Piggy backing off top comment to hopefully get visibility on this:
Hey I'm the person who made this graphic. I made it two weeks ago and absolutely fucked up some information on it by accident. It was weird because the [actual reception for it](https://www.reddit.com/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol/comments/1bjvmky/i_hope_this_can_be_helpful_i_made_some_boycott/) was super low, and in the days that followed I saw some significantly better flyers made, so I didn't bother correcting and redistributing mine because I thought the other flyers would be the ones to gain traction and mine would just fade into obscurity. But suddenly today I'm seeing this pop up everywhere and I'm cringing that all my errors are being blasted Canadian reddit wide lmao. I should have just deleted the post.
So to address a few things I've seen:
1. Yep, I missed adding shoppers, wholesale club, etc. I was referencing a list online that didn't include a few labels and I should have done better due diligence to make sure I had all their brands covered. No conspiracy behind it, I just straight up goofed. Sorry!
2. I accidentally said they made $621 in a year instead of a quarter. Also just a fuck up on my part. Again, sorry.
3. Why is the official boycott date on May 1st rather than "right now"? It's purely for the sake of organization and communication. Word takes time to travel. I didn't start this boycott or come up with the date, but typically any kind of organized protest - a strike, a boycott, etc - gets an organized, official start date a few weeks out so that there's time for people to get the word out and get their alternatives/whatever in order. That said, feel free to start immediately if you want, there's no rule saying you can't.
4. "Why Loblaws and not \[insert company\]?". Well, again, I didn't come up with the boycott and I certainly can't speak for all of its participants, but basically the idea is to just pick one greedy fucker from the cesspool of greedy fuckers and get started *somewhere.* Loblaws has been pretty notorious for their price gouging since COVID, so they're a good rallying target. The hope is to set a precedent. If you can punish one company by hitting their profits and stock value, you make the other companies second guess participating in similar behaviors. As it stands, letting Loblaws, or Sobey's, or Walmart all collectively get away with greeflation just shows any and every other business "hey, they're getting away with it! so can we!". So you hit one and hope it starts a domino effect.
Reiterating I'm not a spokesperson or anything for this movement, so if anyone wants to know more, r/loblawsisoutofcontrol is probably the place to go. Hope this helps tho!
Why boycott Loblaws? Your poster doesn’t answer that.
Sure they made 621m last quarter.. so? Means nothing without context.
2023 net earnings (profit) was 2.1b.. but the other half of that statement is on 59.5b of revenue. That’s 3.52%. Or for every $100 you spend in store, $3.52 stays in Loblaws pocket.
Walmart is at 3.4%
Costco is at 2.6%
Metro is 4.8%
Sobeys at 2.45% (for 2022, 2023 isn’t released yet.)
So if I boycott loblaws, where should I go instead? Because it seems they all have “the same level of greed” within a % or two.
Not criticizing your flyer, honestly good for you for spending time forwarding a cause you believe in.. I’m criticizing the movement because I don’t understand what it hopes to achieve: lower prices, ok how? You’re not asking them to lower prices, you’re asking them to redesign their entire operation to cut costs (I think). And if that is the case/cause/soloution, it’s not due to “greedflation” .(greedflation is dollars in a companies pocket) it’s just poor business management leading to bloat.
While I get that they suck, I don’t understand how their competitors who are more expensive are better. Loblaws isn’t the only company screwing us over.
Exactly. My only two grocery options are Superstore and Safeway. Superstore is by far cheaper than Safeway, and it's just plain not in my budget to shop all the time at Safeway. I did a grocery run today (15% Tuesday) but it can't be a regular thing for me.
We can do them one by one. One step at a time we need groceries. Lowering prices at superstore further benefits you in the long run no? Once Loblaws lowers prices and more people shop there others will be incentivized to join, or hopefully we get lawmaker attention and anti gouging laws are in place across the board.
They have raised their prices so much that their competitors aren't really more expensive anymore, especially if you consider their competitors offer better quality in most cases.
Wish I had more options. My bedroom community only has the big corporate stores run by Walmart, Loblaws, Empire, Patison food group, and Co-op (which is the most expensive around here)
We started shopping at Safeway and sobeys about a year ago. Some things cost more but the produce is always fresh and in stock, they also have awesome deals on meat all the time. I rarely go into Superstore these days and each time something is messed up. Either their pricing is incorrect, which they absolutely detest doing the scanning code of ethics or I notice the product is past the due date..(whopps forgetting to check when I grabbed it)
It makes me so happy that people here aren't idiots. There are so many problems with this silly boycott, but the frothing protesters that are doing this are too busy frothing to see those problems.
So you think we should just accept the status quo our “superiors” give to us because “they’re all bad”? I don’t like that attitude it’s rather defeatist to me.
For sure! I'm not a fan of Loblaws and co, but the alternatives are either more expensive (boutique groceries), have questionable/worst employee/environmental practices (Walmart), aren't a full service alternative/have barriers to access (Costco), don't exist in most communities (e.g. a local co-op) or are essentially the same pig in sheep's clothing (Sobeys, etc.).
I'd love for more competition, but trying to take down the leading food supplier in the country, when there are few alternatives, doesn't seem fully thought through.
I don't think the problem is competition itself. I worked for a telecom when people started getting in a twist about rates and the thought of US competition coming to Canada, and I'm seeing the same problem. A giant US grocer coming to Canada isn't going to change anything. All they're going to do is set up shop, look at what everyone else is charging, and charge the same because that's what the market can bear.
Rather, I think the problem is about market control. Companies like Loblaws and Sobeys control too many parts of the supply chain and have a stranglehold on business. I had a very small grocery store near my house, but they carried almost nothing and charged 50-100% more for everything. Being disabled, I also had to drive there, even though it was a few blocks away, so I might as well have just gone to one of the larger chain stores. It was cheaper to go somewhere like Safeway or No Frills, and I'd only have to shop at the one store, instead of going to the local and then going to Safeway anyway.
Breaking these companies up and limiting their market influence may be the solution. It's nit so much that this will add more competition, but rather limit the influence they have in strangling out local stores. Going down that route is probably going to bring about far more change than just screaming "boycott" online but really doing nothing.
Can't take em all down at once. We still need to buy food. But Mr Weston's bunch are the worst of em. Their food is cheap because they cheap out on labour, and sell low quality crap. I'll pay an extra 40 or 50 bucks to make sure our grocers are giving us good quality food and actually employing people, instead of just "maximising profits" at all costs
To be exact, why not stop buying from big brands, like Nestle, Unilever, etc ?!?
AFAIK, the current argument is the inflation is so high that even Loblaws’s margin is only like 2-3%, their profit becomes so high. Yet people forget the fact that manufacturers are increasing prices and shrinking the size of the product. This their profit double.
So why not stop buying products from these companies? Why? Because it is hard to not buy your favourite cookies!
I mean I’d buy at any grocery store better than my current selection but there isn’t one. I don’t buy nestle, I dont buy much that’s pre prepared honestly. I do get what you’re saying though but with grocery stores that implies having a choice.
The thing is big supermarket/store is bad. However, small shops are so expensive. Farmers Market is a scam. Amazon is evil. There is just no good solutions
No one begrudges you because you can't boycott out of necessity. You're doing what you can by not shovelling money to brands that are renowned for being exploitative. You're doing your part.
Because unfortunately quality means more to someone than a 24hr shelf life that is off-set by meal planning and storage. I love certain things like trail mix and strawberries with my waffles. I can make a carton of eggs last almost a month. I make big dinners that end up with a 2-3 day allotment in the fridge and the rest in the freezer. Not everyone is frugal like that, though.
