It’s no secret that Loblaw has been catching heat with many Canadian consumers.
Shoppers have turned to the internet to air out their grievances against the grocery corporation for everything from high prices to “passive-aggressive” signs.
While the grocery giant may not be been known for having the best PR strategy, it’s recently admitted to some “mistakes” it has made.
Here are three times Loblaw has admitted to its slip-ups after being called out by customers — in just this May.
Green onion-gate
Loblaws Is Out of Control/Screenshot
A photo of green onions with their roots cut off at a Loblaw-owned store caused quite a stir on the internet in May. Some folks online quickly blamed the company, speculating that they were trying to rip off customers and stop them from “regrowing [the onions] at home” by removing the root.
Others wondered if the move was simply an error on behalf of staff, something encouraged on a more local level by management rather than by corporate, or something done by suppliers rather than the store.
Loblaw responded to the green-onion conundrum with a “punny” explanation, admitting it was a mistake.
“We peeled back the onion on this one. It turns out it happened accidentally during a morning prep to one unfortunate batch of green onions at one store over a month ago,” a Loblaw representative told Daily Hive.
“The saddened scallions were removed from the shelf, given a new home, and weren’t sold. We hope this solves the mysterious chive-y conundrum.”
A volunteer employee?
A job posting for a Toronto-area Shoppers Drug Mart this month also raised eyebrows because it stated the store was looking for a volunteer worker.
The part-time position job was listed as a “volunteer” position on LinkedIn, and said the ideal candidate would be “responsible for assisting with various tasks and providing support to the staff.” These tasks included “helping customers find products, restocking shelves, organizing inventory and maintaining a clean and organized store environment.”
LinkedIn/Screenshot
The post was quickly listed as “unavailable” due to backlash. Emil Harba, the owner of the location, later said the position was posted in “error” and confirmed that all the employees at his store get paid a fair wage. He noted that he was trying to address numerous inquiries that he gets from folks looking for experience on a volunteer basis.
Harba said he noticed there was a “volunteer” option on LinkedIn and was hoping his post would help anyone wanting to gain that experience.
Loblaw confirmed that the post was an error and it does not “have volunteers in their stores and it’s against company policy.”
Chip sale fail
Loblaws Is Out Of Control/ Reddit
A sale sign for discounted chips at a No Frills location in Oshawa, Ontario, left many scratching their heads because of the minuscule savings advertised.
The photo, posted in the Loblaws Out of Control Reddit group, showed a sign for Lay’s Sweet Chili Heat Chips priced at $3.49 with a meagre savings of $0.01.
Folks in the comments had a field day with the underwhelming sale.
“You do realize that you can save a dollar if you buy 100 bags, right,” joked one person in the comments.
“I dunno, if you bought 349 bags you could get yourself another one for free!” wrote another.
Other commenters noted that it must be a mistake, and Loblaw confirmed with Daily Hive that it was. A company representative said the sign was an “error at one location” and has been removed.