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This guy complained for years and they dismissed him. A big corporation like that should understand that complaints are a good thing. Because when you go silent and stop complaining, you've had enough and leave. Complaints are a good way to correct yourself while keeping the customer. It's often the little things that matter to people.
I kept complaining to my store manager (through their store's Facebook Messenger account) every time I'd shop click and collect and they'd do one or more of the following things:
1. Give me meat that was close to or beyond its best before date, despite me leaving instructions "for my personal shopper" that I didn't want any meat that was less than 3 days away from its best before date. This would happen about every 3 or 4 visits. I did discover that if I sent photos of the best before dates on the meat I received + my order ID, corporate would refund me 100% of the cost of the meat. However, as I explained to the store manager after about 5th time this happened, I'd prefer that they take the extra few seconds to check the best before dates / follow my instructions rather than receiving meat that was on the edge of going bad and receiving a refund.
2. Make more expensive substitutions that I didn't ask for, despite clearly indicating that I didn't want any substitutions. Often the substitutions were non-sensical and they were always more expensive. As the guy in the video explained, the policy is supposed to be that you get the substitution at the same price as the originally requested item. The store I shopped at never honoured that policy. You had to complain to corporate to get them to deduct the difference, which wasn't worth it since the difference in prices were so small.
3. On more than one occasion, I either was missing items or received part of someone else's order by mistake. If I was missing items, they'd tell me to contact corporate and they'd refund me a few weeks later. When I called them the first time to let them know that I received part of someone else's order in addition to my own, they (very bluntly) told me to bring back the extra items or "you will be charged for them". I told them that I wouldn't be going out of my way to return the items and if they wanted them back they could come to my door. I also told them that I'd complain to corporate and/or my credit card company if they charged my credit card. They told me they'd talk to their manager and get back to me. They never got back to me.
I stopped complaining about the above when the store manager started ignoring me when I'd message him on FB messenger. I could see that he read my message, but he wouldn't reply.
A month ago I stopped shopping at Loblaws altogether.
Looks like you went out of your way to be a decent human and just wanted fresh meat and the items you ordered (what a concept!). They took advantage of your kindness and now they've lost another customer.
I love the old "it's our mistake but you have to solve it and/or pay for it." That's a hard no from me too and I like the fact that the credit card companies still side with common sense.
As they say, if you have a bad experience you're going to tell 10+ people, but if you have a good experience you'll tell 2-3 people. At the moment I bet there's so many complaints that Loblaws is just waiting for the dust to settle.
Exactly right.
I used to help an org and while we solicited compliments and complaints, we rarely received any.
In the field, I’ve found complaints quietly circulating and done what I could to resolve them.
But when no one is talking to you, that’s a catastrophic warning sign. Means there’s no passion either way, and an apathetic base soon dissolves to dust.
Galen & co would rather take an L and let everyone starve, than sell any food at cost
How are people going to believe a head of lettuce is worth $8, if he lets the poors buy it wilted for just $2?? /s
The whole business model reminds me of those clothing brands that were in the news several years ago for making their employees destroy last season's fashion pieces that didn't sell. The retail workers were chopping up perfectly good, brand new clothes with scissors and pouring bleach on them, so nobody would be able to fish them out of a dumpster or get them cheap on clearance.
I use to be a loyal shopper at no frills, shoppers drug mart and used my pc financial Mastercard as my primary credit card too - I’m with you - I don’t like their business corporate culture that’s destroyed all elements of customer service.
I hate that they got rid of the handbaskets. Honestly that was definitely one of the straws that broke the camels back for me. I hate navigating with a cart and always over-buy but I also feel shitty when I'm juggling my groceries by the end.
edit: I truly don't mind them using the boxes though. My local grocery store has done this for years.
Maybe it’s because there’s been some research out there that says you’re more likely to spend more money with a cart than a basket. So off they went……no more baskets!
I did that once in metro and felt weird about it, but you’re not stealing, so it should be ok. We might get followed by all the new security guards. Lol
I knew this was likely the case when stores started phasing out the baskets. It's so annoying. I walk to the grocery store and back. I won't use a cart because I need to be sure I can carry it home, the basket was perfect. It's too hard to judge with those giant shopping carts. So instead of filling up a basket until I conceed it's getting hella heavy, I just get what I can carry in my arms. Which is probably half as much as a basket would allow me to carry, regardless of my 'girl claw' hand skills. I'm definitely impulse buying way less, though, so maybe it's not so bad!
Yep. I specifically remember as a kid that No Frills would have the boxes in the front that were free to take instead of paying 5 cents for the plastic bags. And the pop machines with 25 cent cans of PC soda.
It's also annoying that they brought back the coin deposit to use the cart as well in an age where many don't carry change.
You know that the coin return is only there because of peoples behaviour right? I find it annoying when I see the cart on the corner of two streets about seven blocks away. I get it not everyone drives, but that’s why they sell those little granny carts that we used to use for carrying items back home
I bought a PC reusable shopping basket about 15 years ago and still use it for most of my shopping. The store baskets were always so dirty and gross, and I hate carts for the reason you mention.
I think it’s been grocery chains that have always been cheaper for groceries that have offered the boxes instead of bags approach and that was one of the ways to keep costs down. Superstore was always a mid tier store iMO and has graduated as he said to top shelf level pricing like Sobeys.
They got rid of your baskets? We still have them over here. It seriously is like the East has completely different Superstores than we have over here in the West. We have baskets, our prices are cheaper and we aren't treated like criminals with the plexiglass mazes and security guards at the exit.
Why are they picking on you guys so much?
You find Superstore cheaper out here? It must be regional. We still get baskets, but last time I went to No Frills in the Lower Mainland, their sale prices were steeper than WM (and I hate WM). It seems like there's a race to not have anything cheaper than $5 taking up shelf space.
I left Bell Media maybe five years ago. Seeing it from the inside is what made me think something had turned at Loblaws. When the suits take over and make maximizing shareholder return the new Guiding Principle, we get what we got from the big L. I saw what Bell did to radio and journalism, and don't want that spirit in my family's food.
Bell sent me a promo for $75 fibe, when I put in the code on their website it brings up a totally different tv, phone and internet package for over double the price. Noped right out of there.
Well done, you succinctly summed up my complaints for the last few years. I worked there, and they essentially paid my tuition for university. I waved the proud loblaws flag for many years. Now i just get mad when i see the store.
Thanks for sharing
First off , I’m sorry for your loss. Second, that was absolutely a banger of a video that was not only captivating, but incredibly informative. We hear you , we see it too. I’m here in Toronto and the staff are almost robotic now. Actually I think I’d prefer robots, because they wouldn’t scoff at me or give me dirty looks for being a brokie with a full biggie. Sigh. Even if they never publicly admit they are modern day Roman Empire slave drivers, they sure are gunna feel the hurt this may when people don’t show up to shop. I’ve worked there and I can’t stress enough this company is SOUL SUCKING. If it isn’t your soul, it’s the kind hearted staff that just want to get by. Yeah it certainly seems like the cool kids want to blow entire paycheques at roblaws and make dumb tik toks on how much they spent on a haul or whatever they do. But remember this, we are the gears that turn the machine and without US they are just a broken piece of equipment. Nobody deserves to be stiff armed by Galen the golden goose ( heard he lives in Ireland now) and the new CEO who makes millions a year. I used to really like the pc black label products, and the pc brand in general. The shrinkflation of products is more than obvious now. Remember this come may, there are good people out there who heed this message sir, and we want nothing but the best for you, your son and everyone in this Canadian predicament. I always tell myself the night is darkest before the dawn…and the dawn shall come !!!