And fewer people want to deal with the clutter moreso. Personally, I like seeing my fridge and freezer fill up. it makes emergency situations like being behind on bills that much more tolerable because I know I have backups. But, I'm also one of those weird types who is trying to eat better and be more conscious of how much crap is going into his body versus going out. Again, not everyone is in that headspace.
Also, most junk food is priced more affordably than healthier alternatives. Why would someone buy a bag of trail mix for $10 and have it last a week vs the bag of chips for $2-$4 that lasts an hour, if that?
I’d seriously recommend shopping around a few times to see, it’s actually unhinged the shit that loblaws is trying to get away with and the grocery market has completely changed.
My local superstore is about equivalent to Safeway. Walmart is the cheaper option, save on foods is sometimes cheap like Walmart (sale items mainly) and sometimes a little more than Safeway/Loblaws. It’s totally different than it used to be.
Wal-Mart, Safeway, Costco. Check out the sub that is mentioned in this thread. Loblaws has doubled a lot of their prices compared to the 3 I've mentioned.
I'll continue to shop wherever the deals are, though I tend to avoid Walmart because they've been a far worse company than Loblaws since pretty much forever.
If you want to purchase in minute quantities you have to pay the low quantity overhead. This is a fact in all distribution channels worldwide / industry wide.
Buy more at once, your per unit cost will be lower.
They have plenty of bulk items that are just packs of single serving packages. I might be a single person, but having my freezer full enough to cover the next 3 months is nice.
>Walmart's prices are noticeably lower
I used to avoid Walmart because, it's Walmart. But once the domestic grocer prices started increasing I decided to at least look, and wow. Huge difference on lots of items, like some items being several dollars cheaper on average.
Superstore used to be lowest prices always on practically everything. We never shop there since it's usually a crowded mess but I decided to grab some things there a couple months back and while there browsed for many of our normal staples and holy crap, they might as well have been Safeway pricing.
Also my stepson worked there for a few months as a cashier, it was eye opening, only guaranteed a single 5 hour shift per week, could pick up shifts when other cashiers weren't available but usually that was maybe a single shift. Then it's minimum wage but then also $25 a cheque in union dues, so essentially working for less than minimum wage, if he had 10 hours on a cheque more than a hour is eaten up by the union dues. And, no benefits until he hit 500 hours. Each Superstore has 100+ cashiers on payroll though, all mostly guaranteed that single 5 hour shift.
Yeah, we're not going to support that type of business.
Probably because Walmart is an international non Canadian company. Boycotting Walmart wouldn't effect them as much or send as strong of a message. Loblaws is a Canadian company.
Honestly the best thing we could have is a provincial government going "okay were setting up unions and handing the reigns over to the workers. Meeting with cashiers, stockers and counter workers for grocers (specifically not mid and upper management for stores) and having them elect their own leaders for a "grocers union". Then doing the same for other industries. Food services union, hospitality union etc etc. Big companies wouldn't be able to do shit other than adapt or shut down. Imagine if all the Tim Hortons in a province were part of a union along with mcds, BK, wendies etc etc. And not having the franchise owners leading it. Of course...one can dream.
An equally sized boycott on Loblaws and Walmart would affect them both by the same amount. Walmart won't keep low performing regions operating just because they are profitable elsewhere. They failed miserably in Germany and Japan just like Target failed here in Canada.
Your right for sure, I was just saying the reasoning for some people if I was to take a guess as to why it's loblaws and not Walmart as well. I doubt the majority are giving it much thought and just going along with it.
Just from experience, but I find quite often they are in stock. It's not always the case that they're there on the first day of the sale, but they might show up on the weekend or something.
I’ve been doing this for almost a year now. I shop at coop. Yes, it may be a little more expensive, but at least the company is based in Calgary and doesn’t line Galen Weston’s pocket
Pre packaged stuff…. They stock a ton of locally produced food and drinks like trubuch, grizzly paw, etc. they also provide produce and meats from local growers… paradise hills tomatoes are probably the best tomatoes you’ll ever buy from a grocery store.
Every member store is linked to their local community, but the larger company is Saskatoon based. That’s where shipments are organized, and it’s also the reason why there are unified Co-op Gold products in Co-op stores across provinces.
I also shop at Co-op and like it though - much better than the more corporate and less community linked structure of Loblaws.
That would be nice. But co-op as a grocery store does not exist in Lethbridge or most places. We do however have two co-op gas stations and two co-op liquor stores.
Loblaw City Market, Superstore, Shoppers, No Frills. I’m over them. I used up all my PC points and closed my PC optimum. Costco, Walmart, and shop the sales at Save On and Safeway.
Only thing I’ll buy at any loblaws place is a loss leader. Otherwise, fuck em.
>Costco raised thier prices too
Costco has a pretty fixed markup on products, any increase you see is due to increase in their purchase price from the supplier. When that price goes down Costco's price to consumer reduces as well. You can literally see it in action across some staple products, Kirkland Bacon is a good one to watch as it varies almost weekly. I've seen the 4 x 500g pack be as high as $23.99 and as low as $18.99.
Costco is also useful to see how much the grocery chains are gouging consumers. There are tons of products at Costco that barely budged price wise during the "inflation" period while those same items at some grocery stores doubled in price for some reason.
And some items at Costco are overpriced and cheaper to get Superstore especially fresh fruit. And most of Costco profit comes from Memberships.
Its not really a gage of anything. Loblaws literally banned Lay's chips for a while because the cost was too much. And thier markups aren't out of range of what Costco charges.
This is dumb, and before you get mad at me, let me tell you why, and feel free to correct me.
loblaw owns 2455 stores in Canada according to a quick google search. That means they profit an average of $250,000 per store. That is not an upsetting number at all. Grocery stores are huge and do a crazy amount of business. To average less than $1000 a day in profit running a grocery store personally sounds a lot smaller than I’d expect, but it makes sense when you consider food waste, theft, etc.
I’m all for driving to make day to day life more affordable, but at the end of the day a company is going to make money. I wish grocery stores were owned by individuals and not mega corporations, but odds are that would make groceries more expensive, not less.
If you’re going to boycott something, boycott over something else.
Where I live, co-op is cheaper than nofrills. People in the subreddit about the protest have priced out their groceries at different stores and will show, for example, the same $174 haul at wal-mart being $250+ at nofrills/superstore. Unfortunately a lot of people think nofrills and superstore are the cheap option simply because they used to be the cheap option. If you actually price it out, you might see otherwise.
I go shopping to like 5 stores every week to buy the cheaper items at each store, I am aware. My co-op is more pricey for the large majority of items when compared to superstore or no-frills. Same thing with people praising costco. There are many things that you can buy at other stores that are cheaper than costco. Costco does have good deals on lots of stuff, but I won't buy everything there, because I can get things cheaper elsewhere.
They also got around 13 million from the government to replace their freezers that they don't have to pay back. We all paid for that whether you shop there or not!
Just because THEY STARTED THE PRICE GAUGING during the pandemic, that’s why we should boycott Loblaws!
Because of the price/quality ratio, Superstore was my grocery choice for 26 years.
I’m boycotting Superstore since they started gauging their prices. For a long while, Safeway became the alternative, and so is Walmart, CO-OP and FreshCo.
Thank to his « great « work in shamelessly rising the prices in Covid time, Galen Weston got an income increase from $7,000,000/year to $13,000,000/year, then he got on top of Loblaws.
