What to know about the no-shopping ‘economic blackout’ on Feb. 28

A social media campaign has sparked plans for an “economic blackout” on Friday, one of several boycotts planned by activists intent on sending a message to large corporations at a time when many Americans are struggling to keep up with costs.

The initiative calls on consumers to suspend all spending, both online and in-person, for one day. Its organizer, the People’s Union USA, bills itself as a nonpartisan, grassroots movement dedicated to economic resistance.

Here’s what you need to know about the economic blackout.

Who is John Schwarz?

John Schwarz is the founder of the Peoples Union USA and lives in the Chicago area.

The 57-year-old meditation teacher said he came up with the idea for a boycott as he was searching for a way to take action in response to the tumultuous start of the Trump administration, which has moved aggressively to shrink the federal government.

“They’re dismantling so many things in this country,” Schwarz said. “If people are going to step in and make a change that benefits the people, it’s now.”

His posts on Instagram and TikTok — under the handle TheOneCalledJai — quickly went viral. In the span of a few weeks, he has accumulated 255,000 new Instagram followers and more than 100,000 new TikTok followers. The feedback from followers has been “overwhelming,” he said, and a GoFundMe to finance the movement has raised more than $65,000.

“We’re all exhausted. We’re all tired. Enough is enough,” Schwarz said. “We can’t sit back and watch these people boast about their wealth … and then we’re all sitting at home in anxiety and fear, not knowing how we’re going to make it till the end of the month.”

What is the economic blackout?

The initiative is a way for consumers to flex their economic power by not spending any money for 24 hours starting at 12:01 a.m. Friday, Schwarz said.

The point is not to affect the stock market, he told The Washington Post, but to get “corporations to at least pause and stop and notice.”

The effort comes at a time when many consumers are feeling uneasy about the economy. Consumer sentiment fell in February, according to a closely watched metric from the University of Michigan, amid fears that new tariffs could worsen inflation. Americans now expect prices to rise another 4.3% in the coming year, a full percentage point higher than they did in January. That is more than double the Federal Reserve’s 2% inflation goal and higher than January’s 3% reading.

“We are the economy. We are the workforce,” Schwarz said. “They benefit only because we get up every day and do what we do. If we stop, they have nothing, and it’s time for them to accept that truth.”

How can you participate?

Don’t spend any money Friday, the group’s website says. That includes no shopping online, ordering from restaurant chains or filling up at the gas station.

If you do need to buy something, shop local. And if you can, take the day off from work.

“This is about solidarity and sending a clear message: We have the power,” according to the website.

Do boycotts work?

It’s unclear how impactful such movements can be on a company’s bottom line, but there is precedent: For example, Target saw sales tumble in 2023 after its Pride Month collection got caught in the crossfire of the culture wars.

Americus Reed, a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, said protest movements and collective organizing take time, especially as consumers deal with “the normal pressures of life.”

It’s also difficult to parse which online campaigns simply amount to virtue signaling — or “moral peacocking” — or actually motivate consumers to commit, he said.

“The ultimate test is: Are you willing to inconvenience yourself for your ideological point of view and to protest against something?” said Reed, who studies how consumers’ identities and values influence their spending decisions. “And for most people, the answer is no, especially if they can’t buy eggs and yogurt, they’re worried about other things.”

Will there be other economic blackouts?

The People’s Union USA website lists boycotts throughout the spring, including:

• March 7-14: Amazon, including Whole Foods and Prime purchases (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post).

• March 21-28: Nestlé, whose brands include Nescafé, Toll House, Stouffer’s and Purina.

• March 28: A 24-hour economic blackout of all large retailers.

• April 7-13: Walmart.

• April 18: A 24-hour economic blackout of all large retailers.

• April 21-27: General Mills, whose brands include Betty Crocker, Cheerios, Gold Medal and Pillsbury.