Critics of President-elect Donald Trump are eyeing a boycott of Maine retail giant L.L.Bean.
The #GrabYourWallet boycott site added the Freeport retailer Friday to its list of companies that consumers opposed to Trump should consider boycotting.
Shannon Coulter, a California marketing specialist who created the online boycott list, said Saturday the company landed on the list of 75 retailers to shun because of L.L.Bean board member Linda Bean’s donations to help Trump get elected.
An Associated Press report Friday detailed Federal Election Commission concerns that Bean, granddaughter of the company’s founder, made excessive contributions to a political action committee established to help Trump. The Making America Great Again LLC couldn’t take individual contributions of more than $5,000, yet Bean contributed $60,000, according to the AP.
The #GrabYourWallet site, which has been shared millions of times on social media, urges consumers to avoid 45 of the firms it cites and to consider steering clear of the other 30, including L.L. Bean. Most landed on the list for selling Trump-branded items.
Coulter said she added L.L.Bean because there was a strong desire among #GrabYourWallet participants to see the company included.
There are many tweets in the past 24 hours from customers insisting they won’t shop at L.L.Bean any longer, but given the store’s wide reach, it isn’t clear that they would make much of a dent in its annual sales.
Typical is one from Jeremy Pratt, an attorney in Camden, who sent a tweet to the company that said he is saddened that he “will no longer shop at your store so long as Linda Bean financially supports” Trump.
The retailer told the AP it “does not endorse political candidates, nor do we take positions on political matters or make political contributions.” It also noted that Bean is one of many family members who share ownership.
Coulter said the disclosure of Linda Bean’s donations during the election added “more details” that brought the company’s connection into focus.
“Many people are tired of their consumer dollars being used to fund the divisive and disrespectful political climate in our country,” she said.
“As consumers, we have plenty of choice,” Coulter said. “We’re simply wielding our purchasing power in favor of a more respectful and inclusive society.”
“In this case, Patagonia, REI and Eddie Bauer all might make good alternatives,” she said. “We can vote this way every day.”
In a separate tweet, Coulter said L.L.Bean can get off the list with one simple step: “All that would need to happen is for Linda to no longer be on the board.”
The #GrabYourWallet hashtag that started off the boycott campaign is a play on Trump’s 2005 boast on an Access Hollywood video about sexually assaulting women. It has since grown to include a website and a large following online.
So far, five companies that had been on the list have been removed after taking steps that satisfied their critics.
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