A two-day boycott of stores due to soaring prices kicks off today in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with citizens encouraged to abstain from purchases.

Following a one-day boycott last Friday, January 31st, this initiative will span two days—today and tomorrow—with the rallying cry: “Don’t buy!”.

The Facebook group “Boycott BiH,” which is spearheading the movement, has declared that the boycott will persist until their demands are addressed and prices are lowered.

Campaign organizers are urging citizens to manage their spending on other days, purchase only essential goods, and refrain from shopping on Friday and Saturday.

Assessing the effectiveness of the initial boycott is challenging; while images from the streets depicted notably sparse stores, tax data from the Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina indicate that citizen participation was minimal. Official statistics also reveal that sales on January 31 remained consistent or even increased compared to preceding days, reports N1.

“To me, the first boycott last Friday was successful, even if data from the FBiH Tax Administration suggests otherwise. However, we saw stores half-empty,” stated Ferida Kulović, president of the “Potrošač” Consumer Association in Kakanj. She expressed her full support for the boycott and her belief that a significant portion of the population would participate.

The movement against high prices has gained traction across the region, originating in Croatia, where a broader boycott of all products and services also commenced today.

This marks the third consecutive Friday of the boycott in Croatia, with a week-long boycott of a specific retail chain set to start on Saturday.

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