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Boston Globe

Market Basket boycott? The supermarket's loyalists say they're ready for a fight.

Advertisement Judy Price, 81, remembers joining one of the demonstrations outside Somerville Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'I just love this place, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll work it out,' she said. But Price added that if workers call for a boycott again, she will support them. Word that the chief executive had been sidelined came late Wednesday afternoon, and by Thursday morning many loyal shoppers said their social media feeds had been overtaken by discussion over their favored supermarket's fate. On forums from Reddit to Facebook, posters debated whether to continue shopping at Market Basket as the dispute plays out. Many pointed out the similarities between this week's crisis and the 2014 showdown that led to worker walkouts and a shopper boycott that attracted nationwide support. Advertisement Others noted a key difference: Arthur T's sisters backed him 11 years ago as he faced off against his cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas. This time, his sisters support the Market Basket board members who voted to suspend Arthur T. Back in Somerville, Market Basket shopper Annmarie Costante described the sisters' involvement as one more reason to back Arthur T. 'I think the sisters are jealous, and they just want him out to take over and raise all our prices,' said Costante, 62. 'If Artie T. is not in charge and his sisters take over, we're going to be another Star Market, which we don't want.' Supermarket industry analyst Burt Flickinger III of Strategic Resource Group in New York said he's mystified about the attempt to oust Arthur T. Flickinger, whose firm works with grocery chains worldwide, called Arthur T. 'one of the best CEOs we've studied anywhere in the world.' He also disparaged the Market Basket board for demanding that Arthur T., 70, create a formal succession plan. 'He's got at least another strong decade to run the company,' said Flickinger, who added, 'were Arthur T. to be hit [by] the Green Line tomorrow morning, God forbid, the leadership team he developed would be able to step in very capably.' Hiawatha Bray can be reached at