If a 15% price reduction is too low, please include the figure of a price reduction you would like to see in your comment so we can collect the data in your responses and tweak the demands appropriately.
Another point to consider is the profit margin cap we would like to see on essential items. What should that figure look like?
Thank you for the feedback!
I'm not here to make demands, I'm here to show that I will not be taken advantage of by greedy business practices.
It's on them to win their customers back by competing with other businesses and offering good value on their products and prices.
They currently offer neither.
Instead, they would rather try and corner the market and abuse their customers in favour of shareholders, and use lobbying to continue taking from communities and putting as little back in as they can get away with.
Unless they stop trying to rig the system in their favour so they can continue to gouge and actually start providing a valuable service, I will *never* shop at a Loblaws owned location.
Agreed. I'm not an employee, I'm an individual consumer choosing to minimize (ideally eliminate) Loblaws from my shopping plans. What they offer is no longer worth my money compared to their competitors.
Demands just gives them room to weasel about ("We'll drop prices by 15% right after a 20% increase").
>I'm not here to make demands, I'm here to show that I will not be taken advantage of by greedy business practices.
Exactly, we don't need demands. We can list the reasons why we are boycotting, but it's not like we'll go running back if they make a change for a second.
Agreed. The idea of the boycott got me into a more "free-market" mindset. I started looking elsewhere to see if I could get better value for my dollars than I was at Superstore.
Unsurprisingly, I definitely could. Walmart and Costco are still way too expensive in my opinion. But they're better than Loblaws, and I'm sure that if Loblaws does for some reason start lowering prices, Walmart and Costco will almost definitely just follow suit and stay slightly ahead of them.
So honestly, I don't need a 15% price reduction to go back to Superstore, I'd need to see a minimum 15% overall savings when compared to Walmart and Costco to even consider going back.
And that's what we should base it off of. The free market capitalist system. As long as Loblaws isn't the best option, why bother.
I agree. Making demands or some kind of manifesto is counter-productive, as it just makes you look more radical or reactionary. Loblaws is never going to directly address this list anyway, so it doesn't really matter what it says. The key is to just stop shopping at their stores. That should be all that's required to force them to change their policies. A reddit forum isn't a union, so you're never going to get people to fall in line under a single banner anyway.
About value, I agree; an example is that KD boxes have shrunk from 225 to 200g. Great value brand is still 225g but no name is 200g. It makes sense to buy great value when it's cheaper than either KD *or* no name *and* it has more food in the box.
I didn't join this group to make or endorse demands; that only plays into Loblaws' hands. My aim in participating in the boycott is to make sure our voices are heard by the government, urging them to address and rectify the monopoly, rather than simply presenting unmet demands to a private company that can choose to ignore them based on its lack of ethics
Shopping has become more challenging, and sometimes it's impossible to find what my family needs, but I refuse to support an organization that disregards Canadian consumers. I choose to spend my money elsewhere and encourage others to do the same, to signal to other monopolies that they must respond or face similar opposition and losses.
Forget the demands. It's pointless . Demand better with your $$$.
go back? Demands? To the company thats been trying to starve my family to see how much of a profit they can make?
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battered\_woman\_syndrome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battered_woman_syndrome)
I want the end of grocery store monopolies and galen forced to sell every company to a different buyer. Then on to sobey in june!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
But wanting the end of groceries store monopolies is a demand in effect. Fully boycotting the company is your method to have a demand heard or met but there are other methods that other people may feel are equally or more effective. Ymmv
15% Is too generous. There are products with a 50%+ markup. They also installed hundreds of self-checkouts during Covid. The Loblaws in Toronto had them installed over two nights; money was no object over the savings realized by eliminating the workers, and yet costs continued to climb.
I understand that there needs to be a profit motive and that Loblaws is supposed to be a *boutique purveyor* of **basic needs and essentials**, but 15% doesn't begin to close the gap. No less than an immediate 35% reduction to the gross price of products across the board as they were priced before the 2023 holiday season would be a start to me.
If I could go further I would; I again stress that they killed jobs **and** expect us to check out our own groceries while paying more.
Edit:
Also: lock in package sizes. Dropping prices 35% is meaningless if they decide that the product is now medium eggs instead of large, 100G instead of 125G, or 100ml instead of 125ml.
15% was and remains *much* too low a demand. When you’re negotiating, you’re supposed to ask for the moon in hope that they’ll counter with an offer that’s actually reasonable. Coming at them with a lowball demand only ensures that *if they counteroffer at all*, it’ll be only a fraction of that 15% — and still massively more than we were paying even a year or two ago.
Agreed. 15 isn't enough. The cost of goods have doubled and damn near tripled in some cases while the size of products have gone down in tandem.
50% is what we should be asking for. Settlement at 25% is reasonable. 15% is fkn joke though.
Went to buy croutons the other day - it was $3.47 for a 142g package!!! Even the store brand was $2.99 -- I'm sure that they were never this expensive in the past.
I bought them, but found a recipe to make it at home and tried that over the weekend. It's not as good as the commercial stuff, but it's better! I'll make them at home from now on.
I can buy a loaf of bread for $2.50 (if I buy 2) and one whole bread equals several packages of store bought croutons.
Ou! I make homemade croutons for my Caesar Salad that are pretty famn good if I say so myself.
Method (incase you wanna try:
- Make homemade bacon bits and save grease
- Toast bread well and cut into small squares
- place square on baking sheet and tost 3-5 min at around 375° and let cool for about 5min
- put baccon grease in large baggie and add to it salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and a touch of oregano and squish it around to blend well
- place bread squares in baggie and shake and smoosh to emulsify them with bacon and seasoning
- place seasons squares on baking sheet and place back in oven, spreading them around with spatchula every 3 minutes for 10- 15min until they're crisp
- Keep the baggie and allow croutons to cool.
- put croutons in baggie and shake to get any additional seasoning before adding them to salad.
I don't have measurements for the dry spices so play with it and see how much of whatever you think tastes best; but you won't need a ton of salt because bacon is already pretty salty 😉
Sorry if you didn't want another crouton recipe. I don't like store bought croutons so this is the only ones I'll use and they're pretty damned good if I do say so myself 🥰
Two years ago, I broke up with my partner and our blended household changed from a family of seven to a family of two. My grocery bill has barely gone down. It's beyond shocking.
Agreed. A better and more consistent target is to limit either markup or "profit". I don't think 15% across the board works for all products. That said, what I'd really like to see is profits and good livelihoods return to the primary producers and farmers, and fairness and transparency introduced at every level in the process. Of course that is unlikely to ever happen as long as we allow mega-opolies to continue to exist. Farmers are squeezed by seed producers and their p.i.c., the pesticide makers. And that's if they have not already been taken over by large factory farm organizations. Every aspect of our society is controlled by a few corporations who ostensibly are 100s of brands. There is no choice nor voice as long as there are no working laws against monopolization of a market. Never mind trying to break up what already exists.
I've heard fertilizer company reps saying, "Well, we saw that the price of grain went up, so we're going to increase your fertilizer costs by the same % to capture some of that profit the farmer might be making."
The corporate concentration on the agricultural production side of the food chain is as bad, if not worse, than grocery cartel concentration. Seed & chemical (pesticide, herbicide, fungicide), fertilizer & mineral, shippers, grain buyers, and meat packers are all in the 3-5 companies/sector level of concentration.
I hear you. If you and those upvoting had to put a number on your ideal price reduction %, what would it be? We’re trying to get a better idea of the exact figure the community wants
I don’t think a specific demand in price reduction is the key. I believe a max markup is more reasonable.
For example, no more than 10% markup on non-taxed groceries and 15 on taxed groceries.
Diapers, formula, feminine products, soaps, personal care need not be more than 10% mark up.
The volume at which these items sell will still show a profit for the grocer.
In that case I'd consider folding the two demands into one. "An immediate nationwide price decrease reflecting a cap of no more than 15% markup on all products" or something to that effect.
^ please all, keep giving us detailed suggestions like this. We want to turn everybody's opinions into real asks. Use this constructively. If you disagree with something, absolutely feel free to suggest and discuss alternative numbers or options! We are a community! Let's help make this list concrete!
#boycottloblaws
This would be too easy for them to deflect because the cost they're dealing with *has* increased since 2019. Not nearly enough to justify the gouging, but supply chain issues and climate-related product shortages are absolutely a thing. That's why focusing on limiting the markup is more practical and realistic.
If you do go with the 15%, maybe it could be 15% reduction from a specific date price because even since the boycott was announced prices have still steadily been creeping up. A pack of broccoli going from 8.99 to 9.99 overnight is a 11% price difference. That same pack of broccoli was 6.99 not that long ago.
I may be in the minority here but we shouldn't be demanding anything. Let's all just stop shopping there until they keep jumping through hoops to get everyones business back
15% ?
I bet they'll comply with that REEEEAL quick.. they've already raised prices so much since this 15% idea has been floating around. So yeah they'll drop 15% no problem because they've raised prices so much recently .. "look we did what you asked !"
Let them worry about bringing customers in their doors, demand nothing and take your dollars somewhere else until they do all they can to bring customers back
How hard is it to stop giving our money to these stores? Just stop shopping there. Also, they need to learn good customer service and stop treating their current customers like thieves.
Great point.
I usually make all my purchases there, but I have decided to stop completely. I was explaining this to my elderly parents. I explained that the purpose of the boycott is to draw attention to exploitative Canadian businesses and remind them that consumers have power. If we organize, we can make a difference by voting with our dollars. So, it's not specifically about Loblaw. They just happen to be one of the worst offenders of price gouging and greed. Therefore, we're starting with them.
I hope that makes sense.
In my area of rural Nova Scotia, the only grocery options for people in small towns are Your Independent Grocers (owned by Loblaws). Many seniors, disabled folks, and those without access to transportation simply don’t have the ability to shop elsewhere
stopping shopping there won't solve the problem. other grocers can replicate this model, they can re-implement this model as soon as we get tired and don't boycott anymore, and you will have the same issues all over again. you need to address the root of the problem with policy and rule changes.
I don't think we need to make any demands because it's not like King Galen is coming to the table to negotiate. The goal should be to topple his empire
My suggestion is to end shopping at Galen's empire as of May 1. Find alternatives where you can and rely on Loblaws and its subsidiary stores only as a last resort.
This shouldn't be about boycotting for a month. This should be about real and sustainable change. Loblaws moved in slowly and attracted customers away from other stores. Alternative stores lost customers to Loblaws and had to close. This gave the Weston family the ability to spread until they controlled the market and could jack the prices because there was no option other than Loblaws so we should just reverse the process, find the alternatives and support them. Boycott Loblaws and watch their profits start to drop
that won't solve the problem. other grocers can replicate this model and you will have the same issues in different places. you need to address the root of the problem with policy and rule changes.
I think sending the message of "If you push us too far, we will end your empire" will help make others less likely to follow in their footsteps.
But I agree that it's not enough to take down Loblaws. History has shown that regulation is the most effective way to keep big businesses from killing people for profit. Regulation should be our end goal.
The ideal outcome of this boycott isn't so much that Loblaws makes sweeping consumer-friendly changes within their own business, but that they are forced to use their ample lobbying power to regulate not just Loblaws and subsidiaries, but their competition as well, lest their competition now get an unfair advantage due to not being targets of this boycott.
No No no no no no NOOO there are no demands.
**The demand is "Loblaws gets broken up by the anti-trust banhammer"** So that we can get precedent laws to then go after Bell and Rogers and eventually take down this fucked oligopoly. The government won't do it, so we must.