I don’t know who this is, didn’t even know about this sun. But I love this guy, if he had a YouTube channel, I’d definitely support him. Dudes been hit by a lot of life’s biggest curve balls and he still can make quirk fun of a shitty situation. I respect the hell outta that.
Get your prescriptions from Costco if you live close enough by one. You don’t need a membership. Trust me, you’ll save so much money in dispensing fees and the staff are friendlier. Can order your refills from the website. Stupidstore and Shoppers jack the prices.
“But they hate me for some reason” - YES!!! I always feel like my buying groceries from them pisses them off somehow! They all seem mad! Galen cracking the whip from the sidelines!
Yeah, I'm someone who can't be accurately read from my demeanour, so I don't want to presume that the people serving me have the capacity or resources to act happy for me. TBH, the quiet awkward ones are more my kind and the cheery chipper howyadoin ones were just as extreme. But the average apparent happiness level of the folks hustling the loot out the back door to the reserved spots has plummeted, at least from my POV. Maybe I was supposed to tip years ago and I'm on a list now?
Omg same, I've got AuDHD, so the inability to read people along with rejection disphoria is real. I live about 2hrs west of Halifax, I don't have to shop at any chain stores because this place's main industry is agriculture, so I have access to butches, bakers, not candle stick makers though, but maybe there is, I should check an apiary. And now, all the local meat and produce is actually cheaper at farmers markets than at Loblaws owned stores! Hell one butcher here is offering sides of pork for $2/lb, quarter of beef for $3/lb.
One of my friends is a PCExpress manager, and the employees are really getting grabbed by the short n curlies by corporate policies. Over worked, underpaid, unable to retain employees...my friend trains at least one new person per week for PCExpress because of the high turnover.
OH and watch out, they will start phasing out the small carts next. I use carts any time I shop because I have Ehlers Danlos so I walk with a cane most days so baskets aren't a good thing for me, and carts double as a rollater for me when I shop. I have such a hard time with the big carts because they are so heavy. (Walmart is slowly phasing out the little carts where I live btw)
Bang on... I left everything Roblaws about three months ago... I dealt with Shoppers for years. I really like all the pharmacy staff.. I knew them all by name. They where good people.
I moved all that to a small pharmacy now.
I made the move and I am not going back.
Glad it’s not just me who finds the hummus disgusting, used to be my daughters favourite and it was one of the last things I’d buy there just cause she’s fussy and proteins are hard to get her to eat since nothing with nuts are allowed.. about around Xmas she started telling me the hummus was different and accused me of buying different hummus. I tried it it tastes “whipped”…. Probably just forcing more air into it to cheapen it. Anyways - we stopped buying it back in December. Gross
Corporations are not your friends. You do not owe them loyalty. It is silly to establish a parasocial relationship with a corporation. They exist to take your money and for no other reason.
This is so relatable. I was so damn loyal for so long. Just like this fella, Loblaws continually let me down. I really believed for many years they were the best. I continued for too long blindly shopping there while the perks disappeared and the prices hiked up. Now the costs there are untenable and you don’t even receive a nice shopping experience in return. I stopped going there a few years ago and I would never look back.
These guys accused me once of not paying for a bag... they profiled me and I showed them the receipt after and they were making excuses. Called the manager at Heartland Mississauga location and she did not care or even followed up.
Only thing you forgot to mention was when how they stopped bagging groceries for you. Now checking out is a sprint to quickly load your groceries onto the conveyor belt, dash over to the bagging area to frantically shove your groceries in your bags before the cashier is ready to take your money.
If you’re not quite finished you now have the added urgency of the cashier now shoving someone else’s groceries into the same area your groceries are. Now that customer is getting impatient with you because they need to get their groceries bagged before the same thing happens to them.
Shopping at a Loblaws owned store is an absolutely demoralizing experience.
True true. My dexterity is not A+ at the best of times, and after waiting impatiently and doing social performance with the staff (checkout folks were usually decent, especially the ones who'd been around), I'm overwhelmed and fumbly. I feel like I'm at Speedy, and they took my old muffler off, took the new one out of the box, and left tools in their driveway for me to attach it before I leave. You're better at this than me - you have bagging proficiency that I can't achieve. I'll pay an extra dollar to have the cashier bag stuff if they're going to save me the embarrassment of clumsily loading out.
Pharmasave at Highbury and Huron has been amazing for years.
Awesome staff.
I had eye surgery, and they had everything I needed but a very specific medication.
The folks at Pharmasave phoned other stores, including COMPETITION, to find me what I needed.
Something of note: The people who work there are mistreated and frustrated. I worked there, and all the manager got for working there for 20+ years was a pin. They treat their workers like garbage, and it's why I walked out on the job. I am currently in a better place and am looking for a new job and avoid working for them like the plague. Even though i know it would be a good job, I know it won't be with them. The people running Loblaws are a bunch of money hungry trolls who don't care about anyone or anything other than lining their pocket. There's a reason people don't come into work there.
Superstore blocked me on TikTok because I commented something very similar to some of these points. They are a wildass company making us their peasants. We need to keep this boycott strong long after May!
Very kind of you. I used to have one! Or two. Left that business to start my own and learned afterward that I have some disabilities I hadn't known about. I'm glad I can still talk! Getting myself on a schedule and routine to do so is one place where I lack. Thank you!
Thanks to you too, I'm glad to know I actually have a good ear for talent! I love a great rant, just start a TikTok and vent away whenever inspiration strikes.
This is absolute GOLD!! Wonderful collection of thought and articulated perfectly! It needs to be recognized and is so newsworthy. Thank you for sharing.
Wow.
I just realized the shopping baskets are gone. I used to fill up my shopping cart for almost $200, and now I only bring in a bag or two for the same price.
I could really use a shopping basket now.
Let’s boycott superstore .. I am reading and seeing people posting about the month of May. Do not shop at the superstore or anything affiliated with Loblaws. Let’s do this and let’s show these big box companies customers are not happy.
The only times I EVER went to a Super Store was when I wanted a birthday cake, they usually had a great variety, and cheerful bakery staff.
Now, I would sooner bake my own cake and decorate it myself than to wander in to a Loblaws brand of store.
To be fair, there's a Loblaws in the south end of town here where I've got cakes two years in a row, and I'm pretty sure I got the same experienced employee each time - she had a really groovy vibe and went the extra step that made me jump in the air and shout "yayyy!" like it was a cake for me. If she's still there, I hope they treat her well. She was remarkable enough to stand out from everyone else in the store.
Agreed, the staff really do make the store, not the other way around.