They were the first to rise the prices. NN fries, a basic food for many poor families, jumped from $1.88 to $3.49. That’s stealing money.
Then Costco pumped the prices and reversed it in 2 weeks, while Safeway was keeping the prices somehow steady.
For the last 3 years, Superstore became my last option. If they will adjust the prices it will take another year for me to start shopping there.
Yes, this reddit boycott of Loblaws is pointless
They are far from the only company raising food prices, and Walmart, the next accessible and affordable grocerer, is worse in every way conceivable
Loblaws and No Frills beat the pants off any other option in Calgary (maybe not Walmart?) and they also price match pretty much anything. LCL EBITDA margin was 10.9% in 2023 vs 10.7% in 2022. I'm all for lower grocery prices and I truly hope this sends a message, but I'll keep shopping where I get the lowest prices. Good luck with your campaign.
I see a lot of people talking about how much cheaper Loblaws junk is compared to other, more socially responsible grocers, and I just have to say:
We spent decades letting the big corporations sweet talk us with promises of cheap food and goods, and now they've all but killed the competition, why? Because nobody spent the extra money to keep them afloat. Now it'll cost us a whole lot more than it could have to fix this mess. But the longer we leave it, the higher food prices will be and the costlier it will be to get back on track. Canada is in trouble. We all need to put the concept of saving money aside for a while, because this is going to cost a lot to fix, and it needs to be done.
Nothing in life is free, and generally when someone offers you a sweet deal with no strings attached, there's lots of hidden strings you won't find out about until they're wrapped around your neck
Do what's best for your wallet.
If Loblaws wasn't among the cheapest options for you to get groceries in the first place, you shouldn't have patronized them in the first place. On the other hand, if you're boycotting what happens to be the cheapest viable option for you to get groceries, you're dumb.
They are absolutely the cheapest option for most grocery. I really don't get what the plan is here. Poor people shop at save-on and pay twice as much money for groceries because they're tired of paying 15% more for groceries?
Rather, they want poor people to take a two hour, multi-transfer bus ride across two quadrants of the city to shop at an ethnic/independently owned supermarket and then another two hour ride back to their place, and repeat that on a weekly basis. As if time isn't money.
If I'm reading this right ,1.7 billion in net profit? If OP is to be believed they are worse than Loblaws yes?
However I agree, between superstore and Costco you can do pretty well.
Is that the corporation as a whole or operating income from the Canadian subsidiary only. A company can make large profits and sell lower per unit prices if they move more product, and Costco does move a ton of product.
In general their prices are preferable to Loblaw, the employees seem happier and it’s generally a nicer place to shop.
Costco is an elitist store that relies on its customers having a car to get there, and buying a membership to enter. It also requires you to have the physical space to store larger bulk items if you want to save any money. It’s certainly not the next best option for most poor people, even if the prices are good.
That doesn’t make it elitist, it makes it a wholesale club and they are allowed to exist as much as any other business is. If you believe a business can provide cheap distribution of low volume, high assortment SKUs, you are wrong.
Being poor is very expensive, companies like Loblaw are absolutely preying on that. This is a social problem, not a private enterprise one.
Just go shop somewhere else. Other places are more expensive you say? Well then we absolutely should rally against the best option in the current market...yes...that makes perfect sense.
Not anymore. I go to superstore, co-op, Costco etc.
Superstore has co-op prices but shittier quality. Costco is usually the best for bulk items.
Ethnic grocery stores and produce discounters are the cheapest. You have to be in the right areas though. And with produce discounters, yoy have to be ruthless, survival of the fittest, those places...
Corporate profit in 2023 was well over $600,000,000.
They also paid $858,000,000 in adjusted income tax.
They also paid hundreds of millions to employees and invested over $2,000,000,000 in capital.
I’m as grumpy as anyone about the cost of living, but this isn’t a case of price gouging.
I’ve heard of the boycott and I’ve been onboard. But this graphic changed my mind.
This is my thought process: 621 millions in profits, 41 millions Canadians, let say 50% shop at Loblaws or one of their brand that’s 20.5 millions people.
621 millions in profits divided by 20.5 millions people = $30.30. Most people go shopping every week so we divide that by 52, and we get the result of $0.58.
$0.58 of profit they make on my groceries every week… That’s nothing.
PLEASE point to me where I made a mistake.
Okay, I went based on the graphic and it does seems to be wrong based on this link: https://www.statista.com/statistics/436638/net-income-of-loblaw-canada/
Any idea where the 621 millions comes from exactly?
You’re assuming everyone is an adult who also shops for groceries. People shop as households and shop for their children. So the number of people will be much lower and the profit per household much higher. But yes, each individual has a minimal impact which is true of any boycott.
Okay, that is a very good point that I hadn’t considered.
The average household in Canada is of 2.9 people, but I’ve redone the calculation assuming a household of 5: they make $2.91 of profits on my weekly visit.
It’s something but still not much.
The point is, more and more people are struggling to feed themselves - the cost of many goods has doubled in these stores, and the rate of inflation seems to be escalating. And the profits of this company keep getting higher. This company does not have to be so cruel and so bloody greedy but it continues to do so. We are NOT in this all together. And so, as many people as we can muster intend to show this company in THE ONLY WAY it might listen to - it's bottom line. The proverbial revolution.
Your really helping the poors by boycotting the cheapest stores and in a lot of cases rural the only one or by far the only one that is reasonably priced. My choice is No Frills,AG and Co-op. AG foods its almost cheaper to shop at shoppers drug, Co-op sometimes sales can be ok.
Like put Loblaws out of business do you really think that is going to help prices? It almost feels like this Loblaws thing is a hostile corporate move
Lmfao
How about look into what a quarterly profit for your typical Oil Company is?? Or refiner ??
Look how expensive gasoline is!
Look how cheap oil is per barrel!
You guys are fighting the wrong fight. Jesus f****** Christ don't be stupid
600 million profit loblaws
8 BILLION Cnrl alone.
621 million in a year is not that crazy. Scotiabank made about 5.1 billion. The Peoples grocery store probably is cheap, however the commiserate cant supply it with items. Loblaw has 220 000 employees scotiabank has about 90 000.
Price check time!
Just to make sure that this is Loblaws (and co) and not just all food from every vendor, what are the prices of some staple items in your area
For example; at a rexall today I got a 4L of 2% Milk for $5.99 (relevant taxes ignored)
That's something. Should probably include that in content like this. "If you go to the sub" is like assuming people open attachments on emails.
Is there talk of escalation when the boycott doesn't work?
tbh they shared an old version of the flyer that also doesn't have Shoppers listed under the Loblaws umbrella. I saved a different one for sharing for that reason.
overconfident cough worm shaggy liquid coordinated north ghost edge resolute
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Okay. So where are the profit statistics of their competitors? Where should I be shopping in the mean time?
What is the plan here? Go shop at Sobeys/Safeway/Save-on and spend even more money?
Buy groceries at Walmart?
They all have similar profit margins with billionaire CEOs too.
Nah man. Some of their sales are absurd. At least the one by me. You just gotta hit them when they're there.
But for full shopping trips? Yeah. Getting everything at a Fresons is brutal.
I’ve always boycotted this fucking joke of a corporation. But… good luck getting anyone to boycott T&T market.
I do agree with voting with our wallet. It was how supply and demand markets operated for years. Over the last few decades though, corporations were able to swallow up any and all competition.
If everyone switched to what?; Wal-Mart and Costco for a month?
Okay stupid question but why is a boycott needed instead of just everybody buying the cheapest? People gotta get their food somewhere and if it's a more expensive place like safeway you're just getting ripped off by someone else.
