FAQs

How Do I Get Involved?

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Don't Shop on Tuesdays! That's really all it takes to be a part of taking back our democracy! If you want to do more, there are of course a variety of ways to engage, but the foundation is don't shop on Tuesdays.
As simple as it seems, it can be tough to avoid spending money on Tuesday, so if you slip up, don't worry, there is another Tuesday coming up next week where you can do better!

What Can't I Buy on Tuesday?

This is a total consumer boycott! All discretionary spending should be avoided. Don't buy groceries, don't go out to eat, don't get your haircut, just don't shop on Tuesdays!

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The two obvious exceptions are spending money as part of your job, we don't want you getting fired, and in the case of an emergency. If your child is very sick, go to the doctor! And then don't spend money the next Tuesday.

Can I buy ______?

It is a Tuesday? Then No!

What if it's an emergency?

In an emergency you should of course spend the money you need to keep yourself and others safe and healthy.

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We also recognize that for some people in precarious situations, having enough food to eat is an emergency, and they should not hesitate to spend the money they need to survive.

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For the rest of us, challenge yourself to see if you really do need to buy that thing right now, or if it can wait until Wednesday.

Has Anything Like This Been Done Before?

As far as we can tell no one has done a united protest quite like this. 
Boycotts have historically be organized around specific industries or professions, think Montgomery Bus Boycott or the West Virginia Teachers Strike.
Perhaps one of the most similarly designed movements, is the Meatless Mondays project, which has gotten millions of people to avoid eating meat on Monday.
Ultimately though, this is a new strategy for a new political era!

How will not shopping on Tuesday's affect policy?

Our thesis is that the majority of our political system has been seized by special interest groups (business interests and oligarchs), who construct policies, and fund politicians, in favor of themselves at the expense of most Americans. These special interests, by their nature, care about their bottom line above everything else, and thus only economic power can change their behavior. By building the capacity for collective economic power as I described above, we gain the ability to force these special interests to create, or at least allow, policies supported by most Americans.

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Since we are such nice people, Don't Shop On Tuesdays does this as a shot across the bow, demonstrating that we could hurt business if we choose to, but giving them the chance to do the right thing before we escalate further.

Why not have a targeted boycott or protest?

This is perhaps the most common question we get, but a funny thing happens when we ask who should be targeted, we almost never get the same list twice.

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But there are two more fundamental reason for avoiding targeted boycotts, the first practical and the second ideological:

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1. When you start adding lists, you lose participation quickly. People need simplicity, no need for apps or lists to remember. Is it Tuesday? Don't Shop.

2. This is a movement about bringing people together, not dividing them up. A targeted boycott doesn't serve this cause.

Why not protest like the women's march?

The Womens March was a titanic display of organizing and passion, creating the largest single day protest in history, whose ripple effects are still being felt today. Despite this incredible display, the efforts by radical-reactionary Republicans to strip Women of their rights continues to march forward. It wasn't enough to create lasting policy change.
We know that we cannot create a larger protest than the Women's March, so we need a different strategy.

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Don't Shop on Tuesdays is a training exercise, a form of practice to build our collective capacity to act as a economic block. This is the background drumbeat, the foundation upon which we can do bigger, harder things, but first we need to build that capacity. 

Americans by practice and systemic design are woefully out shape when it comes to organizing sustained movements, so we start with something simple, universal, economic and sustainable: Don't Shop On Tuesdays. As our collective capacity grows, so do our options for actions, but let's not put the cart before the horse as they say.

Can I get in trouble for participating?

There is nothing more capitalist than choosing when and where to spend your hard earned money!

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We just ask that you don't spend on Tuesday.

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There is absolutely nothing illegal about participating in DSOT, whether you are a private citizen, service member or government employee.