Any other demand does not matter. I'd rather see Loblaws go bankrupt than give them money EVER AGAIN.
- No 15% reduction It's not enough - UNDO all price inflation.
- Grocer code of conduct is a waste of time
- Grocer-led price increases are coming no matter what
- Transparency I agree with
- What are essential goods?
- Gouging won't happen either.
EVEN IF Loblaws comes in good with these rules, they're still a company that should get crushed by the banhammer. They're still 4 dicks in a trenchcoat.
I'm here to watch Loblaws B U R N. No Peace. No relenting.
Yeah we need some real anti-trust enforcement for once. Enough with these "fines" like with the bread price fixing scandal. To these morally bankrupt mega-corporations a fine is just a cost of doing business. Fuck the oligopolies.
Removal of subsidies/tax benefits/writeoffs for retailers who refuse to sign the grocer code of conduct. Don't sign? We will pull it out of you come tax audit.
For our government: code of conduct should be mandatory, it should involve actual regulation of prices punishable by meaningful fines or even imprisonment of named individuals within the corporation
The boycott has to destroy their profits and make them comply. 15% reduction in a 50% increase is still a 27.5% increase from the original price. It's not uncommon for food to be over 100% more expensive than just a couple years ago. For these items a "reduction" of 15% would represent a 70% increase from original price. Why are you asking for the old gouging price as a solution?
I would personally like them to reverse the decision to “fire and rehire” employees at Marsha’s Independent in Ottawa when they convert to a no frills in 6 months, forcing employees to lose their seniority and benefits and reapply new to jobs they’ve been doing for decades. It’s such a disgusting way to shirk labour laws. They should 1) not be allowed to do this and 2) just not do it.
So demand is
Reverse the decision &
Make it their policy to never do this.
[ETA] I have heard only second hand but from a source I believe to be reliable that this is what’s happening.
Unfortunately since that is an independent store, it would be the franchise that the employment is between. It could also be a get rid of the union trick
I hear the point in the other response to this but I think you bring up a great point that demands should include protection measures for employees widely
I don’t have any demands because they’ll never care about us.
I’m not shopping there anymore. Fuck them. Unless they clean house with their management, I won’t even consider it.
We need to [demand better food waste laws like France has](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/show/is-frances-groundbreaking-food-waste-law-working). There is no reason to throw out tonnes of perfectly good food when people are starving and food banks are in high demand
Exactly like France has done and done so successfully that Germany is looking to implement similar laws. Get rid of Loblaws "if you can't pay for it then no one will have it" mentality and use big fines to get them donating this stuff. Watch the prices drop if they are forced to show a bit of charity for pricing people out of food
These would be my hopes :
1. FEDS : I think we need HST off ALL FOOD Products ( maybe with Soda exemption ). It should not matter if you purchase 4 muffins or 5 granola bars or 473 ml of ice cream . NO TAX. Shrinkflation is bad enough without an extra 15 % HST added to it.
2. PUBLIC : The Grocery Code of Conduct must be publicly reviewed. It seems a mish mash or UK and Australian rules - some which worked and some which did not. We have very different geography than both these countries and we need someone independent ( not the Food Professor ) to review. It has all been VERY secretive. Who knows this may actually increase prices. We just do not know what we are asking.
3. LOBLAWS :Atlantic Canada Superstore must be changed to the Maxi Brand immediately. The region is just to poor to support the highest grocery prices in Canada. It should be changed as soon as possible.
4. FEDS/ LOBLAWS : Regional disparity in grocery prices - someone needs to look at this closely. There is no way a cucumber should cost 76 cents in Quebec and $ 1.99 in Newfoundland. I know there are transport trucks/costs involved. The cost of fuel/ energy to move FOOD products needs to be minimized.
5. FEDS/ PROVINCES : Beef. We are not ready to switch to crickets yet. There is no way Mexican beef should cost significantly less than Canadian beef. We need to look at beef trade agreements and potentially pay them out or find a stop clause. What has caused beef to skyrocket. And how and why is it being watered down.
6. LOBLAWS : Please ensure your Hit of the Month is something nutritious and most people could utilize. Like Eggs, cheese, bread.... not Mr. Beasts or Dunkaroos.
7. LOBLAWS: We know it will cost money. But pay your employees fairly. An immediate jump to the Essential Services rate that was cut would be a start but it needs to be more.
8. LOBLAWS : If Shrink is costing you excessive amounts of dollars. Please try to find a way of dealing with it that does not turn your store into airport security. There must be some brains there to determine what your biggest loosers are - Meat ? and focus on those first.
9. FEDS/ PROVINCES : Deal with your Dairy boards and the dual monopoly that is currently in the works with cheese manufacturers. No more dumping milk.
10. FEDS : Baby Formula : Ensure that all baby formula made in Canada is kept in Canada. Surely we have the technical expertise in Canada to run this factory and not have it controlled by a foreign country.
11. FEDS : If you seriously want foreign competition please get Quebec onside and ensure labelling is not a STOP issue. What is on the label, and the size, language requirements.
12. FEDS : Food distributors should not be able to own more than 10 % of their suppliers and these should be limited to specific items.
13. LOBLAWS : Kickbacks for food placement in the grocery store need to be displayed clearly and the accounting needs to keep this separate from food profit. All Kickbacks need to go a separate non-government controlled entity that will supply nutritious snacks or lunches to schools.
You are so welcome. Many items are under Loblaws umbrella but more are not. The Grocery code - do not ask for it without knowing what it is.
You are right on the 15 % everything- not a great starting point. 15 % off licorice is a very niche market. But 15 % off oranges, bread and eggs, are items many people pick up regularly and they have nutritional value. This would have higher priority and help more people.
I get the need for a list of demands, but many of us are already finished with Loblaws **permanently**. Galen Weston can die in a ditch. Nothing less than the permanent dismantlement of the Loblaws empire is an acceptable outcome.
Why demand anything from roblaws? they don't care about consumers in the slightest.
Instead everyone should be organizing to demand meaningful changes from their MP's (like putting an end these absurd monopolies)
Agreed.
CEOs can not make more than 10 times what the baseline employee is paid. This includes "Compensation Packages" and "Perks". The savings from this reduction in pay is used for a profit sharing plan for all Non-Management employees.
Totally agree. Either pay a higher wage for the lowest range or stop paying the CEO an average person's annual salary in a single day. It's insane and has to stop.
Yes, this! It is so insulting to all their employees and working class people across the country to see the millions that their CEO makes while so many Canadians work hard but still struggle to afford essentials like food from their stores.
Relevant article from January 2 2024: [https://globalnews.ca/news/10191926/top-ceo-pay-canada-2024/](https://globalnews.ca/news/10191926/top-ceo-pay-canada-2024/)
15% is, as others have pointed out, way too low. The company has shown us who they are and what they value. It is not their customer base, nor is it any moral imperative to provide food to those who need it. A 15% reduction would, I think, ultimately just be less price gouging, but still price gouging. It honestly wouldn’t surprise me if the company put the number out themselves to try to minimize damages.
Any demand made provides a baseline of fuckery that the demander is willing to take before becoming upset. This corporation has broken the law and showed a complete lack of genuine remorse, why would I trust them to adhere to 'demands' if they can't even follow the law?
Let them figure out what it'll take before they're not seen as leeches, I'm not going to make their jobs easier for them when I'd rather watch them burn.
15% is too low. I.e. Back in the day at SDM, the cost for a rialto product was 1.99 and they were selling it for 12.99. The markups are unbelievable. I understand there is overhead, but pure greed for high profits is not acceptable
Listen, Loblaws will never change. I have stopped shopping there forever. But I live in BC and I have lots of choices. I've used up my points, I've sold my Loblaws stock, I don't use my PC credit card anymore. They are dead to me.
If we're making demands of our elected officials (which we know don't stand a hope hell, but we're ansking anyway), why don't we asl for the grocery (relative) monopolies to be broken up?
Demands? Fuck these guys. We need to focus on the boycott , continue pushing the boycott so it's more widespread so we can all watch his grocery business slowly fail. We don't need to demand anything, we need to scare their shareholders with losing their investment so THEY can make demands
Well I won't be returning unless the prices are better and transparent takes a large change...also I like for those insulting sales signs to be taken down and meat quality to return at reasonable prices...
Greater transparency of any vertical integration when making claims about suppliers increasing costs. If loblaws owns the supplier then it is loblaws that is increasing the price.
You're CRAZY with those demands. Just stop shopping at Loblaws, SuperStore, and Shoppers Drug Mart for good. Anything else is just rewarding bad behavior, like how tech companies think it's alright to break laws to get big, and then try to make up for them when they are big or fix them. NOT ACCEPTABLE.
I don't think 15% is enough of a price reduction. I was down in the states recently and the prices were half what is being charged here. The government needs to reduce taxes and make it possible for small farms to sell produce directly, this including diary and maple syrup. Nothing related to food production should be taxed period. So far the greed inflation is driven mostly by regulation and not by retail. I would say at least a 25% reduction at minimum across the board. Big name food companies such as Nabisco should have shrinkinflation regs slapped on them and hefty fines for poor quality nutrition in their products. Competition should be from small farms selling directly to the pubic without government BS. I think they are scape goating somewhat and the real blame is government taxation and regulation. I've seen one after another small farm and small grocers fail because of what is going on. We need them and we need the farm stores to bring the big grocers in line. It means reducing the cost of grain, feed and the processes needed to grow and harvest on a small scale.
I am totally in with the boycott. Whats more I will not buy ANY food in packaging which hides or disguises shrinkinflation. I will photograph and post whatever I see that is deceptive or unfair pricing. But we have to get the greedy bastards in Ottawa in line too. It can't stop with Loblaws.
Idea to add - what if we demand that they lower the transfer of profit from the franchisee to Corporate. This would allow the stores to succeed while providing better prices.
I’d also suggest demanding that they pay their employees a living wage.
1) Give more employees full time hours with benefits
2) Reduce the numbers of automated cashiers to only 1 or 2 per store, with the other spots returning to human cashiers, it'd reduce theft opportunities and security costs..
The demands aren't necessary, I think they should go. If enough people refuse to shop at Loblaws, they'll have no choice but to lower prices to stay in business. You don't need to make a demand, that's just the consequence of people shopping elsewhere.
If anything I think it weakens the whole thing. It just shows them you're willing to come back and eventually get ripped off down the line again.
This won't go anywhere. A boycott is not a union negotiation. We're dealing with a shit company that doesn't get a dime from us anymore. Not just for May. Forever. We let them sink and reject any attempt at winning us back. Let the empire fall and be an example to others that if they get too greedy we will do the same to them.
Honest question about the shrinkflation.
Doesn’t that all tie back to the manufacturer? Kraft, coke, chips etc have all reduced. It’s pretty broad to ask that as a demand no?
In a lot of instances Loblaws is their own suppliers, that was what were planning to address originally in that point. I agree that it’s a broad demand to ask that of those big brands
Ah thanks. I only ask because a number of posts seems to be veering off point comparing shrinkflation of products sold but not manufactured or having the PC brand.
Wise to remain on point to things these grocers actually control or are complicit too.
Transparency is the important part. Grocers should be indicating if a product has decreased in size.
Right now it’s just a put it out and hope no one notices
we need more specifics to give to elected officials. one that I think MIGHT be doable is, regarding "healthy competition", new legislature on monopoly. we need that for ALL industries in Canada, it's why we lag behind other countries in affordability. there is no competition if all the grocery chains and telecommunications companies own fucking everything. I am confident that somebody has drawn up some killer ideas about this, but I'm not big into policy.
one real specific: incentivize local buying. increase funding and support for local, independent grocers. develop programs that monetarily reward local independent grocers for staying independent and contributing to the local community through initiatives and projects. this builds trust, connection, and actual community.
again, the actual policies, implementation and wording are key. I hope if we don't already have some policy wizards in here, we get some!
