TORONTO – Sears Canada is facing a social media campaign calling for a boycott after the company said it planned on paying millions in bonuses to keep executives on board during restructuring, despite not offering severance to laid-off workers.
The retailer’s Facebook page has been flooded with comments from people vowing not to shop at Sears, and the hashtag #BoycottSearsCanada has been gaining traction on Twitter.
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Sears Canada, which is operating under court protection from creditors, began liquidation sales on Friday at 59 department and Sears Home stores slated for closure.
READ MORE: Sears managers, executives get $9.2M in bonuses while thousands laid off
The company has said it plans to cut approximately 2,900 jobs, without severance, while paying $9.2 million in retention bonuses to key staff.
Several people participating in the boycott say they’re not spending their hard-earned dollars at a store they say rewards mismanagement at the expense of front-line retail workers.
A retail analyst says that the boycott could impact people still working at the stores, but it may not make a difference if the retailer goes out of business.
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