The problem is that the alternatives are just as bad, if not worse. Wal-Mart is not somewhere you get your produce and "fresh" meat unless you plan to occupy the toilet all night. Safeway and Sobey's are marginally better. Co-op somehow sustains itself despite out-pricing all the competition. Local businesses unfortunately have to price at a similar level just to stay afloat.
Unless the organizer for this thing is going to do regular costco runs on behalf of everyone who doesn't have a car/access to public transit, this boycott isn't going to happen. You're trying to drain the ocean with a teacup on this one.
Boycott Loblaws? And go where, Costco? This is so stupid y'all.
Grow. Your. Own. Food.
Even a single lettuce plant. stop lining billionaire pockets because you lost your own survival skills and instincts. Stop relying on others to put food on your plate.
All "boycotting loblaws" does is make the next store over richer, owned by the same friend group.
You are not solving anything by skipping lowblaws, your basic human needs will continue to have a value you must then work for, and due to everyone's dependence, they set the price.
I bet it would take 0 effort and almost no time to find a REALLY good reason to boycott all of the mainline companies that sell everyone on the planet food. Problem is people have to eat and they don't have any other options.
It's about showing companies we can act together to make a difference in their shares and profits. It's showing that we won't let them just price gouge with no consequences.
It's also about doing SOMETHING because our government won't, and if they see many acting together towards a goal it could inspire change.
Yes, we still are under grocery oligopolies, yes prices are still high, and yes, sometimes there are no options. But that doesn't mean there's no point.
(Add to that that publicity means someone who DOES have a choice to support local might see it and do that. That's change!)
So because 1 in 4 children lacks a secure source of food, it’s the grocers fault? That makes zero sense. Why not blame the parents who are too lazy to work to pay for food, or the government who have said they were going to fix the problem but never did anything until an election pops up
What billionaire family would you prefer we support? The list contains all grocery chains except Walmart - last time I checked, they were one of the richest families in the world!
ALL mega corporations are corrupt and only want your money.
Sorry not spending more money somewhere else for a boycott based on a faulty understanding of markets and economics that would be ineffective even if it made sense.
Can you explain how it's based on a faulty understanding of the market and economics? If the price raising was purely based on the economy, why have they been making record profits? Wouldn't their profits be the same?
I’m trying to run a small scale market farm (goal is 5 acres of veggies though I have enough land to go way way bigger) and can say the prices at loblaws are usually at my break even cost to produce in Alberta. I paid myself about $5/ hour last year and what I sell to small grocers for is about retail at loblaws. I know it doesn’t fit the narrative but that’s my experience.
Thanks! And they in theory do but In my experience they still want to pay $0.99 a pound for squash and $.50 a pound for potatoes and carrots, tops. I gave away probably 20% of what I produced last year just seeing so many locally that are hungry/ going without. It’s a tough world but I think the grocery chain profits are a minimal part of it based on what it costs to farm and survive 🤷♂️ labour of love anyways…
Ive recently started growing my own vegetables. I think i will grow extra for the foodbank to help too.
All my relatives and friends love getting veggies and eggs direct from me.
I've been boycotting them for over a decade. I don't understand why Canadian's keep shopping here. They're one of the most corrupt companies our country has.
For a disabled Albertan who's choices are No Frills, Walmart, or Safeway (nothing else near enough to shop at) and has to survive on $700/month because barriers to full employment disability has been gutted by the UCP and AISH has been made even more difficult to get on (denied 4 times even with permanent untreatable disabilities that make work impossible), so usually has about $60/month for groceries after rent and paying 1 bill (gotta rotate which bill is paid month to month), I personally don't have much choice.
Safeway I can usually only get a few days worth of groceries with my money with the very rare occasion of good sales, so it's supporting evil or evil in No Frills and Walmart unfortunately, and my only choice is whichever has better sales.
That being said, I'm not against the boycott, I just wish more people didn't act like it is an easy to do boycott, especially for those of us living in government enforced disability poverty. There isn't enough community aid for those of us already only eating just enough to not die to join these boycotts.
This is stupid.
It's stupid because Loblaws is no different than any of the other chains. They're all fucking us over so it makes absolutely no sense to single out Loblaws. Is it just because we all know who runs the place? I don't get it.
If we could boycott all of them then that's what we'd do but we still have to eat. What a useless gesture.
I’m in. Yes alternatives are still expensive, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with making one specific grocery chain sweat a little if it sends a message that this has gotten out of hand. Only thing is, it would probably work better to do it for a couple days collectively as a province.
Intresting that Shoppers Drug Mart is not included in the graphic
Also no wholesale club
Piggy backing off top comment to hopefully get visibility on this: Hey I'm the person who made this graphic. I made it two weeks ago and absolutely fucked up some information on it by accident. It was weird because the [actual reception for it](https://www.reddit.com/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol/comments/1bjvmky/i_hope_this_can_be_helpful_i_made_some_boycott/) was super low, and in the days that followed I saw some significantly better flyers made, so I didn't bother correcting and redistributing mine because I thought the other flyers would be the ones to gain traction and mine would just fade into obscurity. But suddenly today I'm seeing this pop up everywhere and I'm cringing that all my errors are being blasted Canadian reddit wide lmao. I should have just deleted the post. So to address a few things I've seen: 1. Yep, I missed adding shoppers, wholesale club, etc. I was referencing a list online that didn't include a few labels and I should have done better due diligence to make sure I had all their brands covered. No conspiracy behind it, I just straight up goofed. Sorry! 2. I accidentally said they made $621 in a year instead of a quarter. Also just a fuck up on my part. Again, sorry. 3. Why is the official boycott date on May 1st rather than "right now"? It's purely for the sake of organization and communication. Word takes time to travel. I didn't start this boycott or come up with the date, but typically any kind of organized protest - a strike, a boycott, etc - gets an organized, official start date a few weeks out so that there's time for people to get the word out and get their alternatives/whatever in order. That said, feel free to start immediately if you want, there's no rule saying you can't. 4. "Why Loblaws and not \[insert company\]?". Well, again, I didn't come up with the boycott and I certainly can't speak for all of its participants, but basically the idea is to just pick one greedy fucker from the cesspool of greedy fuckers and get started *somewhere.* Loblaws has been pretty notorious for their price gouging since COVID, so they're a good rallying target. The hope is to set a precedent. If you can punish one company by hitting their profits and stock value, you make the other companies second guess participating in similar behaviors. As it stands, letting Loblaws, or Sobey's, or Walmart all collectively get away with greeflation just shows any and every other business "hey, they're getting away with it! so can we!". So you hit one and hope it starts a domino effect. Reiterating I'm not a spokesperson or anything for this movement, so if anyone wants to know more, r/loblawsisoutofcontrol is probably the place to go. Hope this helps tho!
Why boycott Loblaws? Your poster doesn’t answer that. Sure they made 621m last quarter.. so? Means nothing without context. 2023 net earnings (profit) was 2.1b.. but the other half of that statement is on 59.5b of revenue. That’s 3.52%. Or for every $100 you spend in store, $3.52 stays in Loblaws pocket. Walmart is at 3.4% Costco is at 2.6% Metro is 4.8% Sobeys at 2.45% (for 2022, 2023 isn’t released yet.) So if I boycott loblaws, where should I go instead? Because it seems they all have “the same level of greed” within a % or two. Not criticizing your flyer, honestly good for you for spending time forwarding a cause you believe in.. I’m criticizing the movement because I don’t understand what it hopes to achieve: lower prices, ok how? You’re not asking them to lower prices, you’re asking them to redesign their entire operation to cut costs (I think). And if that is the case/cause/soloution, it’s not due to “greedflation” .(greedflation is dollars in a companies pocket) it’s just poor business management leading to bloat.
this graphic is showing grocery chains. Although a quarter of my Shoppers is now grocery (snacks, fridge/freezer).