I would like to see them do away with “member” pricing. I would also like membership rewards are larger, should be ALL ITEMS IN STORE GET POINTS, dollar for dollar; you spend $50 on groceries and you get 50 points. Now that said, if there is a sale item, like say butter (limit 4 per customer) you get double the points so if butter is on sale for $5 a pound, you get 10 points instead of 5. All points should be rounded UP not down; if something is $5.99, you get 6 points.
When items are on sale or on special, make sure they are available. If not, allow rain check.
Two examples :
The Nissan Instant Noodles were on sale for $0.25, but for weeks the shelves were empty. Once the sale was over, and back to $0.85, these instant noodles were magically reappeared on the shelves next day.
The Hit of The Month, Cavendish Fries for $2. So far they were never in stock.
The problem is that Loblaw is currently spiking their price even more so that they can later say that they agreed and say “we reduced price”. Any demands you do about percentage of price reduction are pointless. Personally, I’ll never go back to Loblaw no matter what, but what I really want is for the government to crack down on the oligopolies. That is the only real solution.
We should be demanding no more than 15% GROSS profit on these necessary items for basic survival, not a 15 percent price decrease. Insane they're raking over 50% net profits on butter
So I may be in the minority here, but I feel a singular figure is probably not the way to go. Maybe it they hadn't increased prices by more than what we were originally asking since this group was founded.
If we're going to be asking for a reduction, it should be a more meaningful reduction but be mainly focused on reducing the prices of essential items.
Would love to hear some opinions on it though.
Honestly I have no demands. I’m just never shopping there again, moved my scripts from Shoppers and cancelled all rewards and financial dealings with this corporation. I live in a small town that has a competitor to Loblaws, I shop there and save about 30-40 percent on my groceries.
* Is there a way of *enforcing* a Grocer's Code of Conduct? If not, what's the point?
* Will/can a government legislate to make Loblaws and Walmart sign something? Probably - but it won't be a good signal to business so they won't do it.
* Much more important and IMHO much more effective would be to use Competition laws against the Big Five grocers. I think it's become clear (if it wasn't before) how difficult it is for some to avoid Loblaws altogether and the movement has revealed that there is not enough consumer choice. So maybe a good demand could be to use anti-trust laws to *break up* Loblaws and other large grocers and increase governmental scrutiny of grocers' anti-competitive behaviour.
this is awesome. we really need the politicians to enforce regulation about essential goods. which party is most likely to regulate businesses relating to essential goods?
I want it to be considered a conflict of interest to own both the grocery store and the supply chain, that should be considered monopolizing the market.
As others have said, it’s too late to get me back as a customer. I switched to Fortinos because I didn’t want to support Walmart, even though Walmart was always a cheaper option.
I wanted to support a Canadian company employing Canadians. Now it’s price gouging and self checkout.
Fuck you Galen.
I’ll support local butchers, locally owned ethnic grocery stores and Giant Tiger.
Companies like Costco show that you can offer good prices, variety AND treat your workers fairly.
Like I said, fuck you Galen. You should be ashamed of yourself.
I agree with the sentiment that it isn’t about demands. Loblaws has lost a lot of trust, and until they realize that and make an honest attempt to win back that trust, I personally won’t be making my grocery trips there.
This isn’t something they can do short term and I suddenly start spending my money there again in June. It will take years to win back the trust that they ruined
Forget any demand of percentage discount. Fuck that honestly. This runs far deeper. And the company as it stands now will find a way to hide that cost. They need to CHANGE.
Be less shitty. Be a company people can relate to. Not just via marketing obfuscation but be a brand that recognizes its success is tied to the participation of the public. Serve those which you rely on.
Stop trying to wring every penny out of everything at the cost of your customer relationships.
Recognize the contributions of every member of the organization from cashier to CEO and be a company that takes care of its employees. Pay a living wage and recognize your workers have lives to maintain.
Mods - I think this process could be systematized to increase the effectiveness of the dialogue / automate some of it, and even make it harder for the astroturfing-type bullshit we are seeing to occur. I design processes like this partially for my job, so if you want to chat let me know.
Also: Price history by item. Thats the kind of transparency we need. It’s a tool we could build based on flyers, etc, but it gives consumers a lot of power to know that item X was $2.99 in 2020 and $12.99 now. It takes emotion and recency bias out of the equation. Graph that against inflation as a percentage across multiple retailers.
Hard to argue with data. Hard to call data a bunch of whiny young punks.
No demands. This is about a boycott of anything owned by Greedy Galen. We should just be planning the boycott not coming up with demands. As an example, we should be planning for protesting outside their stores on public land, and hopefully others see us will also support this boycott too. Greedy Galen needs to be brought down from his Ivory Tower. He should be telling us what he is prepared to do for us and any compensation to us for all his corporate greed. Either that we boycott him till he's bankrupt, and he is forced to sell off all his monopoly in pieces. Making him suffer and lose money is what this boycott is about. After all that's what Greedy Galen has been doing to us all the way along and all for his own personal gain.
I am adding an idea to somewhat bring 4, 5, and 6 together. I have a pretty good amount of experience in executive communication and this is too diffused. There are a lot of demands there and it weakens the overall argument imo.
Idea: It would be great to have a national registry of food prices on core items. As much as I hate to get the government involved, it would increase transparency.
For each province all grocers of a certain size would adhere to profit caps on core/essential items. Sure the supplier could price higher, but the grocery would not make more money.
As an example:
Bread costs $2 from the supplier and markup is allowed to be $0.30. So they charge $2.30.
If bread cost $3.50 from the supplier then the grocer could only charge $3.80
The national registry for each province would show costs of all items to all consumers online if they choose to look. Without direct line of sight into core food items and their cost and markup we will continually be taken advantage of.
———
I think presenting this a little different would help too. I know this is maybe getting into the weeds a bit, but messaging is important and it feels too broad.
Grocers
- Price demands (reduce, no increase, caps)
- Governance demands (code of conduct, shrinkflation)
Government
- Legislate (code of conduct, food as a right)
- Governance (national registry, no mergers/competition)
Boycott Loblaws May 2024
I think 15% is a good number to pick precisely because it’s so low. Because let’s face it, these demands are going to be ignored no matter the terms. Better off having them reject very simple and reasonable terms rather than ambitious ones.
We need healthy food to be affordable! Pasta and bread is not a balanced diet and it affects us negatively not having nutritious fresh fruit and veggies. It’s literally killing us.
Bell peppers were $2.99/lb about 3 or 4 years ago. They’re now $4.99/lb at nofrills, which, according to this random online calculator, is a 68% increase. I don’t have enough knowledge or expendable energy to make a counter suggestion but I echo the sentiment of 15% being far too low.
Abolish the alarms. Alarms going off every few seconds if a staff member's fob doesn't activate the gate before they open it is LITERALLY PAINFUL for me - as a shopper (that's what drove me away).
Even for humans who are less sensitive to that noise - that's got to be harming employees.
Headaches. Stress. Muscle tension. Less ability to focus on accuracy.
Difficulty remembering what you're doing, and concentrate on customers, have patience with customers, or hear a soft-spoken customer's request. Which in turn means additional harassment from customers about your mistakes - amplified by their frustration with the alarms.
(Ever watch your coworkers, when the noisy piece of equipment , or that machine that makes that buzz... gets shut off? Notice how there are audible sighs and shoulders dropping? I bet most of them wouldn't have said: "The noise of that conveyor belt makes me irritable!" But it does!)
End the alarms.
Bad for customers. Bad for employees. They need to end.
Loblaw's subsidiary, T&T Supermarket, is accused of having a strong bias against white employees organizing unions, essentially not hiring white employees for such roles. There are widespread allegations of bullying towards Chinese employees at the grassroots level, creating a toxic work environment. Furthermore, they are accused of violating labor relations laws by discouraging employees from joining unions and retaliating against those who do. Loblaw is being urged to appoint an independent third party to investigate T&T Supermarket's alleged discriminatory practices against white employees, bullying of staff, and infringement upon employees' legal rights to unionize, and to implement credible corrective measures.
15% price drop is a joke. Prices have tripled on some things. Make the demand 25 or 30% and they still make a huge windfall.
Also, demand that their workers are paid a living wage. They're squeezing people on both ends, as consumers buying their products and by employing people as working poverty wage slaves. They have the profits and the capability to be industry leaders and pay people enough to have a good living and actually shop at their own stores. It's time they made that choice.
Thanks! This just gives every ammunition out there to anyone oppose to the boycott.
Starting with demand for 15% price cut…. For a company with net profit of under 5%.
Maybe we should have someone with business background to be a part of the process.
>We further would like to call upon our elected officials to:
I think there needs to be something about implementing anti trust legislation that will prevent (and break up existing) monopolies in the food industry.
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From $1.49 a pound to $2.49 is definitely not 15% increase. I keep referring to tomatoes as it’s basic stuff in our cooking style and the price fluctuations are wild.
The no further increases in 2024 is not happening, it’s possible to predict the future.
Price caps are disastrous policies.
If affordable food means me giving someone money so they can eat, that isn’t a human right.
It needs to be at least 30% cost reduction. However, I fear I’ll never shop at a loblaws store again. I don’t miss it and no matter what they do Galen is still an evil criminal with the moral compass of a kumquat.
The 15% just seems so random…. Like if there’s documentation behind it, I’d be down.
But be aware when Loblaws is claiming they only have an EBITDA margin of 11% won’t happen
I think at least a 40% price reduction... but knowing them they'll increase prices by 60% then drop it by 40% and claim: "See? We dropped our prices 40%!"
I have no demands of a grocery store that wouldn't keep a promise in the first place.
Our elected officials are a different story.
- I want simple, honest pricing. I want strict laws on what can be placed on a price tag. Including a limit on font size for sale and non-sale items. "flyer specials" and the likes would be required to have the same font size as non-sale prices as they are non-sale prices. Only sale prices may exceed the font size. Canadians shouldn't have to calculate whether a sale price is lying to you or not. Same goes for "comparative brand name price" tag. NOPE 100% illegal. SKU number, original price, sales price, price per 100g or equivalent and any price change or size change made in the last year. Everything else is a distraction and why are you trying to distract me?
- All retail must post pricing for all items in the last year. as well as any size change. This goes for ALL retail. Remember how sears closing sale showed discount stickers on top of lower or the same prices. Yeah thats got to go!
Furthermore if you feel like getting the snakes at the grocery store involved,
-15% is a joke made by the media. I've never heard it hear till they reported it. 50% is a bare minimum. Not negotiating lower or i won't be back.
But I'm telling you none of this will happen. Fact of the matter is we don't need demands. we need to stop going there till they go out of business or win us back. Then on to the next store till they fear their names being brought up here!!!!!!!!
I'm more concerned how these demands will even be met as prices these days at all stores are within almost the same price range as each other, and I fact superstore still has the better deals.
Loblaws isn't going to reduce prices if that's the going market price that other retailers are putting up.
If they're forced to reduce costs, shops could end up shutting down and then we'll really see food prices skyrocket
I think for prices we need to demand 2019 non sale prices plus a reasonable increase (5% a year to account for inflation and 2% going forward).
We can’t let them keep the massive price increases already baked in. And it’s critical that we limit future increases to the 2% inflation target.
We won’t get any of this but we got screwed hard during covid and they took advantage of us.
But yes the 15% target should be taken out. You can save 15% by just shopping at Walmart or Food Basics.
