Is there a product, service, restaurant, etc. that you won't use because it conflicts with your values?

Question

Like me, I won't eat at Carl's Jr., because I find their advertising to be misogynistic and chauvenistic. What about you?

Answer 1

Domino's is the obvious one, but I have loads.

We don't have Carl's Jr here, but I avoid _anything_ with advertising that has irritated me in any way.

This invariably leads to finding lots of _better_ products. Genuinely good things are rarely advertised.

And, I'm a vegetarian, and while not personally bothered by meat, I do tend to avoid places that barely make an effort to get my business. Campbell's soups, for example, are often vegetable soups with some token amount of beef or chicken fat for no apparent reason. So I don't usually bother with the few soups they make that are vegetarian.

Finally, I drop any company that doesn't respond well to any complaint I might make. It just requires a polite acknowledgement to keep my business; not getting at least that bothers me.

But, really, anything that outrages my brain. Stuff with spelling errors. Weird as that may sound. And stuff that assumes female = shallow, female = ditz, etc. Anything making miraculous claims.

Oh! And, anything and everything sold via telephone or spam.

Answer 2

Actually, I tend to use products and services because other people hate them.

For example, I vehemently hate the organization PETA, so whenever they protest something, I make a point of eating/using that product/service/animal. They had a Kentucky Fried Cruelty billboard up on my way to works for a month, and it just made me crave original recipie, it's so good. I also love veal. Sure, the animals aren't allowed to move, but it makes them so tender.

When the christian groups like the Parents Television Council protest a TV show, I Tivo it immediately to check it out.

When the Carl's Jr. (on the east coast it is known as Hardee's) commercial was protested, I went and got a pastrami burger. I love their advertising, I don't see anything misogynistic or chauvenistic about it. Guys are their target audience, and guys like hot chicks. It's simple biology.

So, my spending is driven a lot by people that annoy me, and I do what I can to counter them in my own small way.

Answer 3

Let me try to get you to be less offended by that commercial- Carl's Jr. customers are mostly people who are not concerned with their appearance- they already know this group is guys who dont' have a lot of discipline. This of course, is not all guys- they also know some guys are on the fence, and love that food also, and they are trying to pull them in as well. So they make it "guy food". I know how you feel, though, there is a lot of advertising the other way that is offensive to me because it is sexist, but in favor of females. Don't you ever see on TV when they have women beating men in physical endeavours that the man would obviously win? If you think I"m being sexist, then look at the Olympics- the sports are divided by gender, and men have better performances for a reason- we are different. And we should value those differences- I don't want everyone to be a guy, gross!

So, they are not going to try to market their calorie and fat laden food to a woman who is watching her weight. See? Try not to be offended, they still want you as a customer- they just know where they have to direct most of their advertising dollar.

Carl's Jr. practically HAS to take this advertising tact- because how else are they going to sell it? They KNOW their food is unhealthy, so they take it the other direction, and say "be a man, and throw caution to the wind!" They appeal to the live for the moment mentality.

Answer 4

Yes. Quite often. For example, I don't like to eat at places that show signs of not seeing each thing they are cooking experience as possibly different. For example, I hear some places likes to use timer to cook their food. While this is good in a commerical area, the timer should only be a guide line. Even if you were to grow something yourself, it can turn out different then all the others. So how would a beef patty or anything else be an exception? So if it's policy to plate it as soon as the timer goes off, rather then checking if it really is done first I dislike it.

Also, I heavily dislike places that don't take your opinion into account, whether they say they do or not. If your that confident that your business is gonna be fine without me, I don't need to eat there.

Answer 5

I won't use a product or service who resorts to using Chimpanzees and any other primate in their advertisements/commercials. It repulses me to no end when I see these amazing animals not only taken out of their natural environment, but then to suffer immensely while being tortured in the illegal pet trade industry. Their mothers are hunted and slaughtered and then robbed of their new babies and the new babies are robbed of a natural life. People see these "cute" pictures of Chimps with wide, full smiles and think they're happy when really the face they're showing is of fear.

I think using photography or video of Chimps in their natural habitat is acceptable, as well as perhaps "doctoring" the photos/video footage to get the desired effect for whatever is being advertised... basically anything that doesn't harm or cause them to come into contact with human handling.

I also will not eat veal or shoarma meat (sheep) due to the horrific ways they are treated nor will I have anything to do with companies/groups/corporations, etc who are not pro-life.

Answer 6

I boycott several food products such as veal and paté de foie gras, because of the horrible way the animals are treated. I also won't wear fur, for the same reason.

As far as services go, I refuse to join Curves for Women health clubs because I understand the owner is vehemently pro-life and donates heavily to anti-abortion causes. I am just as vehemently pro-choice, and so I won't give him any of my money. It's just a matter of deciding whether your values are more important than the "things" you want.

Answer 7

Dominoes Pizza because the owner's politics are so opposed to mine. I try to avoid Microsoft if at all possible because Bill Gates is evil personified. I try to not buy things from countries that support terrorism.

Answer 8

I have small children and I just hate seeing cleaner, and medicines in packages that might appeal to children.
Example (I work overnight stock at target and they have this cleaner on the shelf called fabuloso, the colors are nice and bright pink, blue and purple.) im telling you that if i was a child, i would think that it was gatorade or something yummy to drink.

Answer 9

Refuse to eat in a Hooter's restaurant; talk about sexist!! when there's a male restaurant equivalent, then maybe......WIll also not buy any products I see in those commercials in a movie theater before the movie; we don't have enough commercials at home on tv??!?!?....

Answer 10

I won't go to the circus because of the way they treat the animals...I know people say that not all circuses 'mistreat' animals but I disagree. They have taken the animals out of their natural habitats to break them down to do stupid tricks for entertainment which I believe is wrong.