With grocery prices across BC climbing to exorbitant levels, one Vancouver-based artist has become a modern-day Robin Hood — without the stealing, of course.
The artist No Name Peasant has created a grocery store scavenger hunt of sorts. In one unknown grocery store in Vancouver, the artist has hidden $100 in a can of gruel to help “ease the pain” of grocery prices.
In an Instagram post, the can of gruel is disguised among cans of vegetable and chicken noodle soup. The explanation is on the back for the (most likely) confused shopper who finds the can of gruel among the soup.
“Good day, fellow peasant!” the can reads. “Price-fixing has contributed to higher grocery prices for all of us. Inside this can is a $100 bill to help ease the pain.”
This isn’t the first time No Name Peasant has worked to highlight the food crisis in the city.
In the past, the artist has creatively reworked posters from chains and brands such as Loblaws and President’s Choice to showcase the role that grocery stores play in widening inequality in Canada.
Posters of cans of gruel have previously been left outside Vancouver Loblaws stores. The artist previously told Daily Hive that they chose to mimic Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s soup can to point out how many Canadians can no longer afford what was once ordinary.
The artist has also affixed reworked posters of the President’s Choice brand, with posters instead showcasing “Peasant’s Choice.”
Despite the bleak outlook for grocery prices in Vancouver, it’s comforting to know that someone is out there trying to make a difference.
Will you be looking for the coveted can of gruel? Let us know in the comments below.