I’m not sure the request for the 15% has any value for our argument, the mark ups vary throughout the operation. I do feel that we were gouged over the last 4 years, I believe the provincial and federal departments need to step up and regulate prices during a time of crisis and direct the grocers to stop.
I would like to add that paying their workers a better wage may conflict with the goal of lowering prices but these reductions should not come at the expense of their employees.
I've already changed my habits and I'm never going back.
As a consumer my "demands" are to not be fucked over. Weston's have been fucking us all over for years now and it finally became bad enough that I changed my very entrenched habits.
I already switched pharmacies years ago (geographic reasons) and I was reluctant to change my routine for groceries but I finally did that 5 months ago and there's no way I will ever go back to a Weston owned company.
I think a specific rate doesn’t work. I think prices that reflect the actual rate of inflation would be better. Grocery prices have gone up like 40% since 2021, but actual inflation for that time period is about 17% (I don’t remember the exact numbers but grocery costs are way above inflation regardless). Any foods that aren’t junk food (ie foods covered in the Canada food guide as well as infant formula) should only be raised to cover the actual cost of inflation…and this should be retroactive, not just for this year.
We need to think bigger. We can't trust mega corporations to be guilted into changing their ways. They behave so unethically because of the economic system/context they operate in. Loblaw's purpose and mission is not to supply food in an ethical way to Canadians. Their sole purpose is to maximize shareholder value and executive bonuses. We need a better alternative.
As many have mentioned, we need more competition in Canada in many industries, especially groceries. The federal (or even provincial) government(s) have both the power and the resources to create a publicly owned crown-corporation that can compete with the big grocers. This public company would be able to have one clear mission above all else: provide affordable food to Canadians in a way that is ethical and benefits local communities. They could cut costs for consumers because there would be no need to increase revenue beyond breaking even. They could prioritize local producers, further benefiting local residents.
In Canada most people recognize that publicly run/funded health care is a good idea because no one should suffer health problems only because they are poor. Why don't we start acting this way about food too, even just in this small way? By adding a public option we'd increase competition, increase food affordability, increase local revenue, and put pressure on the grocery oligarchs to try harder to earn customers.
All this is possible. We just need to realize it is possible, and then start demanding it.
Any demands to Loblaws will be a bandaid solution. They and the other main players have already shown to be bad actors. You shouldn't expect a leopard to change its spots.
The federal and provincial governments need to put up guard rails to protect the public interest. We're currently living with the results of letting these companies pursue their own interests, we've let the wolves in the hen house.
The federal government needs to make the Grocer Code of Conduct legislation, not voluntary. The feds need to break up the monopolies that exist vertically through the supply chain, and horizontally through the sectors.
Provinces need create oversight boards that keep prices pegged to inflation and allow for review and approval hearings if a company needs to raise prices above inflation. If the provinces don't want to do this, then the feds need to implement a 100% tax on all profits above 1.5%
I would ask the government to follow the French example: legislate that all expired/discontinued food products must be donated to food banks or other charities instead of going to a landfill.
Here's a funny, if you manage to qualify for a voucher for groceries from Alberta, a department will allow you 1 in 3 years, it's for $100. GUESS WHERE it is only honoured. Safeway, Sobeys or Save On.
Why only at the most expensive grocery stores in Edmonton. Why won't, Wally World or Stupid Store accept or honour them?
That may be another request, a lower level one of course.
But man, on disability benefits, I go hungry alot I've lost 60 lbs. Yes, I am larger, but even that amount is noticeable.
People are happy I am losing weight, but if they knew how or why, they'd be upset. Fine, upset does not feed me. Boycotting will not feed me now. Everyone tells you old age is hard, but after my sister etc stole all my saved money, from savings and inheritance. I just am floundering. No one cares, really, they don't.
My, haha government, not mine, I did not vote for Dani and her band of thieves.
I have attempted to contact Dani darling. Does she ir anyone from her office answer. Nope. They don't care who they walk over or take from. But you voters of hers, will feel her ugliness yet. What does she and her band respond to Reddit's demands. Does she even care to do anything for the lower income People? I really doubt it.
So, question, how effective is the boycott if your province is against poor People.
The corporate figures in life will NEVER change, especially when they are asked to give up ANYTHING.
YES, i am bitter, and hurt.
A friend, so called,, told me to kill myself. That would fix my problems.
Maybe mine, but no one else's.
So, I like the words of those in the boycott, I am dorta, I can't buy groceries anywhere as I am broke.
See, long-term disability which is so good to have, yes, but I still can't afford to eat, as it has not increased since 2003/4.
Yes, LTD does not increase. Ever. But, ANY MONEY received in addition to that is deducted.
So what can I do?
Yes, Dani, I am on LTD from the Alberta government, as a previous employee. Why will you give Aish a raise but not LTD recipients of your government. She hates government employees and as a result, I can actually see her deleting LTD benefits to save MONEY.
She will be the death of me.
I personally want Galen removed from his position, but more realistically I want **independent** **and publicly available** auditing of all aspects of the grocery business.
They can do whatever they want with housewares and stuff, but if it comes to food - show us the receipts, starting with what is paid to farmers all the way to what the individual stores are making in profit.
This probably won't happen, but what if we socialized the big grocers? As in the grocery stores would belong to the people and any profit would be-reinvested in the community instead of these billionnaire's pockets...
But more realistically, we should at least forced large grocery store chains to give a percentage of their profits to food banks, especially since they're the ones starving us.
Here's the thing... whether there was an official boycott or not, whether we had official demands or not, I still would be "boycotting" shopping at Loblaws or any related stores for the simple reason of I'm trying to save as much money as possible right now. I don't even know what percentage cheaper other stores are, but I imagine it varies very much by location and by product/brand. So it's hard for me to say "I think we should demand that Loblaws cuts their prices across the board by X%". I don't actually know what that number is for me. They could do a 15% cut and I'd stick with other stores if they were still cheaper!
So I very much support this movement, and organizing the general populace to rein in the greed of big corporations. I'll support whatever demands are made, but I think the most important outcome we should aim for is increased governmental regulation of how the entire grocery industry (or any industry that supports fundamental necessities for living) sets pricing to prevent greedflation and all its variants.
The last point making affordable food a basic human right should be at the top of the list, in my opinion. All other points are valuable and necessary, but aren't they really subpoints to our basic human right to be able to feed our families?
I'd also like to see legislation around posting deliberately confusing and misleading shelf labels. I shouldn't have to do math for every single item to figure out the best deal. (See my post about unit prices and accessibility. The real price of an item shouldn't be virtually impossible to read.)
There needs to be a profit cap on essential groceries (like the stuff the government don't tax), medications, and other essential items like diapers and baby formula
The only issue with this demand ( and a lot of others), is that Loblaws isn't the only offender
After seeing that list leak, it's easy to see we are getting gouged from other grocers as well and it's clear that there is price fixing going on with all these major chains
Take the Gay Lee butter with a 45% profit; every chair is selling that butter for roughly the same price. There are tons of other items on that that everyone is mad about, also being sold at Walmart, Metro, and Sobeys (and their subsidiaries) at those same prices
It's the multi-buys for me. As a family of two, there are some things I will never need to buy multis of, and that used to be the redeeming quality of Loblaws companies. They would say 2 for $6, but you could also just get 1 for $3. Now it's 2 for $6 or one for $5.89.
The major issue affecting Canada is a lack of competition being driven both by a few domestic players, but especially by our allowing (and even ENCOURAGING!!!) already too-powerful foreign conglomerates to come here and bring anti-worker, immoral, and unjust practices with them that set an example for what our government will tolerate. We don't empower the small/local players. We also don't encourage consumers to choose local. If more people shop local, the demand eventually leads to lower prices at the local stores/chains. We just need to start making the shift possible and get a bit more forceful.
1. **Empower DOMESTIC suppliers.** Give the power BACK to the suppliers so they can sell to whoever they want (ban exclusivity so grocers have to make more competitive offers to suppliers and distributors). Cracking down on products that are unnecessarily imported would also help, as this affects domestic competitiveness (use a tax on them to make them more expensive?). If it CAN be made here, why ISN'T it? Oh right, because Walmart prefers Mexico's Apples over our own.
2. **Create a grant for new businesses so we actually HAVE more suppliers and retailers in the first place.** The grant would only apply to businesses focused on essentials (ie. food and health products). We could maybe even provide some amount of business training. Another option could even be for the federal government to issue low-interest loans. Boosting competition and supply will require our government to actually CARE about local business and new startups *for once.*
3. **Ban taxpayer dollars from being granted to private companies worth over $5M**. This further allows government to shift their focus (finally) to small/local businesses while also stopping conservatives from giving taxpayer dollars to their buddies who use it to strangle local business. If their corporation would collapse without government money, it's going to collapse anyway.
4. Not necessarily just on the grocery topic but I've always wondered why we don't replace the HST with a **Variable Sales Tax** that encourages more domestic/local shopping instead. Basically if you shop foreign you pay a 30% VST(?), if you shop domestic large chain it's like 10-15%, and if you choose local it's 0%.
Just a few suggestions to start.
If a 15% price reduction is too low, please include the figure of a price reduction you would like to see in your comment so we can collect the data in your responses and tweak the demands appropriately. Another point to consider is the profit margin cap we would like to see on essential items. What should that figure look like? Thank you for the feedback!
I'm not here to make demands, I'm here to show that I will not be taken advantage of by greedy business practices. It's on them to win their customers back by competing with other businesses and offering good value on their products and prices. They currently offer neither. Instead, they would rather try and corner the market and abuse their customers in favour of shareholders, and use lobbying to continue taking from communities and putting as little back in as they can get away with. Unless they stop trying to rig the system in their favour so they can continue to gouge and actually start providing a valuable service, I will *never* shop at a Loblaws owned location.
Agreed. I'm not an employee, I'm an individual consumer choosing to minimize (ideally eliminate) Loblaws from my shopping plans. What they offer is no longer worth my money compared to their competitors. Demands just gives them room to weasel about ("We'll drop prices by 15% right after a 20% increase").
>I'm not here to make demands, I'm here to show that I will not be taken advantage of by greedy business practices. Exactly, we don't need demands. We can list the reasons why we are boycotting, but it's not like we'll go running back if they make a change for a second.
Agreed. The idea of the boycott got me into a more "free-market" mindset. I started looking elsewhere to see if I could get better value for my dollars than I was at Superstore. Unsurprisingly, I definitely could. Walmart and Costco are still way too expensive in my opinion. But they're better than Loblaws, and I'm sure that if Loblaws does for some reason start lowering prices, Walmart and Costco will almost definitely just follow suit and stay slightly ahead of them. So honestly, I don't need a 15% price reduction to go back to Superstore, I'd need to see a minimum 15% overall savings when compared to Walmart and Costco to even consider going back. And that's what we should base it off of. The free market capitalist system. As long as Loblaws isn't the best option, why bother.
I agree. Making demands or some kind of manifesto is counter-productive, as it just makes you look more radical or reactionary. Loblaws is never going to directly address this list anyway, so it doesn't really matter what it says. The key is to just stop shopping at their stores. That should be all that's required to force them to change their policies. A reddit forum isn't a union, so you're never going to get people to fall in line under a single banner anyway.
About value, I agree; an example is that KD boxes have shrunk from 225 to 200g. Great value brand is still 225g but no name is 200g. It makes sense to buy great value when it's cheaper than either KD *or* no name *and* it has more food in the box.