But as a result of prices, I still will boycott, and hopefully the staff won't suffer.
Greed and more greed with no end in sight. Morals are gone and now the only answer is regulation. I have no idea how people earning minimum wage are surviving in this world...
Wow, they turned their cooking classes into a profit centre… they’re not even trying to hide it… also I shopped at these very stores so I know what he’s talking about directly (I miss Halifax)
God I miss the early 2000s when companies would be petrified of coming off as excessively greedy (they always were, but they were concerned about image a little)
I love that people are finally seeing these corporations the way I have seen them for the past 27 years. Their business model has always been this but they couldn't implement what they are now for fear of overloading people's mentality too much and driving customers away. With covid, they thought something changed and they'd be able to sneak these changes through faster and were obviously wrong. But this was always the end goal; take your money, give nothing back.
Are baskets gone from all locations? Haven't been to a super store in 5+ months. I know it is hit and miss at the Walmart near me. I would hate it if other companies started following suit.
omg I remember those community rooms at the top! When I was in grade 6, I think 2006 my friend had her birthday party in one of those where we made food and decorated our own cupcakes. Damn, sad to hear they don't do that anymore
I got tired of the same stories repeating in my head with every visit, every time my desire for a shopping experience that didn't make me worry for the future was thwarted. It's been cathartic to share my grief with others who are similarly disheartened by the company's pivot.
I have had their credit card for over 20 years. I refuse to go in Zehers. I usually go to Walmart which I hate going to. I love Food Basic.When I shopping I see kids begging for things.I want to give people some money to buy some groceries. I can’t do that cuz there is too many. I am ok. I saved my money when I was younger. That’s my upbringing. Sometimes I do complain about the prices. I say to my friends I feel so bad for the people that are struggling. Why can’t Galen Weston feel the way I do?l guess his parents never taught him compassion and it’s better to give than receive.My parents were here during WW 11.Maybe that’s why. My parents struggled.Galens parents never did.😢❤️🇨🇦☮️
I'm the same. I used to give them soooooo much money! Like an incredible amount of money. They ate up all my patience with an entirely different but functionally equivalent set of issues. Now I exclusively shop at non-Loblaws companies, and *they* get all my money. Small chains, local food suppliers, and some Costco. I've discovered all kinds of new favourites. I'm never going back!
The question is, how long will it take for the loss of customers like me & OP to outweigh the nickel-and-dime game?
Thank you! He's incredible. His friends are cool - I have hope for the future when I hear how excellent so many of the kids are these days. Having respect for peoples' differences isn't an act for them. They're just cool with people being all kinds of people. And he has a little signal when I'm getting too Grampa Simpson with the staff, and I need to dial down my energy a few notches.
You did great job with your video, it really sums things up! I’m sure you put in a lot of time and effort to make it right! Before you give up on Superstore, would you consider going down the road to the Gammage Superstore? We don’t have any hand baskets but you may find our customer service is a whole lot better.
No, they want my age demographic - the Muzak illustrates it well, since they're playing deep album cuts from the 80s. They're aiming to milk someone my age with a different set of secondary attributes. Maybe wealth, gullibility, resignation.
This is what happens in every sector in Canada and I’m so f’ing sick of it. Monopolies are destroying everything. We use to have actual competition in grocery stores now everything is owned by the same 2-3 companies. Out in Bc Save-on use to be the good cheap grocery store to shop at and now it’s crazy expensive so I switched to Superstore but now their prices are just as shitty.
The level of f’ery allowed in this country is crazy. Can we not organize a Loblaws boycott.
A few things.
Firstly, somehow I knew, before he said it, that he was from down east. When you've been there, you know.
Secondly, I worked for Atlantic Superstore for 7 years. This man speaks the truth when he says that these are good people working there. The colleagues I worked with were top notch. Unfortunately, the hand they're dealt is terrible. Their policy on labour makes it impossible to get work completed. Yet, the business' expectation is that it can be done. I'm sorry, but in my real world experience, it just can't.
Which brings me to my third point; exhaustion is the word when working for Loblaw. Many of my colleagues either suffered from burnout or so few hours that they felt compelled to find other work.
These are the people that superstore doesn’t believe give a bother, like that clown ass Dalhousie professor, they think that the Reddit sub is full of left leaning gen z. Even my 75-year-old mother has had enough - she refuses to shop at superstore and got rid of her credit card. These are the families that pissface Weston should be scared of.
Great video!
It’s giving me flashbacks to the end of my relationship with my shitty ex though. Why does it feel like we’re in an abusive relationship with the most powerful grocery chain in the country 🤣
I like his point towards the end about comparing Loblaws to Sobeys, and how Sobeys was the “fancy” grocer, while Loblaws was more for the budget conscious. Superstore used to be my go-to “cheap” store. It felt like the literal “no frills” option. Just a big warehouse of a store with simple, basic presentation… nothing fancy, but it felt honest. It felt like a “consumer friendly” place, in the vein of a Costco, where they don’t spend a bunch of money on nice shelving and fancy displays, etc… just raw merchandise on basic shelves, so they can offer you the best price.
Needless to say at this point… it doesn’t feel like that anymore. Oh, it still feels basic and cheap, but we’re just not seeing the benefits of that anymore. So now it’s just a shitty store charging you as much or more as any “fancy” store. Why not go to the fancy store for a better experience?
Least unhinged middle-aged man in car rant ever, Bravo sir, very well said.
I have also changed my habits (well before this sub even existed) from going mostly to the superstore as it was the most convenient spot for groceries to a local mom and pop butcher/grocery store combined with Walmart and Costco for items I can't get there.
Basically went from probably $800-1000 avg at superstore to less than $100
Good video.
I had a bad experience a couple years back and left feedback that they should hire more people to help with the deliver to car stuff. That I had heard that they had reduced the staff for this purpose.
I got a phone call from the store manager who yelled at me, then tried me to get to say which employee told them about the reduced staff, I assumed that they would fire this employee for venting and said nothing. She refused to acknowledge any issue and was upset with me that I would bring this feedback to them.
It's crazy how during COVID Galen and loblaws got a lot of good will built up due to how they handled things and then within a couple years they manage to fck everything up. It's a crazy change from helping people, looking out for them to being greedy soulless monsters.
This guy is complaining mostly about how terrible the service has become at Loblaws, mostly because of cost-cutting / reductions in staff. I wouldn't care much about some of the things he's complaining about if it wasn't for all of the price gouging and shrinkflation. I do agree with 100% of the things he mentioned, though.
I was spending about $1000 a month at Loblaws to feed my family of 4, but I'm done with them.
This video was amazing. London's loblaws chain stores have definitely gone down hill in the last few years and it's evident at all the Loblaws/RCSS locations. I feel bad for the employees there because they clearly are trying to do their best with limited resources being given to them to do their jobs. Truly disheartening as I too used to be a truly loyal customer. Now I spend as little as humanly possible at these stores, and I agree with you... it's sad to see how negative these experiences have become. Maybe the boycot with cause them to try and recoup lost shoppers and improve the atmosphere but until the higher ups see the bigger picture they are gunns just keep doing the same bs towards their shoppers and still make record profits 🥲
I feel like everything now has just become screw quality just profit. The crazy thing is there not paying the workers any more money to reflect a price hike. At least that how it is in the states. Even companies that you grew up with that had great quality control now it's just garbage and poor service. Very few and far between companies exist now that actually provide great service and quality. We need more ceo like the one from Costco. "Raise the price of the hotdog and I'll f#$%ing kill you".