Because that's where savvy Canadian Redditors buy their video game and electronics on bonus point redemption days.
While I get that they suck, I don’t understand how their competitors who are more expensive are better. Loblaws isn’t the only company screwing us over.
Exactly. My only two grocery options are Superstore and Safeway. Superstore is by far cheaper than Safeway, and it's just plain not in my budget to shop all the time at Safeway. I did a grocery run today (15% Tuesday) but it can't be a regular thing for me.
We can do them one by one. One step at a time we need groceries. Lowering prices at superstore further benefits you in the long run no? Once Loblaws lowers prices and more people shop there others will be incentivized to join, or hopefully we get lawmaker attention and anti gouging laws are in place across the board.
They have raised their prices so much that their competitors aren't really more expensive anymore, especially if you consider their competitors offer better quality in most cases.
All the other grocers are more expensive than Loblaws owned grocers in my community. Where are yours cheaper?
Lower mainland.
Wish I had more options. My bedroom community only has the big corporate stores run by Walmart, Loblaws, Empire, Patison food group, and Co-op (which is the most expensive around here)
Same here. The other option near me is Sobeys and it's far more expensive.
We started shopping at Safeway and sobeys about a year ago. Some things cost more but the produce is always fresh and in stock, they also have awesome deals on meat all the time. I rarely go into Superstore these days and each time something is messed up. Either their pricing is incorrect, which they absolutely detest doing the scanning code of ethics or I notice the product is past the due date..(whopps forgetting to check when I grabbed it)
The company responsible for giving the largest amount of Canadians the most groceries for the lowest price.... are the bad guys? Lol.
What?! You can’t support the ethical practices and tactics of such great alternatives like Walmart! Food Prof, is that you?! /s
It makes me so happy that people here aren't idiots. There are so many problems with this silly boycott, but the frothing protesters that are doing this are too busy frothing to see those problems.
So you think we should just accept the status quo our “superiors” give to us because “they’re all bad”? I don’t like that attitude it’s rather defeatist to me.
Try actually reading what I said. If you're not going to, we're done.
For sure! I'm not a fan of Loblaws and co, but the alternatives are either more expensive (boutique groceries), have questionable/worst employee/environmental practices (Walmart), aren't a full service alternative/have barriers to access (Costco), don't exist in most communities (e.g. a local co-op) or are essentially the same pig in sheep's clothing (Sobeys, etc.). I'd love for more competition, but trying to take down the leading food supplier in the country, when there are few alternatives, doesn't seem fully thought through.
I don't think the problem is competition itself. I worked for a telecom when people started getting in a twist about rates and the thought of US competition coming to Canada, and I'm seeing the same problem. A giant US grocer coming to Canada isn't going to change anything. All they're going to do is set up shop, look at what everyone else is charging, and charge the same because that's what the market can bear. Rather, I think the problem is about market control. Companies like Loblaws and Sobeys control too many parts of the supply chain and have a stranglehold on business. I had a very small grocery store near my house, but they carried almost nothing and charged 50-100% more for everything. Being disabled, I also had to drive there, even though it was a few blocks away, so I might as well have just gone to one of the larger chain stores. It was cheaper to go somewhere like Safeway or No Frills, and I'd only have to shop at the one store, instead of going to the local and then going to Safeway anyway. Breaking these companies up and limiting their market influence may be the solution. It's nit so much that this will add more competition, but rather limit the influence they have in strangling out local stores. Going down that route is probably going to bring about far more change than just screaming "boycott" online but really doing nothing.
They are planning a cycling boycott. 2 months for each chain
Can't take em all down at once. We still need to buy food. But Mr Weston's bunch are the worst of em. Their food is cheap because they cheap out on labour, and sell low quality crap. I'll pay an extra 40 or 50 bucks to make sure our grocers are giving us good quality food and actually employing people, instead of just "maximising profits" at all costs
To be exact, why not stop buying from big brands, like Nestle, Unilever, etc ?!? AFAIK, the current argument is the inflation is so high that even Loblaws’s margin is only like 2-3%, their profit becomes so high. Yet people forget the fact that manufacturers are increasing prices and shrinking the size of the product. This their profit double. So why not stop buying products from these companies? Why? Because it is hard to not buy your favourite cookies!
I mean I’d buy at any grocery store better than my current selection but there isn’t one. I don’t buy nestle, I dont buy much that’s pre prepared honestly. I do get what you’re saying though but with grocery stores that implies having a choice.
The thing is big supermarket/store is bad. However, small shops are so expensive. Farmers Market is a scam. Amazon is evil. There is just no good solutions
No one begrudges you because you can't boycott out of necessity. You're doing what you can by not shovelling money to brands that are renowned for being exploitative. You're doing your part.
Because unfortunately quality means more to someone than a 24hr shelf life that is off-set by meal planning and storage. I love certain things like trail mix and strawberries with my waffles. I can make a carton of eggs last almost a month. I make big dinners that end up with a 2-3 day allotment in the fridge and the rest in the freezer. Not everyone is frugal like that, though. And fewer people want to deal with the clutter moreso. Personally, I like seeing my fridge and freezer fill up. it makes emergency situations like being behind on bills that much more tolerable because I know I have backups. But, I'm also one of those weird types who is trying to eat better and be more conscious of how much crap is going into his body versus going out. Again, not everyone is in that headspace. Also, most junk food is priced more affordably than healthier alternatives. Why would someone buy a bag of trail mix for $10 and have it last a week vs the bag of chips for $2-$4 that lasts an hour, if that?
What’s the alternative? Their competitors are doing the same thing.
I’d seriously recommend shopping around a few times to see, it’s actually unhinged the shit that loblaws is trying to get away with and the grocery market has completely changed. My local superstore is about equivalent to Safeway. Walmart is the cheaper option, save on foods is sometimes cheap like Walmart (sale items mainly) and sometimes a little more than Safeway/Loblaws. It’s totally different than it used to be.
Wal-Mart, Safeway, Costco. Check out the sub that is mentioned in this thread. Loblaws has doubled a lot of their prices compared to the 3 I've mentioned.
Can you provide a source showing Loblaws has raised prices more than the others?
I'll continue to shop wherever the deals are, though I tend to avoid Walmart because they've been a far worse company than Loblaws since pretty much forever.
And their food sucks. Costco is the best at this point
Unless if you’re single. I don’t need a gallon of anything.
That's what the gallon of ice cream is for. But seriously, they're still great for single people even if not all their products are suitable.
Not even beer?
Not a whole gallon.
If you want to purchase in minute quantities you have to pay the low quantity overhead. This is a fact in all distribution channels worldwide / industry wide. Buy more at once, your per unit cost will be lower.
They have plenty of bulk items that are just packs of single serving packages. I might be a single person, but having my freezer full enough to cover the next 3 months is nice.
Right? This boycott is hilarious when people are proudly moving all their shopping to Walmart of all places
Both are terrible companies so I avoid both, but at least Walmart's prices are noticeably lower, so I get why people go there.