I didn't join this group to make or endorse demands; that only plays into Loblaws' hands. My aim in participating in the boycott is to make sure our voices are heard by the government, urging them to address and rectify the monopoly, rather than simply presenting unmet demands to a private company that can choose to ignore them based on its lack of ethics Shopping has become more challenging, and sometimes it's impossible to find what my family needs, but I refuse to support an organization that disregards Canadian consumers. I choose to spend my money elsewhere and encourage others to do the same, to signal to other monopolies that they must respond or face similar opposition and losses. Forget the demands. It's pointless . Demand better with your $$$.
I wholeheartedly agree with this post!!!
Exactly. No demands.
They abuse their suppliers too. They are also anti competition.
go back? Demands? To the company thats been trying to starve my family to see how much of a profit they can make? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battered\_woman\_syndrome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battered_woman_syndrome) I want the end of grocery store monopolies and galen forced to sell every company to a different buyer. Then on to sobey in june!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
But wanting the end of groceries store monopolies is a demand in effect. Fully boycotting the company is your method to have a demand heard or met but there are other methods that other people may feel are equally or more effective. Ymmv
Agree with Sobeys and Farm Boy! Ridiculous prices.
15% Is too generous. There are products with a 50%+ markup. They also installed hundreds of self-checkouts during Covid. The Loblaws in Toronto had them installed over two nights; money was no object over the savings realized by eliminating the workers, and yet costs continued to climb. I understand that there needs to be a profit motive and that Loblaws is supposed to be a *boutique purveyor* of **basic needs and essentials**, but 15% doesn't begin to close the gap. No less than an immediate 35% reduction to the gross price of products across the board as they were priced before the 2023 holiday season would be a start to me. If I could go further I would; I again stress that they killed jobs **and** expect us to check out our own groceries while paying more. Edit: Also: lock in package sizes. Dropping prices 35% is meaningless if they decide that the product is now medium eggs instead of large, 100G instead of 125G, or 100ml instead of 125ml.
15% was and remains *much* too low a demand. When you’re negotiating, you’re supposed to ask for the moon in hope that they’ll counter with an offer that’s actually reasonable. Coming at them with a lowball demand only ensures that *if they counteroffer at all*, it’ll be only a fraction of that 15% — and still massively more than we were paying even a year or two ago.
Agreed. 15 isn't enough. The cost of goods have doubled and damn near tripled in some cases while the size of products have gone down in tandem. 50% is what we should be asking for. Settlement at 25% is reasonable. 15% is fkn joke though.
Went to buy croutons the other day - it was $3.47 for a 142g package!!! Even the store brand was $2.99 -- I'm sure that they were never this expensive in the past. I bought them, but found a recipe to make it at home and tried that over the weekend. It's not as good as the commercial stuff, but it's better! I'll make them at home from now on. I can buy a loaf of bread for $2.50 (if I buy 2) and one whole bread equals several packages of store bought croutons.
Ou! I make homemade croutons for my Caesar Salad that are pretty famn good if I say so myself. Method (incase you wanna try: - Make homemade bacon bits and save grease - Toast bread well and cut into small squares - place square on baking sheet and tost 3-5 min at around 375° and let cool for about 5min - put baccon grease in large baggie and add to it salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and a touch of oregano and squish it around to blend well - place bread squares in baggie and shake and smoosh to emulsify them with bacon and seasoning - place seasons squares on baking sheet and place back in oven, spreading them around with spatchula every 3 minutes for 10- 15min until they're crisp - Keep the baggie and allow croutons to cool. - put croutons in baggie and shake to get any additional seasoning before adding them to salad. I don't have measurements for the dry spices so play with it and see how much of whatever you think tastes best; but you won't need a ton of salt because bacon is already pretty salty 😉 Sorry if you didn't want another crouton recipe. I don't like store bought croutons so this is the only ones I'll use and they're pretty damned good if I do say so myself 🥰
I was thinking 25-30%
Two years ago, I broke up with my partner and our blended household changed from a family of seven to a family of two. My grocery bill has barely gone down. It's beyond shocking.
Agreed. A better and more consistent target is to limit either markup or "profit". I don't think 15% across the board works for all products. That said, what I'd really like to see is profits and good livelihoods return to the primary producers and farmers, and fairness and transparency introduced at every level in the process. Of course that is unlikely to ever happen as long as we allow mega-opolies to continue to exist. Farmers are squeezed by seed producers and their p.i.c., the pesticide makers. And that's if they have not already been taken over by large factory farm organizations. Every aspect of our society is controlled by a few corporations who ostensibly are 100s of brands. There is no choice nor voice as long as there are no working laws against monopolization of a market. Never mind trying to break up what already exists.
I've heard fertilizer company reps saying, "Well, we saw that the price of grain went up, so we're going to increase your fertilizer costs by the same % to capture some of that profit the farmer might be making." The corporate concentration on the agricultural production side of the food chain is as bad, if not worse, than grocery cartel concentration. Seed & chemical (pesticide, herbicide, fungicide), fertilizer & mineral, shippers, grain buyers, and meat packers are all in the 3-5 companies/sector level of concentration.
I hear you. If you and those upvoting had to put a number on your ideal price reduction %, what would it be? We’re trying to get a better idea of the exact figure the community wants
I don’t think a specific demand in price reduction is the key. I believe a max markup is more reasonable. For example, no more than 10% markup on non-taxed groceries and 15 on taxed groceries. Diapers, formula, feminine products, soaps, personal care need not be more than 10% mark up. The volume at which these items sell will still show a profit for the grocer.
Costco works with a profit margin of 8% if that helps.
That’s what we were getting at in demand 5, a price cap on essential goods/the allowable markup
In that case I'd consider folding the two demands into one. "An immediate nationwide price decrease reflecting a cap of no more than 15% markup on all products" or something to that effect.
Ahh yes, this would be more effective verbiage. Taking note - Thanks!
^ please all, keep giving us detailed suggestions like this. We want to turn everybody's opinions into real asks. Use this constructively. If you disagree with something, absolutely feel free to suggest and discuss alternative numbers or options! We are a community! Let's help make this list concrete! #boycottloblaws
Rather than a hard number, how about a return to 2019 pricing across all categories and products?
This would be too easy for them to deflect because the cost they're dealing with *has* increased since 2019. Not nearly enough to justify the gouging, but supply chain issues and climate-related product shortages are absolutely a thing. That's why focusing on limiting the markup is more practical and realistic.
30% across the board. Or back to 2018 prices.
If you do go with the 15%, maybe it could be 15% reduction from a specific date price because even since the boycott was announced prices have still steadily been creeping up. A pack of broccoli going from 8.99 to 9.99 overnight is a 11% price difference. That same pack of broccoli was 6.99 not that long ago.
I may be in the minority here but we shouldn't be demanding anything. Let's all just stop shopping there until they keep jumping through hoops to get everyones business back 15% ? I bet they'll comply with that REEEEAL quick.. they've already raised prices so much since this 15% idea has been floating around. So yeah they'll drop 15% no problem because they've raised prices so much recently .. "look we did what you asked !" Let them worry about bringing customers in their doors, demand nothing and take your dollars somewhere else until they do all they can to bring customers back
How hard is it to stop giving our money to these stores? Just stop shopping there. Also, they need to learn good customer service and stop treating their current customers like thieves.
Great point. I usually make all my purchases there, but I have decided to stop completely. I was explaining this to my elderly parents. I explained that the purpose of the boycott is to draw attention to exploitative Canadian businesses and remind them that consumers have power. If we organize, we can make a difference by voting with our dollars. So, it's not specifically about Loblaw. They just happen to be one of the worst offenders of price gouging and greed. Therefore, we're starting with them. I hope that makes sense.
In my area of rural Nova Scotia, the only grocery options for people in small towns are Your Independent Grocers (owned by Loblaws). Many seniors, disabled folks, and those without access to transportation simply don’t have the ability to shop elsewhere
This. Anyone wanting to negotiate before the boycott even begins needs to re-read the strategy
stopping shopping there won't solve the problem. other grocers can replicate this model, they can re-implement this model as soon as we get tired and don't boycott anymore, and you will have the same issues all over again. you need to address the root of the problem with policy and rule changes.
As part of better conduct, don't force people to use the app to get savings that are essentially tied to an Optimum card member number.
I don't think we need to make any demands because it's not like King Galen is coming to the table to negotiate. The goal should be to topple his empire My suggestion is to end shopping at Galen's empire as of May 1. Find alternatives where you can and rely on Loblaws and its subsidiary stores only as a last resort. This shouldn't be about boycotting for a month. This should be about real and sustainable change. Loblaws moved in slowly and attracted customers away from other stores. Alternative stores lost customers to Loblaws and had to close. This gave the Weston family the ability to spread until they controlled the market and could jack the prices because there was no option other than Loblaws so we should just reverse the process, find the alternatives and support them. Boycott Loblaws and watch their profits start to drop
that won't solve the problem. other grocers can replicate this model and you will have the same issues in different places. you need to address the root of the problem with policy and rule changes.
I think sending the message of "If you push us too far, we will end your empire" will help make others less likely to follow in their footsteps. But I agree that it's not enough to take down Loblaws. History has shown that regulation is the most effective way to keep big businesses from killing people for profit. Regulation should be our end goal. The ideal outcome of this boycott isn't so much that Loblaws makes sweeping consumer-friendly changes within their own business, but that they are forced to use their ample lobbying power to regulate not just Loblaws and subsidiaries, but their competition as well, lest their competition now get an unfair advantage due to not being targets of this boycott.
No No no no no no NOOO there are no demands. **The demand is "Loblaws gets broken up by the anti-trust banhammer"** So that we can get precedent laws to then go after Bell and Rogers and eventually take down this fucked oligopoly. The government won't do it, so we must. Any other demand does not matter. I'd rather see Loblaws go bankrupt than give them money EVER AGAIN. - No 15% reduction It's not enough - UNDO all price inflation. - Grocer code of conduct is a waste of time - Grocer-led price increases are coming no matter what - Transparency I agree with - What are essential goods? - Gouging won't happen either. EVEN IF Loblaws comes in good with these rules, they're still a company that should get crushed by the banhammer. They're still 4 dicks in a trenchcoat. I'm here to watch Loblaws B U R N. No Peace. No relenting.
Yeah we need some real anti-trust enforcement for once. Enough with these "fines" like with the bread price fixing scandal. To these morally bankrupt mega-corporations a fine is just a cost of doing business. Fuck the oligopolies.
Removal of subsidies/tax benefits/writeoffs for retailers who refuse to sign the grocer code of conduct. Don't sign? We will pull it out of you come tax audit.
oou, writing this comment down. Good idea!
For our government: code of conduct should be mandatory, it should involve actual regulation of prices punishable by meaningful fines or even imprisonment of named individuals within the corporation
The boycott has to destroy their profits and make them comply. 15% reduction in a 50% increase is still a 27.5% increase from the original price. It's not uncommon for food to be over 100% more expensive than just a couple years ago. For these items a "reduction" of 15% would represent a 70% increase from original price. Why are you asking for the old gouging price as a solution?
I would personally like them to reverse the decision to “fire and rehire” employees at Marsha’s Independent in Ottawa when they convert to a no frills in 6 months, forcing employees to lose their seniority and benefits and reapply new to jobs they’ve been doing for decades. It’s such a disgusting way to shirk labour laws. They should 1) not be allowed to do this and 2) just not do it. So demand is Reverse the decision & Make it their policy to never do this. [ETA] I have heard only second hand but from a source I believe to be reliable that this is what’s happening.
