I get that it shows that people are upset. If you can cause a zero-sale day, that’s huge. But the business likely only cares about profit. Doesn’t that lost profit show up a day or two before or after the boycott? It’s not like people suddenly no longer need that stuff.
In: Economics
The famous McDonald’s $2.8M coffee verdict (yes, I know the actual outcome was much different) was arrived at because it represented one day of McDonald’s coffee sales. That’s 1994 millions and sales, too. I use that example as one clearly tired to a day, which is otherwise hard to find.
In the right business, one day can mean a lot of cash doesn’t flow. But it probably wouldn’t make successful business struggle.
Walmart’s 2019 revenues were more than $500B, which is conversationally more than a billion dollars a day (the even distribution math isn’t reality, as not all days in the year are equal, but for discussion…).
Several things, though.
Walmart wouldn’t like to have all of that payroll and no revenue for that day, and possibly lose some perishables, but a lot of other work would be done, and overall it could afford the cash flow hit.
A one-day boycott would probably mean recovery in the following days. Those shoppers world wait for the tomorrow to get their groceries, or whatever, or maybe return next week if they went somewhere else today.
Walmart would notice, and probably say WTF, but for a day-long blip, probably wouldn’t really change anything.
Corner grocer or non-chain restaurant or other close-cutting establishment might not fare as well. Maybe for one day, but maybe not if people didn’t make up for it right away. Huge expenses in preparation and payroll might never get recuperated with the small margins they might be running under.
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