after Trump was elected and donated to his inauguration fund.
- Walmart – low worker pay with the largest number of employees on food stamps of any company (which…should really be zero company’s employees, if they were paying fairly), anti-union, tax avoidance and corporate subsidies, DEI rollbacks, environmental impact.
Consider also boycotting all retailers on Black Friday and the rest of Cyber Week.
Okay, it’s a long list. So where does that leave us for holiday shopping?
Reducing the number of gifts
Now, before we jump into alternatives to Amazon and the other big box stores, let’s pause for a second. Now is a great time to reconsider the quantity of Christmas gifts you give in general. Is there any way to cut back on this? The best way to avoid unethical consumption is to consume less. And just because you’ve done something in the past doesn’t mean you have to do it now. So think about whether there are any gift recipients on your list that you don’t need to give to. Or maybe there are folks on your list you would usually give multiple items to, that you can reduce to just one thing.
However you go about it, giving fewer gifts can mean:
- Spending less money, which you can use to pay bills or put in a savings account, important during this uncertain economic time
- Less clutter in your home and others’ homes
- Less time spent finding gifts – always a plus to cut down on your to-do list in the holiday season
- Less environmental impact. The production, transportation, and waste of holiday gifts is a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and waste. Even returns of unwanted merchandise are a burden – 5 billion pounds of returned goods end up in landfills, and the returns process at the holidays accounts for 15 million metric tons of CO2. Ugh!
- By the way, wrapping paper is a huge environmental burden, too. For the gifts you do give, save gift bags to re-use. Or wrap them in something recyclable, like a paper shopping bag, or something less disposable, like a cloth bag, scarf, or tea towel from the thrift store or your closet. Skip extra ribbons, packing paper, etc. whenever you can.
- And of course, avoiding contributing to causes you oppose by giving money to corporations who then spend the money on furthering their interests by donating to political candidates, lobbying, etc. This can be achieved by only shopping from sources whose stances you trust and agree with…but also by avoiding shopping.
I understand that gifts are a love language for many people. It can take some mental adjustment to get used to the idea that you can still show others how much you care for them without gifting an object.
You can! Focus on the love and connection you feel to the people you gift to. Make time to celebrate the holidays with your friends and family, and/or schedule potlucks and at-home coffee dates for January when it’s less busy. We could all use something to look forward to in those gray days.
If you do wish to gift something, start your ideation process with experience gifts.
Experience gift ideas & other gifts that are not “things”
Experience gifts can be fun to both give and receive! I’ve broken up the lists below by ideas for grownups and those for kids. Keep in mind that pretty much anything that costs money can be an experience gift – see below how I turned “grocery shopping” into a gift for my mom! (She loved it, I promise).
Many of these ideas could be gifted in the form of individual tickets, a gift card to the establishment, or an “IOU” where you make a date to take them out. Just make sure you follow through!
Experience and similar gift ideas for grownups:
- National park annual pass – one of my favorites to receive. Or another park/park system near your gift recipient.
- Concert tickets
- Cooking class
- Foreign language lessons
- Art class – jewelry making, sculpting, painting, woodworking, glassblowing, etc.
- Dance class
- Yoga or pilates class or membership
- Paint-and-sip event
- Restaurant
- Axe throwing
- Wine, beer, or spirits tasting
- Hot air balloon ride
- Indoor skydiving
- Racetrack driving experience
- Theater tickets
- Subscription to game or experience app – for example, the New York Times games app or Duolingo
- Escape room
- High tea
- Massage
- Manicure/pedicure or other spa experience
- Rock climbing
- Float tank
- Rage room
- Cleaning service
- A planned day trip to a nearby town
- As a spin on this, plan a day with your gift recipient. My mom loves exploring new grocery stores, so I gifted her an afternoon of the two of us shopping together, with a map of 5 specialty grocery stores for us to check out, and an envelope of cash to spend at each one. She loved it!
- Tickets to an event like a Renaissance Festival
- Museum tickets or membership
- Audiobook or podcast subscription – I like Libro.fm – check out my full review.
- Kayak or canoe rental
- Boat tour, dinner cruise, etc. – see if City Experiences offers any boat tours in your city!
- A donation in their name to a cause they support
Experience and similar gift ideas for kids:
- Take them out to lunch or dinner
- Movie theater – honestly, a novelty for many in the streaming age!
- Ice skating
- Laser tag
- Arcade/fun zone
- Go karting
- Indoor rock climbing
- Membership to a nearby children’s museum, zoo, aquarium, park, science center, etc. – my parents have gifted several different year-long memberships to local attractions to my family over the years and it’s always been great to have an option for nearby fun we don’t have to pay for. Single-use tickets are also great!
- Concert tickets or tickets to a musical or an “on ice” show
- Event tickets – for example, BrickCon or ComicCon
- Escape room
- Trampoline park
- Indoor water park
- Bowling
- Mini golf
- Sporting events
- Amusement park
- Extracurricular class or contribution to a class like dance, gymnastics, soccer, swim, etc.
