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The Starbucks boycott is backfiring spectacularly

Another boycott bites the dust.

Photo of Monica Riese

Monica Riese

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Starbucks is getting a double shot of publicity as fans and critics of Trump alike battle to maintain dominance of the #BoycottStarbucks hashtag.

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After Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced the company would hire 10,000 refugees in response to President Donald Trump’s immigration ban, Trump supporters balked, threatening to boycott the coffee giant and suggesting the company should hire veterans instead.

Note: Schultz’s pledge was to hire 10,000 refugees in 75 countries around the world, so it’s unclear how U.S. veterans tie into his plan precisely.

The #BoycottStarbucks threads started off predictably enough:

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https://twitter.com/Lrihendry/status/826494304256479232

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But critics of Trump quickly appropriated the hashtag for their own purposes, making fun of the boycotters and thanking racists for taking their business elsewhere.

https://twitter.com/HWNDUS/status/826204324594200576

https://twitter.com/efropoker/status/826176643999817730

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https://twitter.com/louiselegance/status/826155594222620672

https://twitter.com/seIinaivy/status/826151011853156355

https://twitter.com/HWNDUS/status/826150710332919808

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It’s not the first boycott that has backfired on Trump supporters. The president has been central to attempted boycotts of Yuengling beer, Apple, and the new Star Wars movie. (Key word “attempted”: Rogue One had an opening weekend of $155 million domestically.)

Nor—as that last tweet suggests—is it even the first Starbucks boycott attempt by Trump supporters, who swore off the brand for its green holiday cups late last year.

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Just last week, Starbucks reported $4 billion in revenue last quarter and record holiday sales, so it’s doing just fine either way.

H/T Huffington Post

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