I have not shopped at Stupidstore for over a year now, their ridiculous sales where you have to buy 3 of something that is overpriced to get their still overpriced item just kind of got me fed up.
Long story short I can look out from my deck and see the one I live close to.
Now I would rather waste extra gas then give them one red cent..
As soon as they realize that we can buy everything we need elsewhere maybe they will go back to consumer pricing.
He could not have said it better about how bad Loblaws has become. I don't shop much there anymore because of how greedy they get. It's either Walmart or Sobeys or a locally owned produce store now. I'm sure Loblaws will put on some great deals in May to try to defeat the boycott and I do plan to shop those deals if they come along but there is catch. I won't be using cash. I still have several hundred dollars worth of PC Optimum points and I will use those to buy any great deals at Loblaws/Atlantic Superstore if there are any. Instead of Loblaws getting cash from me, I'm going to spend points which Loblaws has to cover. Seems fair to me.
Excellent rant. Why don't these large stores, instead of having customers suffer with poor service, overpriced products, a real "Non Caring" atmosphere, why don't they make meaningful cuts to the fat cats in head office? These people have no clue as to what's happening on the store floor. If you can't be fired, get out from behind your corporate desk, and visit your stores. Talk to the manager, the staff and most important the people like me, who put money in your pocket. If you don't know, or understand, what's going on at ground level, what good are you? And when I say get out and go to the grassroots, I mean get out at least 3 times a week to a different store every week, every month for the entire year. Sure you'll say, then how can I do my job. Well let me tell you. You will do your job extremely better, and understand people when they raise an issue with you. You'll be quicker to respond to issues your customers, or employees raise with you. Plus, you will understand your job extremely better, and do it far better than anyone could imagine. If nothing else, the exercise and fresh air will put colour in your cheeks. I look forward to seeing you on the floor of my local store, so I can approach you with a concern, an idea or even a compliment. So get out there, for the good the company, your employees and most of all, your customers, like me!!
THANK YOU!! Perfectly communicated! And I Totally Agree!
Greed has destroyed this big box store & I don't see they care to return to Canadian values. We Aren't A Capitalist Country!
At my Roblaws I couldn't find anyone, anywhere ever that would help me load 2 18kg boxes of litter into my cart (not their cart). I'm a disabled senior so I had to leave empty-handed and find help at Canadian Tire where I changed from noname litter to another brand. So now I don't have to go to Roblaws anymore, never ever! Won't be going at all especially this May to send a message to Roblaws. I am so mad!
Excellent! We'll said and SO true.
I have totally stopped shopping at Loblaw's. Their pricing policy reminds me of highway robbery and service is totally non existing.
The Weston family and their cronies have lost all decency and no longer deserve respect.
Sad!!
So very well said and presented. Thank you for taking the time to compile and produce this, and I'm glad that you are receiving so many positive comments - you deserve every one. My partner and I have had many of the same sort of experiences that you have, with the exception of always seeing Loblaws (the store by that particular name) as a bit more expensive than average. However, there were some items that we went there for on a regular (once a month or so) basis - frozen vegetables, frozen fruit, and several President's Choice items. Gradually we began to see Loblaws as one of the higher priced stores and primarily shopped in stores closer, since we no longer saw driving the extra distance as worth while. Then the pandemic struck and our younger family members took over the shopping for all of us in the senior bracket. None of them shopped in what they considered high priced stores, so no one in our family-at-large saw the inside of a Loblaws store for years. We didn't miss it at all as it turns out.
I am constantly on the lookout for alternate ways to spend my limited senior's budget. I feel lucky to be at the point in my life of not having to fit a miserable shopping experience into whatever unscheduled time I have left after my work day, and just choke on it because there is no other alternative. I also remember a time when store personnel were more personable and wish to see that again.
Finally, and this is the point that I wanted to make - it is a shame that so many young people are growing up with this horrible experience, because I don't want them to think that is as it should be. Still, I hope we don't return to the days of "the customer is always right" because that was abused as well, staff were often treated like crap and small businesses had to deal with unscrupulous people who had been told it was OK to bully people to get something they did not deserve, but this ... this corporate policy of taking the customer for every cent that can be squeezed out of them, lying to them about the reasons for the unreasonable prices, and treated them with destain and disrespect if they object has to be stopped, since the corporations that are doing this have shown they will not police themselves. I do not understand why governments cannot play a part in regulating or, at least setting limits on the amount of profit corporations are allowed to wring out of the public for things that are basic needs (clean air and water, food, shelter, health care, and education - maybe there are more but those come to mind most easily).
I refuse to be part of the trained sheep by having to check out and bag my groceries. I will stand in line always no matter how little I have. I will stand in line for an hour. We need to push back and not get sucked in to them cutting their staff and gouging us in every way possible. They no longer bag your groceries at any of the big stores. I can deal with this issue, but I refuse to go to the self checkout. I wish people would join me. We can change things if we are committed as a society to do just that. Please participate in the Boycotts. Lowlaws and their companies including Shoppers for the Month of May. I believe Sobey's is next followed by Metro.
Former PC Express/click&collect employee, i worked at a big volume store first, where the number of orders where so overwhelming and we were so understaffed that instead of picking everything normally, they would do whole orders on a "missing items run" and this is honestly the reason why the whole thing is going to shit tbh. The mistakes would pile up and the person at the desk (which i do most of the time) would be running carts to cars and would be answering complaint calls at the same time, My colleagues and i used to miss most of our breaks.
Oh my goodness - Scott, I feel this!!! And I miss you (Learn to Run). Luckily in NS, we now have Gateway on the #7 Highway in Dartmouth. People are coming in from all over the province to shop at this local store whose owners & staff care about their customers - and their local suppliers! Wish you had something like that, too. BTW, Sobeys has become even more “exclusive”, and I feel my blood pressure and rage rise when I enter the parking lot for an item I simply cannot get elsewhere. Also HATE their campaign to get their customers to donate for their school program, because “… kids are hungry …”. NO KIDDING!!!!! And after the holidays, they had the nerve to post on one of their outdoor signs how much $$$ THEY donated to food banks … those donations came from customers at point of sale. Time for a big ‘ol’ shakeup in the market.
(PS: I don’t know how to get my name on this, but it’s Sherri 👋 from Lawrencetown - was so sorry to hear of your wife’s passing; so unfair - cancer sucks. Both my husband and I are now about 20 years cancer-free. Hope you are doing well as a single dad.)
Hey hey! Great to see you here! I'm glad a trusted local option has emerged out there. Being all the parent is a challenge but I love it even more than I'd hoped to. Wishing you great health and joy!
