Canadians share 'last straw' that made them stop shopping at Loblaws

Canadians fed up with grocery giant Loblaw are sharing the moment they experienced their "last straw" with the company before deciding they no longer wanted to shop there.

"What was the incident or event that made you realize that you had enough and wanted to shop elsewhere?" someone asked in the "Loblaws is out of control" subreddit group.

"When my Costco trip became cheaper than my regular grocery trip!!!" responded one commenter.

Another person highlighted two "distinct" moments when they realized they were no longer shopping at Loblaw stores.

"For grocery stores, it was when the pricing shifted to 2 / $X. Suddenly there were only sales if you were buying multiple of an item," they said.

They added that they stopped shopping at Shoppers Drug Mart when new security measures were introduced in the store's beauty section.

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A commenter said they had had enough when every grocery trip turned into a "memory test for what a 'good' price is."

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"About two years ago I noticed a significant increase in the price of their produce compared to other stores. Then started noticing the prices of some of their other products. That's when I called it quits with Loblaws," said another.

For some former Loblaw shoppers, it came down to the price increase on certain items like chips, orange juice, and noodles.

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One commenter said they were done with the company when it announced it was taking away its 50 per cent discount on nearly-expired items earlier this year. Initially, Loblaw said it would lower the discount to 30 per cent instead.

The company reinstated the popular discount policy following public outcry.

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The frustration Canadian shoppers have with Loblaw has led members of the "Loblaws is out of control" Reddit community to plan a boycott against all of the company's stores — including No Frills, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Real Canadian Superstore — for May.

The group, which boasts more than 38,000 members and is growing rapidly, says the boycott targets Loblaw in particular because it has become the face of Canada's cost of living crisis.

Members of the group are asking the company to reduce its prices by 15 per cent and remove "member-only pricing," where customers are forced to sign up for a PC Optimum card to access deals and sales.

Loblaw has not responded to news of the May boycott but did release a statement last week claiming that it's "making efforts to lower food inflation."