Bud Light’s sales associates are on the receiving end of ‘middle fingers’ and ‘abusive language’ amid the Dylan Mulvaney debacle – as their commissions take a huge hit
- Michel Doukeris, CEO of Aheuser-Busch InBev, said the boycott is impacting all channels
- A company supervisor said this has taken a toll on many of the guys who work on a commission basis
- Bud Light sales staff reported losing $2,000 last month compared to the typical month of May because of the backlash
The salespeople at Bud Light have been hit with a barrage of attacks including “abusive language,” the “middle finger,” and homophobic slurs in the wake of the Dylan Mulvaney debacle.
A manager told ABC news“This really killed a lot of the guys who work on commission,” adding “there’s nothing they could have done – this was thrown in their faces.”
The contemptuous behavior began in April shortly after the beer giant joined forces with the transgender influencer, prompting well-known conservatives to call for a boycott and sales to take a nosedive.
Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch, lost a whopping $27 billion in market cap as a result of the backlash.
Influencer Dylan Mulvaney posted this video to their Instagram on April 1 to promote Bud Light
Aheuser-Busch InBev CEO Michel Doukeris (pictured) told ABC News how the boycott would impact all channels
Nearly seven weeks after the fiasco, members who work in sales at the approximately 500 independent wholesalers who sell Anheuser-Busch products to restaurants, bars and supermarkets have reduced their commission.
Some of the sales team have reported losing $2,000 last month compared to the typical May because of the backlash.
Many of his truck drivers have been subjected to an outpouring of homophobic remarks, including “gay beer salesmen,” while others have been subjected to the brunt of their deliveries, ABC News reported.
Aheuser-Busch InBev CEO Michel Doukeris told the news outlet that the boycott impacted all channels.
“This situation has impacted our people and especially our frontline workers: the delivery drivers, vendors, our wholesalers, Bud owners and servers,” Doukeris said.
Bud Light truck driver delivers – some drivers have fallen victim to an onslaught of homophobic comments, including ‘gay beer sellers’, while others are being flipped the bird
A former Anheuser-Busch InBev executive Anson Frericks also talked about the ripple effect.
“Good people will leave because they don’t make money,” former Anheuser-Busch InBev CEO Anson Frericks told ABC News.
Some stores are reportedly giving away Bud Light for free, with the company potentially resorting to buying expired unsold beer from wholesalers, The Wall Street Journal reported.
A president of a distributor in the Midwest tried to reassure his employees during a meeting with Bud Light retailers and kept hoping that the boycott will end soon.
“I am frustrated that this is the case [dragged] while it lasts,” he said.
“None of this is your fault and none of this is my fault.”