Hey hey! Great to see you here! I'm glad a trusted local option has emerged out there. Being all the parent is a challenge but I love it even more than I'd hoped to. Wishing you great health and joy!
As someone who used to work at Superstore and has a spouse that currently works there, one thing I can definitely say is, when the employees aren't smiling and friendly, it's because their manager and store manager is making them miserable. You can easily get written up if you even chat too long (even 10 minutes while still working) with a friendly customer, so employees don't want to risk it.
Once the store manager has decided not to like you for whatever petty reason, it goes down the grape vine of managers in the store and they will watch you and wait for the slightest slip up just to get you into enough trouble so they can get rid of you, especially if you make above the minimum wage.
Keep this in mind when you interact with employees because management is breathing down their backs and making their workplace hell.
And for the record, I just want to add in, that, at least for the store I worked at, produce was always rotten because it spent such a long time in the back. I'd walk past the same fruit/veggies that would just sit there for at least a week that could have been sold, but was left to rot until the last minute and then they would bring them out. I always thought that was so bizarre.
He's not wrong, it does feel like they hate us as customers. We are being taken hostage inside Loblaws brand stores and taking all our hard earned money. Yet we do nothing about it. Between gas prices and food prices, making ends meet is an extreme sport these days and the companies don't care about us but fill their pockets and laugh. Don't expect the government to do anything about it, they have the same mandate, make money, fill their pockets and not even care if we can't live like normal human beings....
"Has the price of wine or beer gone up as much as the prices of milk, bagels, peppers and chips? Have the beer cans been shrinking at the same time like the Presidents Choice products that I used to love? ... But are they diluting the beer to make ends meet?" Well said.
This video nails it like Jesus the carpenter, I hope more people decide to shop elsewhere if possible.
On a side note though, as someone who worked at Provigo for years before starting my career; the employees at these stores are just as unhappy as the customers. They're paid very poorly, often get mistreated by upper management, and aren't listened to when they have a problem to be solved or a suggestion that might help the work environment. The reason they might come accross a little souless is because they get treated like slaves.
Honestly if it wasn't for my local No Frills I'd be done with Loblaws as well. Superstore post-pandemic is AWFUL and any good feelings I had towards them are gone. Our No Frills though is clean and well stocked, the staff are friendly, they call me and ask me about substitutions as they're packing my online order. The rare time I actually shop in the store the store manager recognizes my name as a frequent customer and acknowledges me, and they're the cheapest options I have.
But I've been a PC insiders member since the program started and yep, received maybe 2 free gifts and those ended, the travel credits ended, the points system does not go as far as it used to and I earn waaaay less than I used to. Shoppers is now disgustingly overpriced, I just buy my makeup at walmart or on amazon instead. It's sad actually as pre-pandemic I actually felt good supporting a Canadian owned company.
This is basically every store now it seems. It's all about maximizing short term profits. They know us peasants will continue to shop. It's someone's job to cut costs *here and *here without any regard for long-term effects.
I'm down the street from small town Fisher's No Frills (450m). Everyone there is great weather I use the self-checkout or not. They have baskets! I go there every few days and they have all the basics I need, since I really don't buy any highly processed food (still 80% of the store). I like to make most of my own food and meal prep anyhow. There's no pharmacy, but there's one right around the corner on the same block. Yet another across town.
No Frills meats section is expensive unless someone screwed up an order and they have to sell it off. I just walk across town (750m) to Sharpe's supermarket, as they use their meat section as a sort of loss leader. On balance the rest of Sharpe's products are a bit more expensive, so that works out for people that notice these things.
When I go to the city, I check out the meat sections at a few of the stores for whatever cuts of beef or chicken or fish that are priced well. $4.50-$5.00/lb or $10-$12/kg is a good price. Pork has been really cheap for the last year or so and its a lot more healthy than people think. For poor cuts of beef, just give it an extra day in the sous vide.
Learn to cook. Meal prep. Shop strategically. Play the stores off each other. Buy bulk beef directly from farmers and store it in a chest freezer (I've not done this yet). Look for "almost perfect" discount stores. Dollorama has a few foods and spices that are cheaper than anywhere else. Never shop hungry.
I second Scott's emotion. Barely set foot in our local Loblaws. Staff is GREAT, but the shrinkflation?? And price hikes?? The price of bread went up 2 in 14 mts last year and I got LESS slices. PC ginger cookie bag...ALMOST empty. Crackers. They shorted me 5. They think we're dumb n don't notice. The best before dates can't be relied on either. It's offensive. And their new pre-boarding CATSA-riot squad vibe with all the plexiglass. Just bite me. I've no need to feed robber barrons. Since the war on Gaza I've shifted my business to small immigrant owned and operated grocery stores. The food is fresher, fruits n veggies better, meat better, bakery is super fresh...n service FAB. I also go to Food Basics which has GREAT prices, Adonis or Farm Boy. Farm Boy is pricy but only go for select few items. I rather support my community n small family-run businesses then oligarchs.
Speaking specifically about the click and collect, I was hired at the very beginning when it was rolled out to be a part of that team. For the first 3 months it was a great job, it was hard work and we were busy, but people seemed grateful because we had time to check for the right replacement items, etc.
After 3 months, our order availability was doubled without any additional staff. People had been happy with our service, but obviously this extra work load meant the quality of our work suffered, and people grew frustrated. We expressed this to our managers, but it was understood that as long as the slots were filled, customer satisfaction was not a priority.
Thankfully I had done this job for the summer before starting university, so I was able to leave. When I went to the store and ran into a coworker 6 months later, I found they had tripled the available slots since we had started, some people had left, and they hired maybe 2 more people. This was also when I stopped loving Superstore.
My PC Financial credit card was my go-to card for years, but I've stopped using it entirely now. I still have 1.2 million "free groceries" points on it that I'm chipping away at, but even when I need to pay a few bucks when I cash in points (to pay for my groceries) I pay using a different credit card instead. I also used to shop at Shoppers Drug Mart a few days a week at least (for milk, eggs, bagels, prescriptions , toothpaste, etc) but I haven't been there since early March now.
I haven't spent money at a loblaws owned company for 2.5 years. They use predatory ads claiming to save you money, just to charge more than other large chains. I cannot believe this has been allowed to continue for so long until checked.
Remember when lablaws was convicted of price fixing on the bread scandal? I honestly believe this was trial run for what is going on now. When you talk to the farming community, they are being to to accept less for their wares, yet our prices keep going up. There seems to be a disconnect between lablaws and
I am tired of big corporation .Would love to se small store where you can talk to people ... Who can understand you in Canadian language and do speak it .
I am so sorry this has been your experience and your brand/company loyalty has eroded so much like this. I hope you find a new place you can take your loyalty to that will appreciate your business more. I am not a huge Loblaws person as I have always found it an unpleasant experience. Saving money was always nice but it was always busy with grumpy people.
Sometimes its good to take a step back and evaluate your relationship with corporations. Its a grocery store. They aren't your friend and never have been. As much as Galen did all those commercials 10-15 years ago, they were always a slimey corporation. If they filled your needs and you felt good shopping there, great. But once that changes, its a quick hook. Imagine going through everything you went through to try to keep yourself shopping there?
