People call out Shoppers Drug Mart for price gouging after baffling find at Toronto store

It's pretty common knowledge that Loblaws-owned Shoppers Drug Mart has even more preposterous prices than its widely-hated supermarket sibling, but yet another instance of the pharmacy chain overcharging for basic staples — especially compared to competitors — has consumers fuming this week.

One young parent in Toronto experienced some serious sticker shock when they discovered the price discrepancy between a canister of baby formula at their local Walmart and the same exact product at a nearby Shoppers, with the latter charging nearly $10 more for the necessity (and shelving it in an anti-theft device, to boot).

"It's hard enough to raise a baby in this city but this to me is just like a next level f*** you. How is this kind of markup even allowed?" the individual questioned in a Reddit post sharing photos of the product, priced at $32.98 at Walmart and $42.29 at Shoppers.

Even if Walmart's was a sale price, the difference is still too much for residents to stomach.

Wal-Mart left, Shopper's right. It's hard enough to raise a baby in this city but this to me is just like a next level fuck you. How is this kind of mark up even allowed?
byu/daigoro intoronto

In just one day, the thread has spawned a storm of discussion about price-gouging in Canada, and about the nation's grocery oligopoly that has fostered such practices.

As of August, citizens are paying an average of 6.9 per cent more for food than they were at this time last year, while headline inflation is at a substantially lower four per cent.

Loblaws in particular has been singled out countless times in recent months for screwing shoppers over with exorbitant pricing while the company's most recent profits surged nearly a third year-over-year.

Criminals

— MyBeautyBug (@MyBeautyBug) August 6, 2023

Of the 500-plus comments on the formula post, many are saying that they only buy from Loblaws or Shoppers Drug Mart in emergencies, or when items are on sale.

"Shoppers is pricing like the worst of convenience stores these days," one person noted, while others likewise agreed that prices have shot up there faster than anywhere else and that the retailer has seemingly become the most expensive store to shop in.

"Don't buy baby stuff at Shoppers, or you'll go broke. Walmart and Costco are the only way," one user added.

Movement to boycott Loblaws gains steam as Canadians rile against corporate greedhttps://t.co/OpOQIQhW1j #Canada #Loblaws

— blogTO (@blogTO) November 29, 2022

Still, with such limited options of where to shop (or which airline to fly with, or which telecom provider to use) in Canada, it seems that in this over-inflated landscape, consumers have a bone to pick with nearly every brand and their pricing strategies.