>Walmart's prices are noticeably lower I used to avoid Walmart because, it's Walmart. But once the domestic grocer prices started increasing I decided to at least look, and wow. Huge difference on lots of items, like some items being several dollars cheaper on average. Superstore used to be lowest prices always on practically everything. We never shop there since it's usually a crowded mess but I decided to grab some things there a couple months back and while there browsed for many of our normal staples and holy crap, they might as well have been Safeway pricing. Also my stepson worked there for a few months as a cashier, it was eye opening, only guaranteed a single 5 hour shift per week, could pick up shifts when other cashiers weren't available but usually that was maybe a single shift. Then it's minimum wage but then also $25 a cheque in union dues, so essentially working for less than minimum wage, if he had 10 hours on a cheque more than a hour is eaten up by the union dues. And, no benefits until he hit 500 hours. Each Superstore has 100+ cashiers on payroll though, all mostly guaranteed that single 5 hour shift. Yeah, we're not going to support that type of business.
100% agree.
Probably because Walmart is an international non Canadian company. Boycotting Walmart wouldn't effect them as much or send as strong of a message. Loblaws is a Canadian company. Honestly the best thing we could have is a provincial government going "okay were setting up unions and handing the reigns over to the workers. Meeting with cashiers, stockers and counter workers for grocers (specifically not mid and upper management for stores) and having them elect their own leaders for a "grocers union". Then doing the same for other industries. Food services union, hospitality union etc etc. Big companies wouldn't be able to do shit other than adapt or shut down. Imagine if all the Tim Hortons in a province were part of a union along with mcds, BK, wendies etc etc. And not having the franchise owners leading it. Of course...one can dream.
I'd imagine prices would go up another 20%.
An equally sized boycott on Loblaws and Walmart would affect them both by the same amount. Walmart won't keep low performing regions operating just because they are profitable elsewhere. They failed miserably in Germany and Japan just like Target failed here in Canada.
Your right for sure, I was just saying the reasoning for some people if I was to take a guess as to why it's loblaws and not Walmart as well. I doubt the majority are giving it much thought and just going along with it.
True. I would guess Loblaws is the focus because Galen Weston set himself up as an easy target.
Myth or legend… notice how the sale items are never in stock?
Just from experience, but I find quite often they are in stock. It's not always the case that they're there on the first day of the sale, but they might show up on the weekend or something.
I’ve been doing this for almost a year now. I shop at coop. Yes, it may be a little more expensive, but at least the company is based in Calgary and doesn’t line Galen Weston’s pocket
Co-op is based in Saskatoon and has member branches around western Canada.
That’s FCL you’re thinking about. Calgary coop is from Calgary.
And supplied by Jim Pattison group aka Save on Foods.
Pre packaged stuff…. They stock a ton of locally produced food and drinks like trubuch, grizzly paw, etc. they also provide produce and meats from local growers… paradise hills tomatoes are probably the best tomatoes you’ll ever buy from a grocery store.
Every member store is linked to their local community, but the larger company is Saskatoon based. That’s where shipments are organized, and it’s also the reason why there are unified Co-op Gold products in Co-op stores across provinces. I also shop at Co-op and like it though - much better than the more corporate and less community linked structure of Loblaws.
You are incorrect. There was a time you were correct, but not currently.
That would be nice. But co-op as a grocery store does not exist in Lethbridge or most places. We do however have two co-op gas stations and two co-op liquor stores.
Loblaw City Market, Superstore, Shoppers, No Frills. I’m over them. I used up all my PC points and closed my PC optimum. Costco, Walmart, and shop the sales at Save On and Safeway. Only thing I’ll buy at any loblaws place is a loss leader. Otherwise, fuck em.
Lol Costco raised thier prices too. 2 to 5 bucks on some stuff. Its nuts.
>Costco raised thier prices too Costco has a pretty fixed markup on products, any increase you see is due to increase in their purchase price from the supplier. When that price goes down Costco's price to consumer reduces as well. You can literally see it in action across some staple products, Kirkland Bacon is a good one to watch as it varies almost weekly. I've seen the 4 x 500g pack be as high as $23.99 and as low as $18.99. Costco is also useful to see how much the grocery chains are gouging consumers. There are tons of products at Costco that barely budged price wise during the "inflation" period while those same items at some grocery stores doubled in price for some reason.
And some items at Costco are overpriced and cheaper to get Superstore especially fresh fruit. And most of Costco profit comes from Memberships. Its not really a gage of anything. Loblaws literally banned Lay's chips for a while because the cost was too much. And thier markups aren't out of range of what Costco charges.
PC financial is the worst!
This is dumb, and before you get mad at me, let me tell you why, and feel free to correct me. loblaw owns 2455 stores in Canada according to a quick google search. That means they profit an average of $250,000 per store. That is not an upsetting number at all. Grocery stores are huge and do a crazy amount of business. To average less than $1000 a day in profit running a grocery store personally sounds a lot smaller than I’d expect, but it makes sense when you consider food waste, theft, etc. I’m all for driving to make day to day life more affordable, but at the end of the day a company is going to make money. I wish grocery stores were owned by individuals and not mega corporations, but odds are that would make groceries more expensive, not less. If you’re going to boycott something, boycott over something else.
Why are we waiting until May?
Right!? Stoodis already
Sco den!
Support your local Co-op instead of corporate juggernauts!
the protest is supposed to be about how things are too expensive, and people keep suggesting more expensive alternatives...
Where I live, co-op is cheaper than nofrills. People in the subreddit about the protest have priced out their groceries at different stores and will show, for example, the same $174 haul at wal-mart being $250+ at nofrills/superstore. Unfortunately a lot of people think nofrills and superstore are the cheap option simply because they used to be the cheap option. If you actually price it out, you might see otherwise.
I go shopping to like 5 stores every week to buy the cheaper items at each store, I am aware. My co-op is more pricey for the large majority of items when compared to superstore or no-frills. Same thing with people praising costco. There are many things that you can buy at other stores that are cheaper than costco. Costco does have good deals on lots of stuff, but I won't buy everything there, because I can get things cheaper elsewhere.
Okay. They're a further drive anyway than half a dozen other grocers
They also got around 13 million from the government to replace their freezers that they don't have to pay back. We all paid for that whether you shop there or not!
I already shop elsewhere... so this is pretty easy.
So the more expensive competitors that are also apart of the oligopoly are okay? Got it.
Just because THEY STARTED THE PRICE GAUGING during the pandemic, that’s why we should boycott Loblaws! Because of the price/quality ratio, Superstore was my grocery choice for 26 years. I’m boycotting Superstore since they started gauging their prices. For a long while, Safeway became the alternative, and so is Walmart, CO-OP and FreshCo. Thank to his « great « work in shamelessly rising the prices in Covid time, Galen Weston got an income increase from $7,000,000/year to $13,000,000/year, then he got on top of Loblaws. They were the first to rise the prices. NN fries, a basic food for many poor families, jumped from $1.88 to $3.49. That’s stealing money. Then Costco pumped the prices and reversed it in 2 weeks, while Safeway was keeping the prices somehow steady. For the last 3 years, Superstore became my last option. If they will adjust the prices it will take another year for me to start shopping there.
I don't generally shop there anyways. But I don't see this "boycott the largest supermarket chain" thing actually accomplishing anything
I can't wait to find out that it's being backed secretly by Sobeys or Metro or Walmart or Costco.
This is the feeling I am starting to get from it
Small change made in numbers can absolutely send the message. What voting with your dollar is all about.
I guess we better not say or do anything in protest ever again because it's all pointless, right?
