People Are Protesting Coles & Woolies Price Hikes & Record Profits in Classic Cheeky Aussie Fashion

Image: Still from “someone added to the local Coles and Woolworths' signage” video

I don’t know about your fridge and cupboards, but mine are just a tad more bare than this time a few years ago. With Australia’s cost of living crisis looking like it’s going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better as young Australians are forgoing necessities including clothing, fresh fruit, toiletries and socialising, one thing people can’t cut out of their budget (entirely) is food.

As Coles and Woolworths continue to make record profits while also seemingly engaging in inflation profiteering with everyday items skyrocketing in price, Aussies have had a gutful of it and have started to push back in classic cheeky Aussie fashion.

Rather than taking to social media or even the streets for a traditional protest, over the weekend a few different forms of protest have popped up, managing to be both more subtle and also potentially more effective than a classic whinge or boycott.

First up, a video was uploaded to YouTube a few days ago with the vague-yet-intriguing title “someone added to the local Coles and Woolworths' signage”. For a minute and fifteen seconds, we’re treated to scenes of gentleman wearing well-used HiVis gear with a screen and some paint, entering a number of Coles and Woolworth stores (presumably in Sydney based on the Bondi Junction sign), where they have professionally added their own slogans to the store’s logos - appropriately set to the tune of Twisted Sister’s iconic protest anthem, We’re Not Gonna Take It.

Instead of the fresh food people, Woolies are now “The Price Gouge People”, while Coles new slogan becomes  “Down, Down, Morality Down”... where is the lie?

Meanwhile in Tasmania, the Grass Roots Action Network has taken things in store, replacing special tickets in the stores with clones that instead of having a price have some juicy messages instead. “Our right to profit is more important than your right to food. That’s capitalism baby!”, says one,  “We’ve made over $1 billion in profits whilst you can’t even afford bread.” states another, of course located in the bread aisle.

Whether or not these actions will have any actual effect on the monopoly of Colesworth and whether or not people will vote with their wallets (which unfortunately isn’t even an option for some around the country with only one of the two being their only accessible supermarket) remains to be seen… but we’ll never tire of the creativity and undying spirit of these Aussie battlers.