The boycott: Who’s behind it and why?
The heat started turning up when The People’s Union USA, a consumer activist group, announced a week-long boycott from June 24 to June 30. Their reasons? A laundry list of accusations, ranging from “tax avoidance” and “price gouging” to “fake diversity promises” and “worker exploitation.”“We’re boycotting McDonald’s because they’ve shown time and time again that profit matters more than people,” said John Schwarz, founder of The People’s Union, in a statement to USA TODAY.He didn’t hold back, adding that the company’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) campaigns felt more like “promotional stunts than systemic change.” The call to action? Stop supporting a company that, according to him, talks a progressive game but fails to deliver real change behind the scenes.
Impact on business: The early signs
Even before the boycott week officially launched, McDonald’s was already showing signs of stress:
- Q1 revenue dropped 3.5%, with U.S. customer traffic reportedly dipping.
- Stock prices slid 10% over the past month, as investor confidence wavered.
- Analysts suggest even a one-week consumer boycott could visibly dent quarterly performance, especially if social pressure keeps growing.
- While no official numbers from the boycott have been released yet, the sheer volume of buzz online hints at something more than just a passing protest.
So, are the restaurants closed?
Despite all the noise, McDonald’s has not closed any U.S. locations due to the boycott. There’s been no official statement from the company indicating temporary closures or scaled-back operations.That said, the corporate silence has only fueled more speculation. Will the company address the boycott head-on? Will they tweak their messaging, prices, or labor policies? So far, McDonald’s has remained largely tight-lipped.