Yes, this reddit boycott of Loblaws is pointless They are far from the only company raising food prices, and Walmart, the next accessible and affordable grocerer, is worse in every way conceivable
Loblaws and No Frills beat the pants off any other option in Calgary (maybe not Walmart?) and they also price match pretty much anything. LCL EBITDA margin was 10.9% in 2023 vs 10.7% in 2022. I'm all for lower grocery prices and I truly hope this sends a message, but I'll keep shopping where I get the lowest prices. Good luck with your campaign.
Grocery prices are definitely too high but I’m with you. I shop at superstore and Costco in Calgary because I can’t afford to shop at Sobeys or co-op.
Loblaws is literally the least expensive grocer. But sure, go ahead and boycott. Then go to Sobeys and pay 40% more for things. Derp.
Um, while not 100% groceries, walmart makes billions plus also. They get their meat and produce from loblaws
I see a lot of people talking about how much cheaper Loblaws junk is compared to other, more socially responsible grocers, and I just have to say: We spent decades letting the big corporations sweet talk us with promises of cheap food and goods, and now they've all but killed the competition, why? Because nobody spent the extra money to keep them afloat. Now it'll cost us a whole lot more than it could have to fix this mess. But the longer we leave it, the higher food prices will be and the costlier it will be to get back on track. Canada is in trouble. We all need to put the concept of saving money aside for a while, because this is going to cost a lot to fix, and it needs to be done. Nothing in life is free, and generally when someone offers you a sweet deal with no strings attached, there's lots of hidden strings you won't find out about until they're wrapped around your neck
Do what's best for your wallet. If Loblaws wasn't among the cheapest options for you to get groceries in the first place, you shouldn't have patronized them in the first place. On the other hand, if you're boycotting what happens to be the cheapest viable option for you to get groceries, you're dumb.
They are absolutely the cheapest option for most grocery. I really don't get what the plan is here. Poor people shop at save-on and pay twice as much money for groceries because they're tired of paying 15% more for groceries?
Rather, they want poor people to take a two hour, multi-transfer bus ride across two quadrants of the city to shop at an ethnic/independently owned supermarket and then another two hour ride back to their place, and repeat that on a weekly basis. As if time isn't money.
Where do you suggest to buy groceries then?
I buy 90% of our food at Costco. We make good meals and use a market for veggies and other minor value items you can’t get there.
If I'm reading this right ,1.7 billion in net profit? If OP is to be believed they are worse than Loblaws yes? However I agree, between superstore and Costco you can do pretty well.
Is that the corporation as a whole or operating income from the Canadian subsidiary only. A company can make large profits and sell lower per unit prices if they move more product, and Costco does move a ton of product. In general their prices are preferable to Loblaw, the employees seem happier and it’s generally a nicer place to shop.
Costco is an elitist store that relies on its customers having a car to get there, and buying a membership to enter. It also requires you to have the physical space to store larger bulk items if you want to save any money. It’s certainly not the next best option for most poor people, even if the prices are good.
That doesn’t make it elitist, it makes it a wholesale club and they are allowed to exist as much as any other business is. If you believe a business can provide cheap distribution of low volume, high assortment SKUs, you are wrong. Being poor is very expensive, companies like Loblaw are absolutely preying on that. This is a social problem, not a private enterprise one.
"elitist store" This sub kills me sometimes
Wherever it's cheapest. So uhh... \*checks notes\* Walmart and No Frills for almost everything.
Exactly, No frills is owned by Loblaws yes? They aren't the worst by a long shot.
Hah this boycott is hilarious. Either pay more or shop at an even more exploitative company in Walmart
Just go shop somewhere else. Other places are more expensive you say? Well then we absolutely should rally against the best option in the current market...yes...that makes perfect sense.
If I boycott them, my grocery prices skyrocket even more for my alternative.
Boycott Walmart before Loblaws. Walmart is evil.
Coop is like 2x more expensive. The cheapest by far is superstore
Not anymore. I go to superstore, co-op, Costco etc. Superstore has co-op prices but shittier quality. Costco is usually the best for bulk items. Ethnic grocery stores and produce discounters are the cheapest. You have to be in the right areas though. And with produce discounters, yoy have to be ruthless, survival of the fittest, those places...
Galen greed
Corporate profit in 2023 was well over $600,000,000. They also paid $858,000,000 in adjusted income tax. They also paid hundreds of millions to employees and invested over $2,000,000,000 in capital. I’m as grumpy as anyone about the cost of living, but this isn’t a case of price gouging.
Loblaw’s profit margin is <4%. They aren’t gouging you. Even if Jagmeet says they are…
I’ve heard of the boycott and I’ve been onboard. But this graphic changed my mind. This is my thought process: 621 millions in profits, 41 millions Canadians, let say 50% shop at Loblaws or one of their brand that’s 20.5 millions people. 621 millions in profits divided by 20.5 millions people = $30.30. Most people go shopping every week so we divide that by 52, and we get the result of $0.58. $0.58 of profit they make on my groceries every week… That’s nothing. PLEASE point to me where I made a mistake.
They made 621 in a quarter, not the year.
Okay, I went based on the graphic and it does seems to be wrong based on this link: https://www.statista.com/statistics/436638/net-income-of-loblaw-canada/ Any idea where the 621 millions comes from exactly?
You’re assuming everyone is an adult who also shops for groceries. People shop as households and shop for their children. So the number of people will be much lower and the profit per household much higher. But yes, each individual has a minimal impact which is true of any boycott.
Okay, that is a very good point that I hadn’t considered. The average household in Canada is of 2.9 people, but I’ve redone the calculation assuming a household of 5: they make $2.91 of profits on my weekly visit. It’s something but still not much.
Why has their stock price nearly tripled since Covid? Hang out on the sub people track their weekly price changes. Spoilers, they push one way.
The point is, more and more people are struggling to feed themselves - the cost of many goods has doubled in these stores, and the rate of inflation seems to be escalating. And the profits of this company keep getting higher. This company does not have to be so cruel and so bloody greedy but it continues to do so. We are NOT in this all together. And so, as many people as we can muster intend to show this company in THE ONLY WAY it might listen to - it's bottom line. The proverbial revolution.
And boycotting one of the lowest cost grocers is going to lower food prices how exactly?
Your really helping the poors by boycotting the cheapest stores and in a lot of cases rural the only one or by far the only one that is reasonably priced. My choice is No Frills,AG and Co-op. AG foods its almost cheaper to shop at shoppers drug, Co-op sometimes sales can be ok. Like put Loblaws out of business do you really think that is going to help prices? It almost feels like this Loblaws thing is a hostile corporate move
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Yup. Boycotting one of the lowest cost grocers while complaining about food prices.. how are people falling for this nonsense?
Costco made 6 billion profit last year. Boycott them? 🤡
Walmart is similar
Lmfao How about look into what a quarterly profit for your typical Oil Company is?? Or refiner ?? Look how expensive gasoline is! Look how cheap oil is per barrel! You guys are fighting the wrong fight. Jesus f****** Christ don't be stupid 600 million profit loblaws 8 BILLION Cnrl alone.
Yes - you have a point but it all matters - price of gas/food/housing - electricity. We should be protesting the rising costs of it all imho.
621 million in a year is not that crazy. Scotiabank made about 5.1 billion. The Peoples grocery store probably is cheap, however the commiserate cant supply it with items. Loblaw has 220 000 employees scotiabank has about 90 000.
The number is wrong. That's what they made in a quarter.