- Add-ons for a vacation – my next-door neighbors recently went on a whole family cruise. The previous Christmas, their grandparents and aunts had gifted excursion days for the teens to enjoy on the cruise.
- Summer camp contribution – this is a great one for grandparents to gift to grandkids – help pay for a summer camp, preferably picked out by the kid or something they’ll be really excited about.
- Behind the scenes tour, for example, at a stadium, factory, etc.
Honestly, the main downside to experience gifts is the cost. Very few of the ideas above are going to run under $50, and a lot of them over $100 or more. If that’s out of your budget, consider gifting something handmade/DIY instead.
Handmade and DIY gifts
“Handmade” denotes an element of craftiness and skill, but I don’t think that is necessary to give a gift you create yourself! Here are ideas that require varying levels of skill and dedication, but all can be heartfelt and made special.
- Write a letter to the person about how much they mean to you or about some favorite memories from this year. Or consider a poem or drawing. Or a list of things you like about them.
- Propagate a plant. I’ve long meant to do this with my golden pothos for family gifts (purchased 12 years ago based on the label that it is “nearly impossible to kill.” I must say that has proven true!)
- DIY vanilla extract
- Homemade pickles
- Homemade jam
- Homemade simple syrup
- Infused olive oil
- Hot cocoa mix
- Cookie mix in a jar
- Book with annotations – my book club did this one year. We each took a book we’d been meaning to read off our shelf, read it, and wrote thoughts and comments in the margins. (One person did this on post-it notes as she could not bring herself to write in the book. I had no such scruples.) Then we exchanged. Some people added another layer of annotations and the books kept circulating!
- Make them a playlist. I know, how Y2K!
- Photo christmas ornament or magnet – while photo sites will sell you $20 versions, there are plenty of ideas out there for handmade versions
- Framed photo – of you and your gift recipient, or perhaps a photo they took on their travels and shared with you, or even a quote they like. You can thrift the frame.
- Birdseed wreath
- A homemade recipe book, or a recipe given with ingredients to make it
Alternative teacher gift ideas
I used to give Target gift cards to my kids’ teachers and bus driver for the holidays and at the end of the year, or occasionally Amazon or Starbucks. These are all on our boycott list. So you’re probably wondering what else to give them.
Please know that many teachers have already been gifted a million mugs and candles, so I would avoid those. I am also not in favor of anything too cutesy or Instagrammable. A lot of ideas seem infantalizing in my opinion, given that our teachers are professionals and adults. They also get a lot of chocolate. If you know of a specific consumable treat that your child’s teacher would like, they’ll probably love it. Just make sure to keep allergies and preferences in mind, and I would lean toward this more if you have it in writing – e.g. from an “about me” letter at the beginning of the year or a list the PTA compiled from the teachers.
But honestly, just give cash. I know! It seems impersonal and cold. But our teachers are criminally underpaid, and cash gives them the option to spend it on something for the classroom (ugh, shouldn’t be coming out of their pockets, at least make it out of mine!) or to pay their bills. I promise, no one is ever mad to get cash. If you want, you can look up ideas for gifting cash in cute ways – casherrole, anyone? – on Pinterest.
If you can’t swing that (or in addition to it if you can), a handmade card or handwritten note is perfect. Teachers love getting notes from their students, but I think words of appreciation from you as a parent can go just as far. Teachers get a lot of flak from too many parents. Be the force for good to show them how much they’re appreciated!
Sources of gifts besides stores
Here, I’m going to group together less-conventional places to get your Christmas gifts, whether used or new.
- Regift from your home – probably obvious, but the easiest thing is to regift items that you have received and haven’t used. It kills two birds with one stone, both getting rid of an item and crossing a gift off your shopping list. I keep items like this in the same closet as my wrapping paper – it currently contains a copy of a board game we already owned and a makeup bag I don’t need. If you want to be particularly organized, when you put something in this closet, put a post-it note on it marking who it was from, so you don’t accidentally gift it back to them. I participate in a white elephant gift exchange with my husband’s extended family every year, which is a great event for regifting.
- Community sharing groups like Buy Nothing – Buy Nothing groups are the best! If you’re not familiar, these are extremely small and local groups focused on giving away items you aren’t using to others in your community for reuse, to reduce consumption and save money. You can find your local Buy Nothing group here, which may be on Facebook or via the Buy Nothing app. Similar communities can be found on Freecycle, free items on NextDoor, free items on Facebook marketplace, and Facebook groups focused on freebies (which are often sharing marketplace postings, but not always). While most items in these groups are used, occasionally there are new items, too. Right now up for offer in my local Buy Nothing group are the following items that could make good gifts: a new-in-box pair of men’s sneakers (good for a son or husband), an unopened electric wine bottle opener, an unopened perler bead set, shrinkwrapped Mary Kay lotion, and a fake plant.
