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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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 OPINION 
9

Don't Take It Out on the Arugula

Why it's wrongheaded to boycott Whole Foods to punish CEO

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(Newser) – Boycotting Whole Foods is the wrong move for liberals irate about the politics of the company's CEO, Mary Schmich writes in the Chicago Tribune. Before joining Facebook boycott groups and denying themselves the company's farm-fed, fair-trade wares, angry customers should consider the difference between "a business's practices and a business chief's politics."

Libertarian CEO John Mackey sparked the boycott when he wrote in a Wall Street Journal editorial that health care is a commodity, not a right. Schmich doesn't like Mackey's "selfishly myopic" opinion but says it's "still OK to go to the salad bar," and boycotters should instead "use their energy to help explain to the public why he's wrong."

Customers shop at the newly opened Whole Foods Arroyo store Wednesday in Pasadena, Calif. in this Nov. 7, 2007 file photo.
Customers shop at the newly opened Whole Foods Arroyo store Wednesday in Pasadena, Calif. in this Nov. 7, 2007 file photo.   (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, file)
Jodi May, center, shops with her daughters, Issa, 7, in the shopping cart, and Raina, 6, at the Wild Oats Natural Marketplace, in this July 17, 2007 file photo, in Woodmere Village, Ohio.
Jodi May, center, shops with her daughters, Issa, 7, in the shopping cart, and Raina, 6, at the Wild Oats Natural Marketplace, in this July 17, 2007 file photo, in Woodmere Village, Ohio.   (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, file)
David Wilcox of Jamaica Plain, Mass., stows his groceries on his bicycle outside the Whole Foods Market in Cambridge, Mass., Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008.
David Wilcox of Jamaica Plain, Mass., stows his groceries on his bicycle outside the Whole Foods Market in Cambridge, Mass., Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008.   (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)
In this July 30, 2007 file photo, shoppers walk past displays of produce at the Whole Foods in Cambridge, Mass.
In this July 30, 2007 file photo, shoppers walk past displays of produce at the Whole Foods in Cambridge, Mass.   (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
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...if Mackey is to the right of many of his customers, well, at least they know it. And there's a distinction worth making between a business' practices and a business chief's politics. - Mary Schmich

Mackey wasn't passing a law. He was just making a case. If the boycotters use their energy to help explain to the public why he's wrong, great. But it's OK to go to the salad bar. - Mary Schmich

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9 comments
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oldgoat
Aug 19, 09 6:42 AM CDT
Many people protest a company just because of what the CEO says. After all he is the leader of the company and like it or not, anything he says will go back on the company. So in this case I don't really blame them for the boycot. Reply
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+5
IN RESPONSE:
Newser001
Aug 19, 09 12:35 PM CDT
I concur. Mackey is a fool to say anything on the subject that would run counter to his clients culture base philosophy, and he's well known for fanning his own flames with bizarre anonymous self-promoting posts. Whole Foods, its a nice place, but too pricey and I don't appreciate their politics - BTW, Healthcare isn't a commodity, it's a human right; unlike his overpriced commodity products. The US is ranked 36th in the world with regard to access to affordable, quality healthcare. Enough said.
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+2
QueenAlli
Aug 19, 09 7:50 AM CDT
John Mackey acted stupidly. In his apology letter he claimed that the op-ed was his own opinion and not that of Whole Foods. Fine, it's your opinion BUT you do represent Whole Foods and to not think that there would be backlash on this is just plain stupid. This guy has not learned his lesson from the Yahoo fiasco. In THAT apology letter he stated that he is a public figure and should have been more careful - so what happened John? These boycotters have the right to shop elsewhere, the world isn't going to end if several thousand people want to voice their opinion. The little guy doesn't get to write an op-ed in the WSJ. I have to say though, as much as people keep saying this boycott is a waste of time, articles keep popping up everyday to defend Mackey and Whole Foods. Boycott must be doing something. Reply
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+3
blah1
Aug 19, 09 9:00 AM CDT
It's in no way poor judgement to boycott an individual's source of income and power, if that individual wields it in a way you believe to be dissonant to the common good. Modern politics isn't expressed with votes. It's expressed with dollars, and Mackey understands that best. He does more good for the environment than Washington can do in years. Conscious capitalism yields results. And if Mackey will use his platform to limit the improvement of health care, then in perfect irony, he should see the downside of conscious capitalism. Reply
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+1
JaneMP
Aug 19, 09 10:59 AM CDT
If he'd written this opinion as a citizen, I'd agree--no boycott. But he wrote this as CEO--identified himself as such and the WSJ pronted that opinion because he is. Yes, he has a right to express himself--and so do I. I wish I'd bought more at Whole Foods so that my boycott would hurt more. Reply
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