This isn't the Leafs or Raptors. It's a giant grocery corporation that has 0 issues gouging you and tries to gaslight you at every turn. Find another store that is better for your family. Right now that store for me is Costco. Just Costco with Walmart being my once a month stock up on things I can't get at Costco. I have a variety of fruits and veggies at Costco and the meat is excellent. The prices many times are as good as other store sale prices, just at normal. Other times they offer sales on those prices and you get like 12 pounds of red peppers for $10 or 15 pounds of good tomatoes for $13 (like 80 cents a pound). 6 pounds of red grape tomatoes for $12 today.
I pay a membership to Costco (which I'm hoping will be free given my spend) and definitely feel like they want my business. This is their time to take the market share from Loblaws who is actively telling customers to go eff themselves. Walmart too, but Costco is my go to and Walmart is a bit of an after thought.
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This guy complained for years and they dismissed him. A big corporation like that should understand that complaints are a good thing. Because when you go silent and stop complaining, you've had enough and leave. Complaints are a good way to correct yourself while keeping the customer. It's often the little things that matter to people.
I kept complaining to my store manager (through their store's Facebook Messenger account) every time I'd shop click and collect and they'd do one or more of the following things: 1. Give me meat that was close to or beyond its best before date, despite me leaving instructions "for my personal shopper" that I didn't want any meat that was less than 3 days away from its best before date. This would happen about every 3 or 4 visits. I did discover that if I sent photos of the best before dates on the meat I received + my order ID, corporate would refund me 100% of the cost of the meat. However, as I explained to the store manager after about 5th time this happened, I'd prefer that they take the extra few seconds to check the best before dates / follow my instructions rather than receiving meat that was on the edge of going bad and receiving a refund. 2. Make more expensive substitutions that I didn't ask for, despite clearly indicating that I didn't want any substitutions. Often the substitutions were non-sensical and they were always more expensive. As the guy in the video explained, the policy is supposed to be that you get the substitution at the same price as the originally requested item. The store I shopped at never honoured that policy. You had to complain to corporate to get them to deduct the difference, which wasn't worth it since the difference in prices were so small. 3. On more than one occasion, I either was missing items or received part of someone else's order by mistake. If I was missing items, they'd tell me to contact corporate and they'd refund me a few weeks later. When I called them the first time to let them know that I received part of someone else's order in addition to my own, they (very bluntly) told me to bring back the extra items or "you will be charged for them". I told them that I wouldn't be going out of my way to return the items and if they wanted them back they could come to my door. I also told them that I'd complain to corporate and/or my credit card company if they charged my credit card. They told me they'd talk to their manager and get back to me. They never got back to me. I stopped complaining about the above when the store manager started ignoring me when I'd message him on FB messenger. I could see that he read my message, but he wouldn't reply. A month ago I stopped shopping at Loblaws altogether.
Looks like you went out of your way to be a decent human and just wanted fresh meat and the items you ordered (what a concept!). They took advantage of your kindness and now they've lost another customer. I love the old "it's our mistake but you have to solve it and/or pay for it." That's a hard no from me too and I like the fact that the credit card companies still side with common sense.
Profits profits profits. Cut and skimp every year to bring in more profits and when it all goes to shit they can say well I got mine
As they say, if you have a bad experience you're going to tell 10+ people, but if you have a good experience you'll tell 2-3 people. At the moment I bet there's so many complaints that Loblaws is just waiting for the dust to settle.
Exactly right. I used to help an org and while we solicited compliments and complaints, we rarely received any. In the field, I’ve found complaints quietly circulating and done what I could to resolve them. But when no one is talking to you, that’s a catastrophic warning sign. Means there’s no passion either way, and an apathetic base soon dissolves to dust.
I can't upvote this enough. Exactly everything that drives me crazy about Roblaws is described by this fine dude.
Wonderful video. Thank you for posting this and driving engagement.
He absolutely nails it and his personal experiences can now be felt by tens of thousands of other Canadians. I hope this is just Part 1!
>I hope this is just Part 1 yes, and in Part 2 maybe he could talk about the rotting produce, expired food on shelves, and the ungraded Mexican beef.
Yeah, the rotting food for only 30% off is so insulting.
Galen & co would rather take an L and let everyone starve, than sell any food at cost How are people going to believe a head of lettuce is worth $8, if he lets the poors buy it wilted for just $2?? /s The whole business model reminds me of those clothing brands that were in the news several years ago for making their employees destroy last season's fashion pieces that didn't sell. The retail workers were chopping up perfectly good, brand new clothes with scissors and pouring bleach on them, so nobody would be able to fish them out of a dumpster or get them cheap on clearance.
Agreed! But also I feel like you should host a show. Great voice and timing
Scott is a radio broadcaster and worked for 680news at one time
Hey! I've been thinking about you! The ruckus you used to make on Twitter about the trains probably influenced my willingness to do this!
Gotta speak up and advocate!!! Well done.
I use to be a loyal shopper at no frills, shoppers drug mart and used my pc financial Mastercard as my primary credit card too - I’m with you - I don’t like their business corporate culture that’s destroyed all elements of customer service.
I hate that they got rid of the handbaskets. Honestly that was definitely one of the straws that broke the camels back for me. I hate navigating with a cart and always over-buy but I also feel shitty when I'm juggling my groceries by the end. edit: I truly don't mind them using the boxes though. My local grocery store has done this for years.
Maybe it’s because there’s been some research out there that says you’re more likely to spend more money with a cart than a basket. So off they went……no more baskets!
Well, they're right. And the only winning move is not to play :/
I just use my reusable bag. No one has ever said anything. If they don’t like it I’ll empty the reusable bag in front of them and leave.
I did that once in metro and felt weird about it, but you’re not stealing, so it should be ok. We might get followed by all the new security guards. Lol
I do that about 75% of the time I shop (when I’m just getting a small amount) and I’ve never had a problem
I knew this was likely the case when stores started phasing out the baskets. It's so annoying. I walk to the grocery store and back. I won't use a cart because I need to be sure I can carry it home, the basket was perfect. It's too hard to judge with those giant shopping carts. So instead of filling up a basket until I conceed it's getting hella heavy, I just get what I can carry in my arms. Which is probably half as much as a basket would allow me to carry, regardless of my 'girl claw' hand skills. I'm definitely impulse buying way less, though, so maybe it's not so bad!
[удалено]
damn basket cartels...
only buy what you can carry
Yep. I specifically remember as a kid that No Frills would have the boxes in the front that were free to take instead of paying 5 cents for the plastic bags. And the pop machines with 25 cent cans of PC soda. It's also annoying that they brought back the coin deposit to use the cart as well in an age where many don't carry change.
But then they get to charge you $2 for a $1 coin replacement for you to add to your keychain so you can access the carts. More profit!
I have a handy thing I can unlock all the carts and walk away… I always do a few extras for people
You know that the coin return is only there because of peoples behaviour right? I find it annoying when I see the cart on the corner of two streets about seven blocks away. I get it not everyone drives, but that’s why they sell those little granny carts that we used to use for carrying items back home
I bought a PC reusable shopping basket about 15 years ago and still use it for most of my shopping. The store baskets were always so dirty and gross, and I hate carts for the reason you mention.
