[Politics] Companies I have or will boycott and why.

The following companies for their actions do not deserve my (or your) business.

Wal-Mart - for being generally the definition of the word evil. (low wages, overtime scandal, lack of women in management, stingy charity donations by the Walton family, exploitation of workers, union busting)

Northwest Airlines - for their Union busting tactics. MPR reported this morning that the Mechanics Union will vote to end the strike in defeat. Northwest effectively busted the Union by hiring 900 permanent replacements. It is only a matter of time before NWA either goes out of business (either due to lack of cash, or by merger) or targets the other 3 Unions. NWA, like the other major carriers are stuck in an outdate business model that will not work in this economy without massive public bailouts (NWA has been saved twice by the state of MN and once by the Federal gov't). Sadly bankruptcy in this country is a financial tool by businesses and does not carry the compnay-ending meaning it once did.

Target - for having policies that allow pharmacists to deny medication to customers. There was recently a case where a pharmacist at a Target in Missouri denied a women her prescription for the morning after pill. Kmart, CVS, and CostCo fire pharmacits who deny prescriptions to be filled. I sent a letter to Target and received this cop-out of a response:

Dear Target Guest,



Target places a high priority on our role as a community pharmacy and our obligation to meet the needs of the patients we serve. We expect all our team members, including our pharmacists, to provide respectful service to our guests, particularly when it comes to their health care needs.



Like many other retailers, Target has a policy that ensures a guest’s prescription for emergency contraception is filled, whether at Target or at a different pharmacy, in a timely and respectful manner. This policy meets the health care needs of our guests while respecting the diversity of our team members.



Your thoughts help us learn more about what our guests expect, so I’ll be sure to share your feedback with our pharmacy executives.



Thanks for taking the time to share your questions, thoughts and comments. I hope we’ll see you again soon at Target.



Sincerely,



Jennifer Hanson

Target Executive Offices

I call this a cop-out as Target does not have to fill the prescription, they can ask the person, or point the person somewhere else. Pharmacists should be neutral and non-judgemental. This last boycott is a quite a blow as my wife and I were loyal Target shoppers. We will become ones again, all Target has to do is issue an apology and change their policies so that prescriptions can be filled in store without discrimination.

Here is my response back to Target:

Subject: Re: Filling Prescriptions at Target
To: "Target.Response"
While I appreciate you taking the time to provide this response, I feel you answer is more of a dodge. It remains clear that Target will continue to value the individual mores of the Pharmacist over the right to customer to have receive healthcare. This position countermands Target's responsibility to provide healthcare in a timely and nondiscriminatory fashion.

Until Target provides healthcare on a uniform basis, rather than subject to the whims of the pharmacist, I and my wife will be boycotting Target.

We are no longer assured of the level of service that Target will provide to us.

There are many other companies that I can list, but these are my top 3.