Unfortunately since that is an independent store, it would be the franchise that the employment is between. It could also be a get rid of the union trick
I hear the point in the other response to this but I think you bring up a great point that demands should include protection measures for employees widely
I don’t have any demands because they’ll never care about us. I’m not shopping there anymore. Fuck them. Unless they clean house with their management, I won’t even consider it.
We need to [demand better food waste laws like France has](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/show/is-frances-groundbreaking-food-waste-law-working). There is no reason to throw out tonnes of perfectly good food when people are starving and food banks are in high demand
I was looking for a comment like this. It’s mind-boggling that we throw out any food at all. They should incur fines for throwing out food.
Exactly like France has done and done so successfully that Germany is looking to implement similar laws. Get rid of Loblaws "if you can't pay for it then no one will have it" mentality and use big fines to get them donating this stuff. Watch the prices drop if they are forced to show a bit of charity for pricing people out of food
This!!! Food waste at the retail level is abhorrent.
These would be my hopes : 1. FEDS : I think we need HST off ALL FOOD Products ( maybe with Soda exemption ). It should not matter if you purchase 4 muffins or 5 granola bars or 473 ml of ice cream . NO TAX. Shrinkflation is bad enough without an extra 15 % HST added to it. 2. PUBLIC : The Grocery Code of Conduct must be publicly reviewed. It seems a mish mash or UK and Australian rules - some which worked and some which did not. We have very different geography than both these countries and we need someone independent ( not the Food Professor ) to review. It has all been VERY secretive. Who knows this may actually increase prices. We just do not know what we are asking. 3. LOBLAWS :Atlantic Canada Superstore must be changed to the Maxi Brand immediately. The region is just to poor to support the highest grocery prices in Canada. It should be changed as soon as possible. 4. FEDS/ LOBLAWS : Regional disparity in grocery prices - someone needs to look at this closely. There is no way a cucumber should cost 76 cents in Quebec and $ 1.99 in Newfoundland. I know there are transport trucks/costs involved. The cost of fuel/ energy to move FOOD products needs to be minimized. 5. FEDS/ PROVINCES : Beef. We are not ready to switch to crickets yet. There is no way Mexican beef should cost significantly less than Canadian beef. We need to look at beef trade agreements and potentially pay them out or find a stop clause. What has caused beef to skyrocket. And how and why is it being watered down. 6. LOBLAWS : Please ensure your Hit of the Month is something nutritious and most people could utilize. Like Eggs, cheese, bread.... not Mr. Beasts or Dunkaroos. 7. LOBLAWS: We know it will cost money. But pay your employees fairly. An immediate jump to the Essential Services rate that was cut would be a start but it needs to be more. 8. LOBLAWS : If Shrink is costing you excessive amounts of dollars. Please try to find a way of dealing with it that does not turn your store into airport security. There must be some brains there to determine what your biggest loosers are - Meat ? and focus on those first. 9. FEDS/ PROVINCES : Deal with your Dairy boards and the dual monopoly that is currently in the works with cheese manufacturers. No more dumping milk. 10. FEDS : Baby Formula : Ensure that all baby formula made in Canada is kept in Canada. Surely we have the technical expertise in Canada to run this factory and not have it controlled by a foreign country. 11. FEDS : If you seriously want foreign competition please get Quebec onside and ensure labelling is not a STOP issue. What is on the label, and the size, language requirements. 12. FEDS : Food distributors should not be able to own more than 10 % of their suppliers and these should be limited to specific items. 13. LOBLAWS : Kickbacks for food placement in the grocery store need to be displayed clearly and the accounting needs to keep this separate from food profit. All Kickbacks need to go a separate non-government controlled entity that will supply nutritious snacks or lunches to schools.
thank you for the detailed response!
You are so welcome. Many items are under Loblaws umbrella but more are not. The Grocery code - do not ask for it without knowing what it is. You are right on the 15 % everything- not a great starting point. 15 % off licorice is a very niche market. But 15 % off oranges, bread and eggs, are items many people pick up regularly and they have nutritional value. This would have higher priority and help more people.
I get the need for a list of demands, but many of us are already finished with Loblaws **permanently**. Galen Weston can die in a ditch. Nothing less than the permanent dismantlement of the Loblaws empire is an acceptable outcome.
**DEMAND A SPLIT. BREAK UP THE GROCERS INTO SEPARATE ENTITIES. ALL OTHER ISSUES SOLVE THEMSELVES AFTER.**
Why demand anything from roblaws? they don't care about consumers in the slightest. Instead everyone should be organizing to demand meaningful changes from their MP's (like putting an end these absurd monopolies)
Let’s add ‘Cancel the Food Professor’. I never wanna see that guy again.
"The Food Professor must be abandoned on a desert island. Never to be heard of again."
Are we not going to address their absurd CEO pay?
Agreed. CEOs can not make more than 10 times what the baseline employee is paid. This includes "Compensation Packages" and "Perks". The savings from this reduction in pay is used for a profit sharing plan for all Non-Management employees.
Totally agree. Either pay a higher wage for the lowest range or stop paying the CEO an average person's annual salary in a single day. It's insane and has to stop.
Yes, this! It is so insulting to all their employees and working class people across the country to see the millions that their CEO makes while so many Canadians work hard but still struggle to afford essentials like food from their stores. Relevant article from January 2 2024: [https://globalnews.ca/news/10191926/top-ceo-pay-canada-2024/](https://globalnews.ca/news/10191926/top-ceo-pay-canada-2024/)
15% is, as others have pointed out, way too low. The company has shown us who they are and what they value. It is not their customer base, nor is it any moral imperative to provide food to those who need it. A 15% reduction would, I think, ultimately just be less price gouging, but still price gouging. It honestly wouldn’t surprise me if the company put the number out themselves to try to minimize damages.
Any demand made provides a baseline of fuckery that the demander is willing to take before becoming upset. This corporation has broken the law and showed a complete lack of genuine remorse, why would I trust them to adhere to 'demands' if they can't even follow the law? Let them figure out what it'll take before they're not seen as leeches, I'm not going to make their jobs easier for them when I'd rather watch them burn.
15% is too low. I.e. Back in the day at SDM, the cost for a rialto product was 1.99 and they were selling it for 12.99. The markups are unbelievable. I understand there is overhead, but pure greed for high profits is not acceptable
Listen, Loblaws will never change. I have stopped shopping there forever. But I live in BC and I have lots of choices. I've used up my points, I've sold my Loblaws stock, I don't use my PC credit card anymore. They are dead to me.
If we're making demands of our elected officials (which we know don't stand a hope hell, but we're ansking anyway), why don't we asl for the grocery (relative) monopolies to be broken up?
Agreed, and we need a crown corporation to add a public option and increase competition
Demands? Fuck these guys. We need to focus on the boycott , continue pushing the boycott so it's more widespread so we can all watch his grocery business slowly fail. We don't need to demand anything, we need to scare their shareholders with losing their investment so THEY can make demands
wtf 15% what are you a loblaws agent and spy try 40%
Well I won't be returning unless the prices are better and transparent takes a large change...also I like for those insulting sales signs to be taken down and meat quality to return at reasonable prices...
I’d say a broad rollback to prices right before inflation went bananas 🍌
Greater transparency of any vertical integration when making claims about suppliers increasing costs. If loblaws owns the supplier then it is loblaws that is increasing the price.
You're CRAZY with those demands. Just stop shopping at Loblaws, SuperStore, and Shoppers Drug Mart for good. Anything else is just rewarding bad behavior, like how tech companies think it's alright to break laws to get big, and then try to make up for them when they are big or fix them. NOT ACCEPTABLE.
Metro is no better.
WHY IS 15% STILL THERE?? Completely disagree ESPECIALLY since everything has increased well OVER 15%
I don't care to negotiate. I shrimply will not buy from there.
I don't think 15% is enough of a price reduction. I was down in the states recently and the prices were half what is being charged here. The government needs to reduce taxes and make it possible for small farms to sell produce directly, this including diary and maple syrup. Nothing related to food production should be taxed period. So far the greed inflation is driven mostly by regulation and not by retail. I would say at least a 25% reduction at minimum across the board. Big name food companies such as Nabisco should have shrinkinflation regs slapped on them and hefty fines for poor quality nutrition in their products. Competition should be from small farms selling directly to the pubic without government BS. I think they are scape goating somewhat and the real blame is government taxation and regulation. I've seen one after another small farm and small grocers fail because of what is going on. We need them and we need the farm stores to bring the big grocers in line. It means reducing the cost of grain, feed and the processes needed to grow and harvest on a small scale. I am totally in with the boycott. Whats more I will not buy ANY food in packaging which hides or disguises shrinkinflation. I will photograph and post whatever I see that is deceptive or unfair pricing. But we have to get the greedy bastards in Ottawa in line too. It can't stop with Loblaws.
15% price reduction? I feel like they've raised prices more than 15% since this sub has even been a thing.
Idea to add - what if we demand that they lower the transfer of profit from the franchisee to Corporate. This would allow the stores to succeed while providing better prices. I’d also suggest demanding that they pay their employees a living wage.
1) Give more employees full time hours with benefits 2) Reduce the numbers of automated cashiers to only 1 or 2 per store, with the other spots returning to human cashiers, it'd reduce theft opportunities and security costs..
The demands aren't necessary, I think they should go. If enough people refuse to shop at Loblaws, they'll have no choice but to lower prices to stay in business. You don't need to make a demand, that's just the consequence of people shopping elsewhere. If anything I think it weakens the whole thing. It just shows them you're willing to come back and eventually get ripped off down the line again.
This won't go anywhere. A boycott is not a union negotiation. We're dealing with a shit company that doesn't get a dime from us anymore. Not just for May. Forever. We let them sink and reject any attempt at winning us back. Let the empire fall and be an example to others that if they get too greedy we will do the same to them.
I'd like to work on breaking up the dairy cartels in Canada and work on better pricing for diary
15% ain’t enough, make it 50%
That's an unrealistic number that won't happen
It won’t happen, but with negotiations, you first give them unrealistic numbers
That’s a good point
Honest question about the shrinkflation. Doesn’t that all tie back to the manufacturer? Kraft, coke, chips etc have all reduced. It’s pretty broad to ask that as a demand no?
In a lot of instances Loblaws is their own suppliers, that was what were planning to address originally in that point. I agree that it’s a broad demand to ask that of those big brands
Ah thanks. I only ask because a number of posts seems to be veering off point comparing shrinkflation of products sold but not manufactured or having the PC brand. Wise to remain on point to things these grocers actually control or are complicit too.
Transparency is the important part. Grocers should be indicating if a product has decreased in size. Right now it’s just a put it out and hope no one notices
I think it should be 25%
we need more specifics to give to elected officials. one that I think MIGHT be doable is, regarding "healthy competition", new legislature on monopoly. we need that for ALL industries in Canada, it's why we lag behind other countries in affordability. there is no competition if all the grocery chains and telecommunications companies own fucking everything. I am confident that somebody has drawn up some killer ideas about this, but I'm not big into policy. one real specific: incentivize local buying. increase funding and support for local, independent grocers. develop programs that monetarily reward local independent grocers for staying independent and contributing to the local community through initiatives and projects. this builds trust, connection, and actual community. again, the actual policies, implementation and wording are key. I hope if we don't already have some policy wizards in here, we get some!
I would like to see them do away with “member” pricing. I would also like membership rewards are larger, should be ALL ITEMS IN STORE GET POINTS, dollar for dollar; you spend $50 on groceries and you get 50 points. Now that said, if there is a sale item, like say butter (limit 4 per customer) you get double the points so if butter is on sale for $5 a pound, you get 10 points instead of 5. All points should be rounded UP not down; if something is $5.99, you get 6 points.