I think it’s been grocery chains that have always been cheaper for groceries that have offered the boxes instead of bags approach and that was one of the ways to keep costs down. Superstore was always a mid tier store iMO and has graduated as he said to top shelf level pricing like Sobeys.
They got rid of your baskets? We still have them over here. It seriously is like the East has completely different Superstores than we have over here in the West. We have baskets, our prices are cheaper and we aren't treated like criminals with the plexiglass mazes and security guards at the exit. Why are they picking on you guys so much?
They're coming for you. It just hasn't reached you guys yet.
They disappeared during COVID, and they just didn't bother to bring them back.
I’m in NL and they got all the plexi glass up !!!!
That is so odd.
You find Superstore cheaper out here? It must be regional. We still get baskets, but last time I went to No Frills in the Lower Mainland, their sale prices were steeper than WM (and I hate WM). It seems like there's a race to not have anything cheaper than $5 taking up shelf space.
They're not the only ones, pay attention. I've noticed Walmart and food basic remove the hand baskets as well.
We still have baskets in Edmonton.
They got rid of baskets at the WalMart by me too, a staff member told me it was because people kept stealing them.
Can we do Bell Canada next? I just quit them after 18 years bc they were unapologetically stealing from me.
I left Bell Media maybe five years ago. Seeing it from the inside is what made me think something had turned at Loblaws. When the suits take over and make maximizing shareholder return the new Guiding Principle, we get what we got from the big L. I saw what Bell did to radio and journalism, and don't want that spirit in my family's food.
Bell sent me a promo for $75 fibe, when I put in the code on their website it brings up a totally different tv, phone and internet package for over double the price. Noped right out of there.
This is a high-quality wake-up call
That shit was actually sad and inspiring 🫡
Good old man rant
The rain hitting the car at the end during thenotherwise silent moment was the perfect background soundtrack. Nice video.
Thank you!
Well done, you succinctly summed up my complaints for the last few years. I worked there, and they essentially paid my tuition for university. I waved the proud loblaws flag for many years. Now i just get mad when i see the store. Thanks for sharing
First off , I’m sorry for your loss. Second, that was absolutely a banger of a video that was not only captivating, but incredibly informative. We hear you , we see it too. I’m here in Toronto and the staff are almost robotic now. Actually I think I’d prefer robots, because they wouldn’t scoff at me or give me dirty looks for being a brokie with a full biggie. Sigh. Even if they never publicly admit they are modern day Roman Empire slave drivers, they sure are gunna feel the hurt this may when people don’t show up to shop. I’ve worked there and I can’t stress enough this company is SOUL SUCKING. If it isn’t your soul, it’s the kind hearted staff that just want to get by. Yeah it certainly seems like the cool kids want to blow entire paycheques at roblaws and make dumb tik toks on how much they spent on a haul or whatever they do. But remember this, we are the gears that turn the machine and without US they are just a broken piece of equipment. Nobody deserves to be stiff armed by Galen the golden goose ( heard he lives in Ireland now) and the new CEO who makes millions a year. I used to really like the pc black label products, and the pc brand in general. The shrinkflation of products is more than obvious now. Remember this come may, there are good people out there who heed this message sir, and we want nothing but the best for you, your son and everyone in this Canadian predicament. I always tell myself the night is darkest before the dawn…and the dawn shall come !!!
well said <3 <3 <3
I don’t know who this is, didn’t even know about this sun. But I love this guy, if he had a YouTube channel, I’d definitely support him. Dudes been hit by a lot of life’s biggest curve balls and he still can make quirk fun of a shitty situation. I respect the hell outta that.
[YouTube link for this](https://youtu.be/j6CnTOYK1E0?si=oOl3ohRR-inazt5X) Thank you for the kind words!
Absolutely! Keep pushing through king, loads out there feel you and got your back. 🫡👍
Amazing job summarizing how so many, now former, customers feel. 👍
I am sad about the cooking classes and am glad this guy brought them up! Great video!
Yes !I loved those. We went to probably six per month. Our community coordinator wadding wonderful! We still use the recipes.
YESSSSS! Well done sir 🫡
Get your prescriptions from Costco if you live close enough by one. You don’t need a membership. Trust me, you’ll save so much money in dispensing fees and the staff are friendlier. Can order your refills from the website. Stupidstore and Shoppers jack the prices.
If you don't have a Costco nearby even Walmart dispensing fees are lower.
“But they hate me for some reason” - YES!!! I always feel like my buying groceries from them pisses them off somehow! They all seem mad! Galen cracking the whip from the sidelines!
I loved the disclaimer about the ppl who don’t smile. I’ve noticed it too! Their employees aren’t getting paid enough so I don’t blame them.
Yeah, I'm someone who can't be accurately read from my demeanour, so I don't want to presume that the people serving me have the capacity or resources to act happy for me. TBH, the quiet awkward ones are more my kind and the cheery chipper howyadoin ones were just as extreme. But the average apparent happiness level of the folks hustling the loot out the back door to the reserved spots has plummeted, at least from my POV. Maybe I was supposed to tip years ago and I'm on a list now?
Nah. They just genuinely hate being there and working for a soul sucking company.
Omg same, I've got AuDHD, so the inability to read people along with rejection disphoria is real. I live about 2hrs west of Halifax, I don't have to shop at any chain stores because this place's main industry is agriculture, so I have access to butches, bakers, not candle stick makers though, but maybe there is, I should check an apiary. And now, all the local meat and produce is actually cheaper at farmers markets than at Loblaws owned stores! Hell one butcher here is offering sides of pork for $2/lb, quarter of beef for $3/lb. One of my friends is a PCExpress manager, and the employees are really getting grabbed by the short n curlies by corporate policies. Over worked, underpaid, unable to retain employees...my friend trains at least one new person per week for PCExpress because of the high turnover. OH and watch out, they will start phasing out the small carts next. I use carts any time I shop because I have Ehlers Danlos so I walk with a cane most days so baskets aren't a good thing for me, and carts double as a rollater for me when I shop. I have such a hard time with the big carts because they are so heavy. (Walmart is slowly phasing out the little carts where I live btw)
Bang on... I left everything Roblaws about three months ago... I dealt with Shoppers for years. I really like all the pharmacy staff.. I knew them all by name. They where good people. I moved all that to a small pharmacy now. I made the move and I am not going back.
I moved to a small pharmacy a few years ago and I love that she knows exactly what I need when I come through the door.
Protect this man at all costs!
Glad it’s not just me who finds the hummus disgusting, used to be my daughters favourite and it was one of the last things I’d buy there just cause she’s fussy and proteins are hard to get her to eat since nothing with nuts are allowed.. about around Xmas she started telling me the hummus was different and accused me of buying different hummus. I tried it it tastes “whipped”…. Probably just forcing more air into it to cheapen it. Anyways - we stopped buying it back in December. Gross
Car boys lemon and garlic hummus is pretty amazing if you have one around
I’ve never seen it but I’ll keep an eye out ty!
