Consumer concern over rising food prices has spurred a protest movement to bring attention to supermarket practices of shrinkflation and gouging, which has resulted in a nationally coordinated boycott of UK supermarkets scheduled to take place on 28 October – exactly at the high point of pre-Halloween impulse buying.
The movement has grown organically, and mostly via social media, as a reaction to the cost-of-living crisis, food poverty – and corporate profits.
The date was selected because it is the next Budget Day, and organisers and supporters aim to leverage the political and media attention surrounding the government’s financial statement to force food security into the national spotlight.
They point out that while approximately one in eight households are facing food insecurity (leaving families skipping meals or abandoning items at the till), the country's major supermarket chains continue to report “massive” annual profits.
The tight margins in grocery wholesale and retail do not appear to be acknowledged except in forums such as Reddit's UK Cost of Living community, where some users question the the protest, arguing that supermarkets operate on incredibly slim profit margins (typically two to four per cent).
The central demand of the campaign is for the UK government to use the Budget to implement an immediate price cap on essential food items to make the weekly shop manageable for ordinary families
There is now a website, https://www.werenotbuyingit.co.uk/, that includes a consumer plan of action and instructions on “How to take part”:
- Get what you need by Tuesday – Do your shop on or before Tuesday 27 October so you aren't caught short.
- Spend nothing at a supermarket on 28 October – That covers stores, petrol station shops run by supermarkets, apps and home delivery.
- Need something on the day? – Use a local independent: a corner shop, market stall, butcher, baker or greengrocer.
- Sign the pledge and pass it on – Add your name, then send this page to your family, your group chats and your workmates.
The indie opportunity
The campaign explicitly states that it is not judging individuals who have no alternative but to use supermarkets. Instead, they ask those who can participate to:
- Avoid all major supermarket chains (including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl, M&S, and Waitrose) for the full 24 hours on 28 October.
- Shift essential shopping to either Tuesday, 27 October, or Thursday, 29 October, if necessary.
- Divert spending to local independent businesses, such as neighbourhood butchers, greengrocers, and corner shops, to highlight alternatives to supermarket monopolies.
The third point is noteworthy for independent retailers, as there will definitely be an increase in footfall on 28 October re-routed from the mults to local stores as the boycott impacts: how much is impossible to say, but there will certainly be some effect to the benefit of the prepared independent.
Asian Trader recommends that retailers maximise the opportunity by publicising offers on social media and making it clear – perhaps through window notices, flyers and so on – that supermarkets are being boycotted and that a warm welcome and real value exists in their neighbourhoods at local stores on 28 October – and, crucially, the day before, too.