Faced with soaring food prices, buyers are calling on consumers to boycott Loblaw supermarkets across the country next month to express their fed up.
We’re tired of dragging the devil by the tail
says one of the organizers of the boycott, Emily Johnson, a resident of Milton, a suburb of Toronto, in an interview with The Canadian Press.
Its page titled r/loblawsisoutofcontrol on the Reddit website has around 56,000 subscribers.
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The “Loblaws is out of control” movement forum on Reddit
Photo: Reddit
Boycott organizers would like Loblaw to sign a code of conduct for grocers and commit to offering more affordable prices.
It is impossible to know whether many consumers will follow this movement and what the loss of revenue will be for Loblaw, but Ms. Johnson hopes that the boycott will also serve to raise awareness among Canadians and attract the attention of governments.
For Torontonian Ann de Sequeira, Loblaw’s about-face on discounting near-expired foods shows that consumers can have leverage.
Loblaw defends itself
Loblaw CEO Per Bank says the company understands its customers are looking for deals.
He assures that he takes the public’s grievances seriously. This is something I want to tackle
he said in an interview with La Presse Canadienne.
He adds, however, that Loblaw appears to be a target easier
among the major supermarket chains. We have to deal with this
he says.
Everyone knows Loblaw and our president [Galen Weston].
Mr. Bank notes that grocers are facing rising prices from their suppliers.
Long term repercussions?
It is unlikely that a boycott of Loblaw in May will have a big financial impact on the company, but the company could suffer in the longer term if the loss of consumers continues, according to management professor Monica LaBarge of the Queen’s University. It’s very difficult to bring back customers
she notes.
For her, Loblaw and other grocery chains in the country do not seem to understand how frustrated consumers are
.
Halifax resident Tempa Hull says she will try to participate in the boycott in May, but only partially, because she does not have a car and there are only two grocery stores in her neighborhood, either a Loblaws and a Sobeys.
Both [compagnies] strangle us
she says. The government should take the issue more seriously and truly tackle the problem.
With information from The Canadian Press
