PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Occupy protesters want shoppers to occupy something besides door-buster sales and the crowded aisles of big-box stores on Black Friday.
Some don’t want people to shop at all. Others want to divert shoppers from big-box chains and giant shopping malls to local mom-and-pops. The actions appear uncoordinated but have similar themes. Those include supporting small businesses while criticizing the day’s dedication to materialism and the shopping frenzy that fuels big corporations.
Nearly each one promises some kind of surprise action.
In Seattle, protesters are carpooling to Wal-Mart stores to protest. Washington, D.C., is letting people donate unneeded items so others can shop for free.
Protesters in Boise, Idaho, will send “consumer zombies” to wander around a mall. The Des Moines, Iowa, group plans flash mobs at three malls.