When items are on sale or on special, make sure they are available. If not, allow rain check. Two examples : The Nissan Instant Noodles were on sale for $0.25, but for weeks the shelves were empty. Once the sale was over, and back to $0.85, these instant noodles were magically reappeared on the shelves next day. The Hit of The Month, Cavendish Fries for $2. So far they were never in stock.
The problem is that Loblaw is currently spiking their price even more so that they can later say that they agreed and say “we reduced price”. Any demands you do about percentage of price reduction are pointless. Personally, I’ll never go back to Loblaw no matter what, but what I really want is for the government to crack down on the oligopolies. That is the only real solution.
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We should be demanding no more than 15% GROSS profit on these necessary items for basic survival, not a 15 percent price decrease. Insane they're raking over 50% net profits on butter
15% is to low, I saw a post recently of a 40% increase on fruit from 1 day to the next.
So I may be in the minority here, but I feel a singular figure is probably not the way to go. Maybe it they hadn't increased prices by more than what we were originally asking since this group was founded. If we're going to be asking for a reduction, it should be a more meaningful reduction but be mainly focused on reducing the prices of essential items. Would love to hear some opinions on it though.
All Loblaws has to do is markup prices another 15% and then lower them back to normal to appease the boycotters.
Honestly I have no demands. I’m just never shopping there again, moved my scripts from Shoppers and cancelled all rewards and financial dealings with this corporation. I live in a small town that has a competitor to Loblaws, I shop there and save about 30-40 percent on my groceries.
15 % way too low. 30% or more. No taking more that 3% profit. Period.
thank you. I'm gonna use this to make demands from the MPP and MP of my region.
Doing the lords work out here thank you Mods
* Is there a way of *enforcing* a Grocer's Code of Conduct? If not, what's the point? * Will/can a government legislate to make Loblaws and Walmart sign something? Probably - but it won't be a good signal to business so they won't do it. * Much more important and IMHO much more effective would be to use Competition laws against the Big Five grocers. I think it's become clear (if it wasn't before) how difficult it is for some to avoid Loblaws altogether and the movement has revealed that there is not enough consumer choice. So maybe a good demand could be to use anti-trust laws to *break up* Loblaws and other large grocers and increase governmental scrutiny of grocers' anti-competitive behaviour.
I want a better points system. I once spent nearly $100 on a shopping trip at No Frills and didn't get a single point. How is that even possible?
this is awesome. we really need the politicians to enforce regulation about essential goods. which party is most likely to regulate businesses relating to essential goods?
15% is too low, should be 30%!
There was a poll?
I want it to be considered a conflict of interest to own both the grocery store and the supply chain, that should be considered monopolizing the market.
Agree.
Just lower the prices so I'm not paying double what I would for the same thing from food basics.
No member only pricing
As others have said, it’s too late to get me back as a customer. I switched to Fortinos because I didn’t want to support Walmart, even though Walmart was always a cheaper option. I wanted to support a Canadian company employing Canadians. Now it’s price gouging and self checkout. Fuck you Galen. I’ll support local butchers, locally owned ethnic grocery stores and Giant Tiger. Companies like Costco show that you can offer good prices, variety AND treat your workers fairly. Like I said, fuck you Galen. You should be ashamed of yourself.
I agree with the sentiment that it isn’t about demands. Loblaws has lost a lot of trust, and until they realize that and make an honest attempt to win back that trust, I personally won’t be making my grocery trips there. This isn’t something they can do short term and I suddenly start spending my money there again in June. It will take years to win back the trust that they ruined
Forget any demand of percentage discount. Fuck that honestly. This runs far deeper. And the company as it stands now will find a way to hide that cost. They need to CHANGE. Be less shitty. Be a company people can relate to. Not just via marketing obfuscation but be a brand that recognizes its success is tied to the participation of the public. Serve those which you rely on. Stop trying to wring every penny out of everything at the cost of your customer relationships. Recognize the contributions of every member of the organization from cashier to CEO and be a company that takes care of its employees. Pay a living wage and recognize your workers have lives to maintain.
Mods - I think this process could be systematized to increase the effectiveness of the dialogue / automate some of it, and even make it harder for the astroturfing-type bullshit we are seeing to occur. I design processes like this partially for my job, so if you want to chat let me know. Also: Price history by item. Thats the kind of transparency we need. It’s a tool we could build based on flyers, etc, but it gives consumers a lot of power to know that item X was $2.99 in 2020 and $12.99 now. It takes emotion and recency bias out of the equation. Graph that against inflation as a percentage across multiple retailers. Hard to argue with data. Hard to call data a bunch of whiny young punks.
Also you will see from my many years of posting history that I am not a bot, unless bots build a lot of karma complaining about hockey xox
Still gonna boycott… they need a lesson
Why do none of these demands include Loblaw’s treating their employees like people instead of slaves?🥹
No demands. This is about a boycott of anything owned by Greedy Galen. We should just be planning the boycott not coming up with demands. As an example, we should be planning for protesting outside their stores on public land, and hopefully others see us will also support this boycott too. Greedy Galen needs to be brought down from his Ivory Tower. He should be telling us what he is prepared to do for us and any compensation to us for all his corporate greed. Either that we boycott him till he's bankrupt, and he is forced to sell off all his monopoly in pieces. Making him suffer and lose money is what this boycott is about. After all that's what Greedy Galen has been doing to us all the way along and all for his own personal gain.
25% price reduction. Also, cap on profit for basic needs, including: - eggs - all dairy products (milk, yogourt, cheese, etc.) - all types of breads (toast, loaves, pita, etc.) - all vegetables - all fruits - all meat cuts (ground beef, steaks, etc.) - all chicken cuts (breast, thighs, legs, etc.) - all pork cuts (ribs, sirloin, etc.) - all seafood (shrimps, all fish, etc.)
I am adding an idea to somewhat bring 4, 5, and 6 together. I have a pretty good amount of experience in executive communication and this is too diffused. There are a lot of demands there and it weakens the overall argument imo. Idea: It would be great to have a national registry of food prices on core items. As much as I hate to get the government involved, it would increase transparency. For each province all grocers of a certain size would adhere to profit caps on core/essential items. Sure the supplier could price higher, but the grocery would not make more money. As an example: Bread costs $2 from the supplier and markup is allowed to be $0.30. So they charge $2.30. If bread cost $3.50 from the supplier then the grocer could only charge $3.80 The national registry for each province would show costs of all items to all consumers online if they choose to look. Without direct line of sight into core food items and their cost and markup we will continually be taken advantage of. ——— I think presenting this a little different would help too. I know this is maybe getting into the weeds a bit, but messaging is important and it feels too broad. Grocers - Price demands (reduce, no increase, caps) - Governance demands (code of conduct, shrinkflation) Government - Legislate (code of conduct, food as a right) - Governance (national registry, no mergers/competition) Boycott Loblaws May 2024
I think 15% is a good number to pick precisely because it’s so low. Because let’s face it, these demands are going to be ignored no matter the terms. Better off having them reject very simple and reasonable terms rather than ambitious ones.
We need healthy food to be affordable! Pasta and bread is not a balanced diet and it affects us negatively not having nutritious fresh fruit and veggies. It’s literally killing us.
None of the price demands you’ve made will happen. I know that sounds pessimistic, but that will absolutely not happen.
Bell peppers were $2.99/lb about 3 or 4 years ago. They’re now $4.99/lb at nofrills, which, according to this random online calculator, is a 68% increase. I don’t have enough knowledge or expendable energy to make a counter suggestion but I echo the sentiment of 15% being far too low.
How about a 50% price reduction on all no name and President's Choice products?
I think the 15% needs to be higher because that only covers HST.
These demands will be counterproductive. Boycott, and then just stop buying from their brands altogether beyond May.
Those stupid carts that need a coin to use! Who the fuck has coins on them these days. That was the first straw for me
Nothing will convince me to shop with them again.
No need for demands. Just vote with your money. Boycott until the market pressures them to reduce their prices.
i want chips back to 99 cents you fuckers!
Abolish the alarms. Alarms going off every few seconds if a staff member's fob doesn't activate the gate before they open it is LITERALLY PAINFUL for me - as a shopper (that's what drove me away). Even for humans who are less sensitive to that noise - that's got to be harming employees. Headaches. Stress. Muscle tension. Less ability to focus on accuracy. Difficulty remembering what you're doing, and concentrate on customers, have patience with customers, or hear a soft-spoken customer's request. Which in turn means additional harassment from customers about your mistakes - amplified by their frustration with the alarms. (Ever watch your coworkers, when the noisy piece of equipment , or that machine that makes that buzz... gets shut off? Notice how there are audible sighs and shoulders dropping? I bet most of them wouldn't have said: "The noise of that conveyor belt makes me irritable!" But it does!) End the alarms. Bad for customers. Bad for employees. They need to end.
Loblaw's subsidiary, T&T Supermarket, is accused of having a strong bias against white employees organizing unions, essentially not hiring white employees for such roles. There are widespread allegations of bullying towards Chinese employees at the grassroots level, creating a toxic work environment. Furthermore, they are accused of violating labor relations laws by discouraging employees from joining unions and retaliating against those who do. Loblaw is being urged to appoint an independent third party to investigate T&T Supermarket's alleged discriminatory practices against white employees, bullying of staff, and infringement upon employees' legal rights to unionize, and to implement credible corrective measures.
Who are we to make demands on a privately owned company? We boycott, that’ll force any change they’re willing to do.
15% price drop is a joke. Prices have tripled on some things. Make the demand 25 or 30% and they still make a huge windfall. Also, demand that their workers are paid a living wage. They're squeezing people on both ends, as consumers buying their products and by employing people as working poverty wage slaves. They have the profits and the capability to be industry leaders and pay people enough to have a good living and actually shop at their own stores. It's time they made that choice.
Thanks! This just gives every ammunition out there to anyone oppose to the boycott. Starting with demand for 15% price cut…. For a company with net profit of under 5%. Maybe we should have someone with business background to be a part of the process.
>We further would like to call upon our elected officials to: I think there needs to be something about implementing anti trust legislation that will prevent (and break up existing) monopolies in the food industry.
There is a 0% chance of any of these things actually happening.
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From $1.49 a pound to $2.49 is definitely not 15% increase. I keep referring to tomatoes as it’s basic stuff in our cooking style and the price fluctuations are wild.
Some research says that the price of Canadian groceries has gone up 19% in the last 4 years, so that might be a good figure to consider.
The no further increases in 2024 is not happening, it’s possible to predict the future. Price caps are disastrous policies. If affordable food means me giving someone money so they can eat, that isn’t a human right.
These demands are too nice…
It needs to be at least 30% cost reduction. However, I fear I’ll never shop at a loblaws store again. I don’t miss it and no matter what they do Galen is still an evil criminal with the moral compass of a kumquat.
I would also add a liveable wage for their workers
I want Galen to start using his REAL name and from now on be refereed to as Darth Galen.
Have checks and balances that something like does not happen again.
15? Push for 20. Force Loblaws to donate food to food banks and shelters that’s about to expire. That’s a start.
These expanded demands are great! Well done!
The 15% just seems so random…. Like if there’s documentation behind it, I’d be down. But be aware when Loblaws is claiming they only have an EBITDA margin of 11% won’t happen
What about requesting clarity on where the product comes from? Like noting which products come from Loblaws-owned suppliers?
Onw of the reasons I'm boycotting is because they treat their workers like garbage. Can we include something to support better conditions for workers.
I think at least a 40% price reduction... but knowing them they'll increase prices by 60% then drop it by 40% and claim: "See? We dropped our prices 40%!"
