A twenty-four hour nationwide supermarket boycott will take place on Wednesday to protest rising food prices amid the cost-of-living crisis.
The ‘We’re Not Buying It’ boycott is targeting big supermarket chains across the UK.
Participants are asked to avoid spending for one day, on the 28th October, to protest cost of living and the perception that major supermarkets are bringing in record profits while households struggle to afford basic weekly groceries.
@werenotbuyingit Last year, people from 11 countries across Europe showed us that not buying it works. Now it's our turn in the UK. If they don't cap it then we're not buying it. Pledge to join us next Wednesday the 28th through the link in our bio! #fyp #costofliving #werenotbuyingit #october28th ♬ Let's Work Together – Canned Heat
Imogen Lysandrou, 31, a supporter of the boycott and company director for a non-profit modelling and talent agency, said “They’re businesses and they have to make a profit and that’s not my issue, my issue is, at whose expense is it?
It’s at the expense of working class people and people in poverty who are being taken advantage of.”
A few people across social media have said it seems pointless because it is just one day.
Imogen said “It’s about understanding what we can do, one day isn’t the be all and end all but it’s something that most people can do and it’s a small start that I hope will grow on to be bigger.
The point isn’t to bankrupt these companies, it’s to disrupt the supply chain.”
The boycott is taking place on Budget Day and the organisers of the boycott say that if millions of people take part on the same day that the chancellor stands up, it is a number that both the supermarkets and the government will have to look at.
Almost one in eight households are experiencing food insecurity and worry about how they will afford their next week’s food shop.
Around two million children are affected by a lack of guaranteed, affordable food.
The boycott organisers and supporters have used these statistics to highlight the severity of the UK’s cost of living crisis.
One of their reasons for the boycott is that food is a basic need and being able to afford it shouldn’t be too much to ask for.
The organisers started posting on instagram earlier in October and has since spread across TikTok, Facebook and other social media platforms.
Many TikTokers have reposted the videos and made their own to spread more awareness like Imogen Lysandrou who has created videos and endorsed the boycott on her own page.
@immylysandrou 28th october is budget day and @Were Not Buying It are calling for a 24 hour supermarket boycott. uk supermarkets are posting record profits while 1 in 8 households cannot afford to eat. 6.5 million adults, 2.2 million children. if you can, do not shop at supermarkets for one day #boycott #werenotbuyingit #ukpolitics #costoflivingcrisis #foodinsecurity ♬ original sound – immy┊ ੈ✩‧₊˚
Jim Bligh, director of food policy at the BRC, said: “Fierce competition between UK supermarkets delivers some of the most affordable groceries in Western Europe, with retailers operating on Wagner-thin margins as they compete to cut costs and protect customers.
When cost pressures ease, that competition means savings can be passed on through lower prices and promotions.
The government can help keep food price inflation under control by cutting business costs and taxes in the budget.”
Featured image credit: We’re Not Buying It (used with permission)
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