"Ask the Rabbi" by R. Mermelstein
QUESTION: Dear Rabbi
Mermelstein:
Since I saw the notice about Levi Strauss supporting PAX,
I have sent e-mails and letters (one containing the Levi tags I cut off
from their jeans I owned), including several letters to their President
and CEO. Like you, I received several of their form responses, which I sent back with a copy of the PAX petition from their music webpage, just to show them I knew they were lying to me.
While I plan to keep on fighting, I am curious. Aside from the silly
form letters, is there any evidence that we are having a real impact?
Like I said, I plan to keep up the fight anyway. We got Rosie O'Donnell and we can get Levi Strauss!
Sincerely,
Michael Sorgenfrei
2 Mar 2000
ANSWER: Dear Mr. Sorgenfrei,
On a firm the size of LS&Co.,
the short term effects of a boycott would be dismissed by corporate
officials as a "seasonal slowing of sales". The consumer boycott of
Smith & Wesson is hurting their sales, but they won't fully admit
it. See http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=\Politics\archive\200006\POL20000621a.html :
Smith & Wesson President Admits Consumer Anger Hurting Sales
By Jerry Miller CNS Correspondent 21 June, 2000
(CNSNews.com) -- The president of gun maker Smith & Wesson now
acknowledges that a "consumer boycott" over the company's agreement
with the Clinton-Gore Administration is hurting the company and was a
factor in his decision to suspend virtually all manufacturing at two
plants during the month of July. The suspension is expected to result
in the layoffs of as many as 400 of the 800 employees in Springfield,
Massachusetts and Houlton, Maine. <snip>
And from the same article:
S & W president Ed Shultz responded to questions during a telephone
message he left for CNSNews.com. Repeated efforts to get additional
comments from Shultz were unsuccessful. However, in the phone message,
Shultz laid blame for the layoffs and the decision to suspend
production on seasonally lower gun sales. He also noted the company has
probably been hurt by a boycott of gun buyers and Second Amendment
advocates, angry at the agreement the company reached with the White
House. Shultz acknowledged losing some former customers and accused the
media of making too much of that. <snip>
So, consumer boycotts do hurt a company's bottom line, whether they are
loathe to admit it or not. For what small good my efforts cause, I will
never again knowingly patronize Smith & Wesson, Levi Strauss, or
any company that seeks to strip me of my Second Amendment rights until
they do a 180 degree about-face on their current positions. I sincerely
hope you feel the same way.
Sincerely,
R. Mermelstein
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