- Resale marketplaces – I have found new items on all of these sites for a discount, but if it’s in good condition, used may be acceptable too. Use them to search for specific items (for example, my husband got a movie poster from That Thing You Do) or for general ideas on a theme (“movie posters”).
- Ebay – a great resource, with many people (like me) selling items they have on hand. Just beware that some sellers list and fulfill items directly from Amazon – I just had this happen with a nightlight I purchased. To avoid this, skim the seller’s listings and see if all the images could have been pulled directly from Amazon. “Dropshippers” like this will also often offer free shipping, since Amazon offers free shipping.
- Facebook marketplace – you have the option to search nearby items for pickup, or search anywhere for shipping.
- Thrift stores – a great source for a unique gift for someone who would enjoy a secondhand item, but you can also often find new items at thrift stores, too.
- Mercari – an online resale marketplace. It’s pretty straightforward, and unlike a lot of the marketplaces, does not focus on clothes but is more broadly inclusive of all sorts of items. Use this link for $10 off your first purchase.
Alternatives to Amazon, Walmart, and Target: Ethical stores & gift ideas
Last on our list are stores and marketplaces that are not mega-corporations.
- Independent brick-and-mortar stores near you – seek out independent small businesses near you, including grocers, bookstores, clothing stores, and gift boutiques. I am lucky enough to live near a Zero Waste store – see if there’s one near you. Ask around in local forums online to find favorite small businesses.
- When considering a new small business to purchase from, I would check whether they’re listed on PublicSquare, and avoid if so. PublicSquare collects listings for “non-woke” businesses, so if it’s on there, assume they’re pro-MAGA.
- Craft fairs and farmer’s markets – a great way to find and meet local creators. My area typically has holiday craft fairs throughout November and December. You can find all sorts of handmade gifts, from wall art to jewelry to soap to food to wood carvings. Even if you can’t make it to the craft fair, you can use their list of vendors as a resource to find local creators. I would also ask in local forums online for favorite creators in your area.
- Etsy – if you can’t find local creators selling the handmade gifts you want, check out Etsy. I’m partial to these pens made from vintage knives, weird candles like this one that looks like a corn cob, and these literary coasters. Just be wary when looking at items and reviews and make sure the item actually seems handmade, as some sellers are using Etsy as a platform to resell cheap goods from places like AliExpress. Note: Etsy has recently been under scrutiny for failing to block Alligator Alcatraz merch from their platform, so you may choose to add them to your boycott list.
- Earth Hero – a great resource especially for sustainable gifts. I personally would love to receive their cork wallet, zero waste lip balm, or alcohol-free cocktails.
- Ten Thousand Villages – a fair trade store that sells handcrafted items from makers around the world and pays fair, living wages to low income communities. They have a variety of beautiful giftable items, from tablecloths to robes to journals to soaps.
- Good Store – founded by John and Hank Green, who I love for using their fame and influence in a number of good ways. Good Store donates 100% of their profits to charity, including Partners in Health projects around the world and the Coral Reef Alliance. Their giftable offerings include socks, tea, coffee, and soap (I’ve given this one!).
- Bookshop.org – Books! Everyone can use more books. Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores, and I’ve long used them for physical book purchases. Need recs? I loved Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel, Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green (what, him again? Yes.), and Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera.
- Libro.fm – if your gift recipient is more into audiobooks, check out Libro.fm, a great alternative to Amazon-owned Audible. Libro.fm is a certified B corp, Social Purpose Corporation, and 100% employee owned company that shares profits with local bookstores. It is easy to gift memberships or credits in various denominations.
- Costco – Costco is often lauded for treating its employees well with higher than average wages and more comprehensive benefits than other large corporations. You’ll need a membership to shop there, but you’ll have no problem finding gifts edible and otherwise once you’re in.
- Penzeys – Penzeys, a spice company, has been outspoken against Trump and the Republican Party for years (interesting reading on their site). They have a number of gift boxes that could really be given to anyone on your list.
- Check out Ethical Consumer for more ideas!
If you’re considering purchasing from a company and want to check out its ethics, try the following:
- Open Secrets – a database that shows how companies have donated money to political organizations and candidates. One thing to keep in mind is that donations by individuals who own or are employed by the organization may show up here, so review with care.
- Goods Unite Us – another site that tracks political donations from executives, board members, and PACs
- PublicSquare – for businesses to avoid. This conservative website lets businesses self-list as “non-woke”, so if it’s on there, assume they’re pro-MAGA.
Okay! I hope this helps with your Christmas shopping. As you get organized, consider grabbing a copy of my Christmas Shopping List & Budget Notion Template to help you create a budget, status checklist, and share the load with a partner.
What do you think? How will you change your holiday shopping habits this year?
