A photo has been shared on Twitter showing 24-pack cases of Bud Light being sold at an Illinois supermarket for $1 amid ongoing boycotts of the brand.
Since the start of April, Bud Light has been subjected to a relentless backlash for a small branded partnership it had with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. In a video posted to Instagram on April 1, Mulvaney said the beer brand had sent her a can with her face on it to commemorate her 365 days living as a woman.
Mulvaney’s partnership with Bud Light drew condemnation and boycott calls from several conservative figures, including Representative Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican. Musicians Kid Rock, Travis Tritt and John Rich were also among those who expressed aversions to the beer brand after the collaboration.
Since the call for a boycott began three months ago, Bud Light has seen a rapid drop-off in domestic sales. Revenue remains consistently below what it was the same time last year. The company has also lost its crown as America’s most popular beer, with Mexican rival Modelo Especial now in the top spot.
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Over the past several weeks, a number of social media users have also shared photos and videos of unsold Bud Light on store shelves and at venues, in a bid to illustrate the purported success of their boycott of the beer brand.
Confronted with tumbling stock prices and disgruntled customers, Bud Light has implemented a variety of strategies to boost sales in recent weeks, such as offering steep rebates that made beer free or nearly free in some areas.
This trend was illustrated over the weekend, when a Twitter user shared a photo of a stack of boxes of 24 12 oz. Bud Light cans are priced for sale at $1. The promotional price was offered by the Illinois-based supermarket chain Berkot’s Super Foods.
“Don’t let anyone tell you the Bud Light Boycott isn’t real or lasting,” wrote the Twitter user who shared the image. “This was at my grocer today, the week before 4th of July and customers STILL AREN’T BUYING IT. #BoycottBudLight.”
The small print in the photo shows that customers must actually buy the pack of Bud Light for $15.99 first, before applying for a $14.99 digital rebate on Bud Light’s website. The sale price, which is limited to one pack per customer, ends on Wednesday. Newsweek has verified the authenticity of the rebate offer.
In mid-June, a former Anheuser-Busch employee in the US said in an interview with Tomi Lahren that the brewing company deliberately sabotaged Bud Light in an attempt to cut costs. The interview came weeks after conservative commentator Lahren said “mass layoffs” were in the pipeline at Bud Light as a result of the backlash.
On June 29, Mulvaney accused Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch, of turning “a blind eye” to the transphobic attacks she endured after her collaboration with the brand.
In a TikTok post captioned “Trans people like beer too,” Mulvaney accused Anheuser-Busch of not reaching out to her during the height of the criticism.
“I was waiting for the brand to reach out to me, but they never did. And for months now, I’ve been scared to leave my house,” she said. “I have been ridiculed in public. I’ve been followed. And I have felt a loneliness that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. If this is my experience from a very privileged perspective, know that it is much, much worse for others trans people.”
While not directly naming Anheuser-Busch, Mulvaney continued: “For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse in my opinion than not hiring a trans person at all because it gives customers permission to be as transphobic and hateful as they want. And the hate doesn’t end with me. It has serious and grave consequences for the rest of our community. And we’re customers, too. I know a lot of trans and queer people who love beer.”
“To turn a blind eye and pretend everything is OK—it just isn’t an option right now,” Mulvaney added. “And you might say, ‘But Dylan, I don’t want to get political.’ Babe, supporting trans people, it shouldn’t be political. There should be nothing controversial or divisive about working with us.”
Newsweek has contacted representatives of Anheuser-Busch via email for comments.