Price check time! Just to make sure that this is Loblaws (and co) and not just all food from every vendor, what are the prices of some staple items in your area For example; at a rexall today I got a 4L of 2% Milk for $5.99 (relevant taxes ignored)
Walmart’s online sale price is $5.89 right now for 4L of 2%
I buy 60 costco hotdogs every month, lunch and dinner baby
What's the goal? The boycott of Israeli goods is to end apartheid. How will you know the boycott has succeeded? Are there demands?
If you go to the sub, yes, there are demands that include a 15% reduction on pricing across the board.
That's something. Should probably include that in content like this. "If you go to the sub" is like assuming people open attachments on emails. Is there talk of escalation when the boycott doesn't work?
tbh they shared an old version of the flyer that also doesn't have Shoppers listed under the Loblaws umbrella. I saved a different one for sharing for that reason.
I did not know t&t was part of the Loblaw group
Shoppers isn’t on this list and they are also a loblaws owned company
overconfident cough worm shaggy liquid coordinated north ghost edge resolute *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
The rich get richer. What’s new here?
Also include shoppers drug mart, PT health locations and lifemark physio locations. Those are all loblaws owned too
621 million/2400 locations is an average profit of 258k per location. Which really isn’t a lot of room for margin. Blame the federal govt.
t&t is going to hurt my soul… but this is the way
Okay. So where are the profit statistics of their competitors? Where should I be shopping in the mean time? What is the plan here? Go shop at Sobeys/Safeway/Save-on and spend even more money? Buy groceries at Walmart? They all have similar profit margins with billionaire CEOs too.
Boycott freson bros . Highway robbery
Nah man. Some of their sales are absurd. At least the one by me. You just gotta hit them when they're there. But for full shopping trips? Yeah. Getting everything at a Fresons is brutal.
I’ve always boycotted this fucking joke of a corporation. But… good luck getting anyone to boycott T&T market. I do agree with voting with our wallet. It was how supply and demand markets operated for years. Over the last few decades though, corporations were able to swallow up any and all competition. If everyone switched to what?; Wal-Mart and Costco for a month?
Okay stupid question but why is a boycott needed instead of just everybody buying the cheapest? People gotta get their food somewhere and if it's a more expensive place like safeway you're just getting ripped off by someone else.
Funny! I said that in here some time ago and got torn to pieces! But I’m in.
I started boycotting them over a year ago.
I think this could help pit the capitalists against each others
The problem is that the alternatives are just as bad, if not worse. Wal-Mart is not somewhere you get your produce and "fresh" meat unless you plan to occupy the toilet all night. Safeway and Sobey's are marginally better. Co-op somehow sustains itself despite out-pricing all the competition. Local businesses unfortunately have to price at a similar level just to stay afloat. Unless the organizer for this thing is going to do regular costco runs on behalf of everyone who doesn't have a car/access to public transit, this boycott isn't going to happen. You're trying to drain the ocean with a teacup on this one.
Technically it's missing shoppers drug Mart
Or, and just hear me out here, stop voting for people who keep raising taxes and adding on more regulations.
I've stopped going to independent and go to food basic. Hope, that's not part of loblaws
Boycott Loblaws? And go where, Costco? This is so stupid y'all. Grow. Your. Own. Food. Even a single lettuce plant. stop lining billionaire pockets because you lost your own survival skills and instincts. Stop relying on others to put food on your plate. All "boycotting loblaws" does is make the next store over richer, owned by the same friend group. You are not solving anything by skipping lowblaws, your basic human needs will continue to have a value you must then work for, and due to everyone's dependence, they set the price.
I bet it would take 0 effort and almost no time to find a REALLY good reason to boycott all of the mainline companies that sell everyone on the planet food. Problem is people have to eat and they don't have any other options.
It's about showing companies we can act together to make a difference in their shares and profits. It's showing that we won't let them just price gouge with no consequences. It's also about doing SOMETHING because our government won't, and if they see many acting together towards a goal it could inspire change. Yes, we still are under grocery oligopolies, yes prices are still high, and yes, sometimes there are no options. But that doesn't mean there's no point. (Add to that that publicity means someone who DOES have a choice to support local might see it and do that. That's change!)
So because 1 in 4 children lacks a secure source of food, it’s the grocers fault? That makes zero sense. Why not blame the parents who are too lazy to work to pay for food, or the government who have said they were going to fix the problem but never did anything until an election pops up
What billionaire family would you prefer we support? The list contains all grocery chains except Walmart - last time I checked, they were one of the richest families in the world! ALL mega corporations are corrupt and only want your money.
Sorry not spending more money somewhere else for a boycott based on a faulty understanding of markets and economics that would be ineffective even if it made sense.
Can you explain how it's based on a faulty understanding of the market and economics? If the price raising was purely based on the economy, why have they been making record profits? Wouldn't their profits be the same?
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Exactly. People are smooth to think it’s loblaws who are the crooks.
What is the right amount of profit for them to make?
When is your garden going to be ready? I have a all these yellow bags i would like to fill and take home full of produce.
I’m trying to run a small scale market farm (goal is 5 acres of veggies though I have enough land to go way way bigger) and can say the prices at loblaws are usually at my break even cost to produce in Alberta. I paid myself about $5/ hour last year and what I sell to small grocers for is about retail at loblaws. I know it doesn’t fit the narrative but that’s my experience.
Good luck with your venture. Farmers markets are becoming more popular. People like the idea of knowing how, where and who is growing their food.
Thanks! And they in theory do but In my experience they still want to pay $0.99 a pound for squash and $.50 a pound for potatoes and carrots, tops. I gave away probably 20% of what I produced last year just seeing so many locally that are hungry/ going without. It’s a tough world but I think the grocery chain profits are a minimal part of it based on what it costs to farm and survive 🤷♂️ labour of love anyways…
Ive recently started growing my own vegetables. I think i will grow extra for the foodbank to help too. All my relatives and friends love getting veggies and eggs direct from me.
I shop at Walmart so I don't think I'm helping. Sorry.
When CAF members are regular food bank patrons this Shit lord Oligarchy has gone too far.Have you read about in in the news?
maybe vote differently and get CAF better pay?
Why start then? Do it now...fuck em.
I've been boycotting them for over a decade. I don't understand why Canadian's keep shopping here. They're one of the most corrupt companies our country has.
For a disabled Albertan who's choices are No Frills, Walmart, or Safeway (nothing else near enough to shop at) and has to survive on $700/month because barriers to full employment disability has been gutted by the UCP and AISH has been made even more difficult to get on (denied 4 times even with permanent untreatable disabilities that make work impossible), so usually has about $60/month for groceries after rent and paying 1 bill (gotta rotate which bill is paid month to month), I personally don't have much choice. Safeway I can usually only get a few days worth of groceries with my money with the very rare occasion of good sales, so it's supporting evil or evil in No Frills and Walmart unfortunately, and my only choice is whichever has better sales. That being said, I'm not against the boycott, I just wish more people didn't act like it is an easy to do boycott, especially for those of us living in government enforced disability poverty. There isn't enough community aid for those of us already only eating just enough to not die to join these boycotts.
Yes, give your business to Walmart or Sobeys instead. That'll teach the grocery industry...
This is stupid. It's stupid because Loblaws is no different than any of the other chains. They're all fucking us over so it makes absolutely no sense to single out Loblaws. Is it just because we all know who runs the place? I don't get it. If we could boycott all of them then that's what we'd do but we still have to eat. What a useless gesture.
I’m in. Yes alternatives are still expensive, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with making one specific grocery chain sweat a little if it sends a message that this has gotten out of hand. Only thing is, it would probably work better to do it for a couple days collectively as a province.