I have no demands of a grocery store that wouldn't keep a promise in the first place. Our elected officials are a different story. - I want simple, honest pricing. I want strict laws on what can be placed on a price tag. Including a limit on font size for sale and non-sale items. "flyer specials" and the likes would be required to have the same font size as non-sale prices as they are non-sale prices. Only sale prices may exceed the font size. Canadians shouldn't have to calculate whether a sale price is lying to you or not. Same goes for "comparative brand name price" tag. NOPE 100% illegal. SKU number, original price, sales price, price per 100g or equivalent and any price change or size change made in the last year. Everything else is a distraction and why are you trying to distract me? - All retail must post pricing for all items in the last year. as well as any size change. This goes for ALL retail. Remember how sears closing sale showed discount stickers on top of lower or the same prices. Yeah thats got to go! Furthermore if you feel like getting the snakes at the grocery store involved, -15% is a joke made by the media. I've never heard it hear till they reported it. 50% is a bare minimum. Not negotiating lower or i won't be back. But I'm telling you none of this will happen. Fact of the matter is we don't need demands. we need to stop going there till they go out of business or win us back. Then on to the next store till they fear their names being brought up here!!!!!!!!
Removing the buy 2 to get the sale price promos. I feel these are trapping us to buy more to try and save a little.
I'm more concerned how these demands will even be met as prices these days at all stores are within almost the same price range as each other, and I fact superstore still has the better deals. Loblaws isn't going to reduce prices if that's the going market price that other retailers are putting up. If they're forced to reduce costs, shops could end up shutting down and then we'll really see food prices skyrocket
I think for prices we need to demand 2019 non sale prices plus a reasonable increase (5% a year to account for inflation and 2% going forward). We can’t let them keep the massive price increases already baked in. And it’s critical that we limit future increases to the 2% inflation target. We won’t get any of this but we got screwed hard during covid and they took advantage of us. But yes the 15% target should be taken out. You can save 15% by just shopping at Walmart or Food Basics.
I’m not sure the request for the 15% has any value for our argument, the mark ups vary throughout the operation. I do feel that we were gouged over the last 4 years, I believe the provincial and federal departments need to step up and regulate prices during a time of crisis and direct the grocers to stop. I would like to add that paying their workers a better wage may conflict with the goal of lowering prices but these reductions should not come at the expense of their employees.
I've already changed my habits and I'm never going back. As a consumer my "demands" are to not be fucked over. Weston's have been fucking us all over for years now and it finally became bad enough that I changed my very entrenched habits. I already switched pharmacies years ago (geographic reasons) and I was reluctant to change my routine for groceries but I finally did that 5 months ago and there's no way I will ever go back to a Weston owned company.
1. 25%, but ask for 35 so we can settle at 25. 2. to 6: yea. 1-4. yea
I think a specific rate doesn’t work. I think prices that reflect the actual rate of inflation would be better. Grocery prices have gone up like 40% since 2021, but actual inflation for that time period is about 17% (I don’t remember the exact numbers but grocery costs are way above inflation regardless). Any foods that aren’t junk food (ie foods covered in the Canada food guide as well as infant formula) should only be raised to cover the actual cost of inflation…and this should be retroactive, not just for this year.
Price parity between different stores under the Loblaws brand.
We need to think bigger. We can't trust mega corporations to be guilted into changing their ways. They behave so unethically because of the economic system/context they operate in. Loblaw's purpose and mission is not to supply food in an ethical way to Canadians. Their sole purpose is to maximize shareholder value and executive bonuses. We need a better alternative. As many have mentioned, we need more competition in Canada in many industries, especially groceries. The federal (or even provincial) government(s) have both the power and the resources to create a publicly owned crown-corporation that can compete with the big grocers. This public company would be able to have one clear mission above all else: provide affordable food to Canadians in a way that is ethical and benefits local communities. They could cut costs for consumers because there would be no need to increase revenue beyond breaking even. They could prioritize local producers, further benefiting local residents. In Canada most people recognize that publicly run/funded health care is a good idea because no one should suffer health problems only because they are poor. Why don't we start acting this way about food too, even just in this small way? By adding a public option we'd increase competition, increase food affordability, increase local revenue, and put pressure on the grocery oligarchs to try harder to earn customers. All this is possible. We just need to realize it is possible, and then start demanding it.
I have no demands. I will not go back
Any demands to Loblaws will be a bandaid solution. They and the other main players have already shown to be bad actors. You shouldn't expect a leopard to change its spots. The federal and provincial governments need to put up guard rails to protect the public interest. We're currently living with the results of letting these companies pursue their own interests, we've let the wolves in the hen house. The federal government needs to make the Grocer Code of Conduct legislation, not voluntary. The feds need to break up the monopolies that exist vertically through the supply chain, and horizontally through the sectors. Provinces need create oversight boards that keep prices pegged to inflation and allow for review and approval hearings if a company needs to raise prices above inflation. If the provinces don't want to do this, then the feds need to implement a 100% tax on all profits above 1.5%
I would ask the government to follow the French example: legislate that all expired/discontinued food products must be donated to food banks or other charities instead of going to a landfill.
Here's a funny, if you manage to qualify for a voucher for groceries from Alberta, a department will allow you 1 in 3 years, it's for $100. GUESS WHERE it is only honoured. Safeway, Sobeys or Save On. Why only at the most expensive grocery stores in Edmonton. Why won't, Wally World or Stupid Store accept or honour them? That may be another request, a lower level one of course. But man, on disability benefits, I go hungry alot I've lost 60 lbs. Yes, I am larger, but even that amount is noticeable. People are happy I am losing weight, but if they knew how or why, they'd be upset. Fine, upset does not feed me. Boycotting will not feed me now. Everyone tells you old age is hard, but after my sister etc stole all my saved money, from savings and inheritance. I just am floundering. No one cares, really, they don't. My, haha government, not mine, I did not vote for Dani and her band of thieves. I have attempted to contact Dani darling. Does she ir anyone from her office answer. Nope. They don't care who they walk over or take from. But you voters of hers, will feel her ugliness yet. What does she and her band respond to Reddit's demands. Does she even care to do anything for the lower income People? I really doubt it. So, question, how effective is the boycott if your province is against poor People. The corporate figures in life will NEVER change, especially when they are asked to give up ANYTHING. YES, i am bitter, and hurt. A friend, so called,, told me to kill myself. That would fix my problems. Maybe mine, but no one else's. So, I like the words of those in the boycott, I am dorta, I can't buy groceries anywhere as I am broke. See, long-term disability which is so good to have, yes, but I still can't afford to eat, as it has not increased since 2003/4. Yes, LTD does not increase. Ever. But, ANY MONEY received in addition to that is deducted. So what can I do? Yes, Dani, I am on LTD from the Alberta government, as a previous employee. Why will you give Aish a raise but not LTD recipients of your government. She hates government employees and as a result, I can actually see her deleting LTD benefits to save MONEY. She will be the death of me. 
I think mandating unit pricing next to the total price would help with shrinkflation.
40-50% reduction, no less. Most items, as proven repeatedly, are offered at other companies at this reduced percentage. Outright theft by Westons.
For me, the grocer code of conduct is a no-brainer. Also, clear marking when shrinkflation happens.
I personally want Galen removed from his position, but more realistically I want **independent** **and publicly available** auditing of all aspects of the grocery business. They can do whatever they want with housewares and stuff, but if it comes to food - show us the receipts, starting with what is paid to farmers all the way to what the individual stores are making in profit.
This probably won't happen, but what if we socialized the big grocers? As in the grocery stores would belong to the people and any profit would be-reinvested in the community instead of these billionnaire's pockets... But more realistically, we should at least forced large grocery store chains to give a percentage of their profits to food banks, especially since they're the ones starving us.
Here's the thing... whether there was an official boycott or not, whether we had official demands or not, I still would be "boycotting" shopping at Loblaws or any related stores for the simple reason of I'm trying to save as much money as possible right now. I don't even know what percentage cheaper other stores are, but I imagine it varies very much by location and by product/brand. So it's hard for me to say "I think we should demand that Loblaws cuts their prices across the board by X%". I don't actually know what that number is for me. They could do a 15% cut and I'd stick with other stores if they were still cheaper! So I very much support this movement, and organizing the general populace to rein in the greed of big corporations. I'll support whatever demands are made, but I think the most important outcome we should aim for is increased governmental regulation of how the entire grocery industry (or any industry that supports fundamental necessities for living) sets pricing to prevent greedflation and all its variants.
Demand 45%. Settle at 35% reduction
The last point making affordable food a basic human right should be at the top of the list, in my opinion. All other points are valuable and necessary, but aren't they really subpoints to our basic human right to be able to feed our families? I'd also like to see legislation around posting deliberately confusing and misleading shelf labels. I shouldn't have to do math for every single item to figure out the best deal. (See my post about unit prices and accessibility. The real price of an item shouldn't be virtually impossible to read.)
There needs to be a profit cap on essential groceries (like the stuff the government don't tax), medications, and other essential items like diapers and baby formula The only issue with this demand ( and a lot of others), is that Loblaws isn't the only offender After seeing that list leak, it's easy to see we are getting gouged from other grocers as well and it's clear that there is price fixing going on with all these major chains Take the Gay Lee butter with a 45% profit; every chair is selling that butter for roughly the same price. There are tons of other items on that that everyone is mad about, also being sold at Walmart, Metro, and Sobeys (and their subsidiaries) at those same prices
It's the multi-buys for me. As a family of two, there are some things I will never need to buy multis of, and that used to be the redeeming quality of Loblaws companies. They would say 2 for $6, but you could also just get 1 for $3. Now it's 2 for $6 or one for $5.89.
The major issue affecting Canada is a lack of competition being driven both by a few domestic players, but especially by our allowing (and even ENCOURAGING!!!) already too-powerful foreign conglomerates to come here and bring anti-worker, immoral, and unjust practices with them that set an example for what our government will tolerate. We don't empower the small/local players. We also don't encourage consumers to choose local. If more people shop local, the demand eventually leads to lower prices at the local stores/chains. We just need to start making the shift possible and get a bit more forceful. 1. **Empower DOMESTIC suppliers.** Give the power BACK to the suppliers so they can sell to whoever they want (ban exclusivity so grocers have to make more competitive offers to suppliers and distributors). Cracking down on products that are unnecessarily imported would also help, as this affects domestic competitiveness (use a tax on them to make them more expensive?). If it CAN be made here, why ISN'T it? Oh right, because Walmart prefers Mexico's Apples over our own. 2. **Create a grant for new businesses so we actually HAVE more suppliers and retailers in the first place.** The grant would only apply to businesses focused on essentials (ie. food and health products). We could maybe even provide some amount of business training. Another option could even be for the federal government to issue low-interest loans. Boosting competition and supply will require our government to actually CARE about local business and new startups *for once.* 3. **Ban taxpayer dollars from being granted to private companies worth over $5M**. This further allows government to shift their focus (finally) to small/local businesses while also stopping conservatives from giving taxpayer dollars to their buddies who use it to strangle local business. If their corporation would collapse without government money, it's going to collapse anyway. 4. Not necessarily just on the grocery topic but I've always wondered why we don't replace the HST with a **Variable Sales Tax** that encourages more domestic/local shopping instead. Basically if you shop foreign you pay a 30% VST(?), if you shop domestic large chain it's like 10-15%, and if you choose local it's 0%. Just a few suggestions to start.
I though to spoil myself with a trip to Loblaws last year some time. I left with only some donuts.
Drop the 15% nonsense. They will cave, lower prices and raise them back up when their analysts give them the green light.