Yahoo Finance Sneaky message to protest inflated prices
A prankster has been replacing special tags in two major supermarkets to vent their frustration over the cost of living crisis.
It comes after Coles and Woolworths both announced they made an eye-watering $1.1bn and $1.6bn in profits respectively over the last financial year.
The tags which resemble the tags indicating a discounted price have started cropping up in the two supermarkets across Tasmania.
They feature a range of lines questioning why the company continues to post massive profits while customers are struggling to pay for groceries.
“Our right to profit is more important than your right to food. That’s capitalism baby!” ,“We’ve made over $1 billion in profits while you can’t even afford bread,” and “$10 Curtis Stone dinners? Not in this economy” are among the statements.
Coles chief operating officer Matt Swindells admitted last week that the cost-of-living crisis had contributed to a rise in shoplifting cases as shoppers struggled to put food on the table.
“We are seeing it in every store and every category, it’s a real challenge,” he told 3AW radio station.
One of the planted special labels responds to the admission, saying “If you see someone shoplifting, no you didn’t.”
“We understand that times are tough, and that‘s why we pay our CEO over $20,000 a day,” another reads.
Grassroots Action Network Tasmania took responsibility for the planted special discount tags in a post to Instagram on Saturday.
“Supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths are raking in money while so many do it tough, so folks in nipaluna decided that it‘s time they tell the truth with their specials,” the post reads.
People took to the comment section to share their reactions to the tags, with many praising the activists for saying what they were thinking.
“These are great,” one person said.
“Where can I get some,” another wrote.
One person said they had started shopping elsewhere to cut down on their grocery bill.
“Honestly! I never spend less than $100 there for barely anything! Aldi is so much more affordable!,”one person wrote.
A Coles spokesperson said they value feedback from customers but they encourage them to use their dedicated feedback channels, Tell Coles or their customer service team.
A Woolworth spokesperson said they are “acutely aware” of the pressure of the cost of living crisis on Australian families.
“We’re acutely aware of the pressure that’s being placed on Australian families through cost of living increases, whether they are our customers or our team members,” they said.
“And we’re doing more everyday to help customers spend less with us.”
