A two-day boycott of shops across Bosnia and Herzegovina began Friday, with citizens urged to refrain from making any purchases in protest against high prices. Pročitaj više

Following a one-day boycott held last Friday, January 31, the action has now been extended to two days, taking place Friday and Saturday under the slogan: “Do not buy!”

The Facebook group “Bojkot BiH,” which is behind the initiative, has announced that the boycott will continue until demands for lower prices are met.

Organizers have encouraged citizens to manage their spending wisely on other days, purchase only essential goods, and completely avoid shopping on Friday and Saturday.

Assessing the success of the first boycott has proven difficult. While images from various locations showed notably empty stores, data from the tax administrations of the Federation of BiH and Republika Srpska entities indicate that a significant number of people did not participate. Official statistics even suggest that store revenues on January 31 were at the same level or higher compared to previous days.

“For me, the first boycott held last Friday was a success, even though the data from the FBiH Tax Administration suggests otherwise. However, we saw firsthand that many shops were half-empty,” said Ferida Kulovic, president of the consumer association “Potrosac” from Kakanj. She added that she fully supports the boycott and believes a large number of citizens will take part.

The store boycott over high prices has spread across the region, originally starting in Croatia, where another general boycott of all products and services also began Friday.

This marks the third consecutive Friday of store boycotts in Croatia, and starting Saturday, a specific retail chain will face a seven-day consumer boycott.