Canadian consumers have been taking issue with Loblaw-owned stores left, right, and centre for months, whether it’s regarding the grocery giant’s in-store security measures, its discounting strategies, its ties to government officials, or its treatment of food suppliers.
On social media, there are countless complaints and videos about the supermarket chain, its subsidiaries, and its competition. Most concern rising food prices and the role that grocery executives like Loblaw heir Galen Weston play in them.
But there has also been some concern about a perceived decline in quality for some items while those prices remain high.
Loblaws in Toronto accused of price gouging after shocking sticker find https://t.co/LxcsCgHMlX
— blogTO (@blogTO) April 12, 2024
Alongside viral videos and photos showcasing shrinkflation — for which shoppers point the finger at grocery stores and food producers — there have been posts about mouldy products, altered expiry dates, and just disappointing food for the cost.
Out of Toronto this week comes another clip from a concerned customer who was happy to complain about not just the price of an item found on the shelf of her local Loblaw-owned store but the quality, too.
Thankfully, in this case, the item wasn’t anything as bad as near-rotten meat or $13 bags of apples, but it was something that concerned the resident nonetheless.
@anupreetksingh i hate this economy 😭😭 u dont even pay for quality #fortinos ♬ i like the way you kiss me – Artemas
“Fortinos, what are you doing?” the person asked in a now-viral TikTok video that shows them picking up a container of vegetable kabobs that they said was “$5 for some mediocrely chopped veggies on two sticks,” found at the Fortinos at 330 Queen’s Plate Drive in Etobicoke.
Besides the price, the individual was irked by the fact that she could see a label still on one of the veggies, which prompted some in the comments to wonder if the ready-to-grill produce was washed before it was packaged in-store.
“Why is the sticker on the bell pepper still?” the poster asked, writing in her caption, “I hate this economy. You don’t even pay for quality.”
While some replied with comments like “NOT THE STICKER,” “the AUDACITY,” and “that means they never washed them before sticking them on the stick,” the comments were pretty divided, with a few chiming in to say that $5 for the item was a deal and that if the shopper wanted, they could buy uncut, unpackaged veggies (also with stickers) from the same store.
“The person preparing them probably isn’t making a livable wage, don’t expect perfection,” one person added, to which another replied, “If I’m paying $5, I’d better not be seeing stickers!”
Others wanted to know if the packaging specified that the food was washed, while one suggested that in paying for the convenience of the pre-prepared food, complaining about the price and condition made for a “pointless dumb video.”
Regardless of the circumstance, it’s apparent that shoppers’ POV videos in Canadian grocery stores continue to track on social media and elicit their fair share of discussion about the cost of living in the country.