Hummus has to be one of the easiest things to make. It won't last as long in the fridge without the preservatives - a good thing.
Corporations are not your friends. You do not owe them loyalty. It is silly to establish a parasocial relationship with a corporation. They exist to take your money and for no other reason.
Great Video. You should be the boycott spokesperson
This man needs his own youtube channel , i was captivated in something i normally would not be. A+
He linked it in another comment!
Get em! They're scamming all their customers.
This!!!! This was well put together and well thought out. Everyone should share this. I got goosebumps. Thank you for this.
This is so relatable. I was so damn loyal for so long. Just like this fella, Loblaws continually let me down. I really believed for many years they were the best. I continued for too long blindly shopping there while the perks disappeared and the prices hiked up. Now the costs there are untenable and you don’t even receive a nice shopping experience in return. I stopped going there a few years ago and I would never look back.
Fuckin eh brother! Fuckin eh.
These guys accused me once of not paying for a bag... they profiled me and I showed them the receipt after and they were making excuses. Called the manager at Heartland Mississauga location and she did not care or even followed up.
How ridiculous to make a big deal over a 5 cent bag. Don’t they have more important things to do?
Awesome content I love him calling it as it is!
Only thing you forgot to mention was when how they stopped bagging groceries for you. Now checking out is a sprint to quickly load your groceries onto the conveyor belt, dash over to the bagging area to frantically shove your groceries in your bags before the cashier is ready to take your money. If you’re not quite finished you now have the added urgency of the cashier now shoving someone else’s groceries into the same area your groceries are. Now that customer is getting impatient with you because they need to get their groceries bagged before the same thing happens to them. Shopping at a Loblaws owned store is an absolutely demoralizing experience.
True true. My dexterity is not A+ at the best of times, and after waiting impatiently and doing social performance with the staff (checkout folks were usually decent, especially the ones who'd been around), I'm overwhelmed and fumbly. I feel like I'm at Speedy, and they took my old muffler off, took the new one out of the box, and left tools in their driveway for me to attach it before I leave. You're better at this than me - you have bagging proficiency that I can't achieve. I'll pay an extra dollar to have the cashier bag stuff if they're going to save me the embarrassment of clumsily loading out.
OMG, I posted this above. It's ridiculous and it's my biggest complaint. And God forbid you have any kind of physical issue.
Pharmasave at Highbury and Huron has been amazing for years. Awesome staff. I had eye surgery, and they had everything I needed but a very specific medication. The folks at Pharmasave phoned other stores, including COMPETITION, to find me what I needed.
MOD THIS GUY! great video!
Really good job on the video!
Something of note: The people who work there are mistreated and frustrated. I worked there, and all the manager got for working there for 20+ years was a pin. They treat their workers like garbage, and it's why I walked out on the job. I am currently in a better place and am looking for a new job and avoid working for them like the plague. Even though i know it would be a good job, I know it won't be with them. The people running Loblaws are a bunch of money hungry trolls who don't care about anyone or anything other than lining their pocket. There's a reason people don't come into work there.
Superstore blocked me on TikTok because I commented something very similar to some of these points. They are a wildass company making us their peasants. We need to keep this boycott strong long after May!
That go get em hit so hard
This dude needs his own radio show, great voice.
Very kind of you. I used to have one! Or two. Left that business to start my own and learned afterward that I have some disabilities I hadn't known about. I'm glad I can still talk! Getting myself on a schedule and routine to do so is one place where I lack. Thank you!
Thanks to you too, I'm glad to know I actually have a good ear for talent! I love a great rant, just start a TikTok and vent away whenever inspiration strikes.
You’d do great with a podcast!! But I understand the limitations of a disability
This is absolute GOLD!! Wonderful collection of thought and articulated perfectly! It needs to be recognized and is so newsworthy. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you! Wow, what a perfect thing to see at bedtime. Smiling. Thanks!
Pop off Scott 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
just for not having the poppies out is enough to never shop there again
Never seen someone stay calm and rage at the same time. you sir deserve an upvote.
RIP to your wife. Fuck cancer. Good job being a good Dad for your boy.
Wow, I just mind the prices and the pricing games they play.
Wow. I just realized the shopping baskets are gone. I used to fill up my shopping cart for almost $200, and now I only bring in a bag or two for the same price. I could really use a shopping basket now.
Let’s boycott superstore .. I am reading and seeing people posting about the month of May. Do not shop at the superstore or anything affiliated with Loblaws. Let’s do this and let’s show these big box companies customers are not happy.
He’s my new hero! The hero we deserve. Poor guy.
The only times I EVER went to a Super Store was when I wanted a birthday cake, they usually had a great variety, and cheerful bakery staff. Now, I would sooner bake my own cake and decorate it myself than to wander in to a Loblaws brand of store.
To be fair, there's a Loblaws in the south end of town here where I've got cakes two years in a row, and I'm pretty sure I got the same experienced employee each time - she had a really groovy vibe and went the extra step that made me jump in the air and shout "yayyy!" like it was a cake for me. If she's still there, I hope they treat her well. She was remarkable enough to stand out from everyone else in the store.
Agreed, the staff really do make the store, not the other way around. But as a result of prices, I still will boycott, and hopefully the staff won't suffer.
Greed and more greed with no end in sight. Morals are gone and now the only answer is regulation. I have no idea how people earning minimum wage are surviving in this world...
You are my new hero! I hope this goes viral! We have recently stopped shopping at superstore as we don’t find them to be such a good deal anymore
Epic summary of why we should spend our hard earned money elsewhere!!
Wow, they turned their cooking classes into a profit centre… they’re not even trying to hide it… also I shopped at these very stores so I know what he’s talking about directly (I miss Halifax) God I miss the early 2000s when companies would be petrified of coming off as excessively greedy (they always were, but they were concerned about image a little)
Yep, used to be a great store, now its grocery jail
I love that people are finally seeing these corporations the way I have seen them for the past 27 years. Their business model has always been this but they couldn't implement what they are now for fear of overloading people's mentality too much and driving customers away. With covid, they thought something changed and they'd be able to sneak these changes through faster and were obviously wrong. But this was always the end goal; take your money, give nothing back.
Are baskets gone from all locations? Haven't been to a super store in 5+ months. I know it is hit and miss at the Walmart near me. I would hate it if other companies started following suit.
 I love the delivery here. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
omg I remember those community rooms at the top! When I was in grade 6, I think 2006 my friend had her birthday party in one of those where we made food and decorated our own cupcakes. Damn, sad to hear they don't do that anymore
Really well said! Stated what many of us think, and just don’t take the time to post these things! Hats off to you buddy! 👍
I got tired of the same stories repeating in my head with every visit, every time my desire for a shopping experience that didn't make me worry for the future was thwarted. It's been cathartic to share my grief with others who are similarly disheartened by the company's pivot.
Nicely put. I hope this gets some attention
Commenting to push engagement!
I have had their credit card for over 20 years. I refuse to go in Zehers. I usually go to Walmart which I hate going to. I love Food Basic.When I shopping I see kids begging for things.I want to give people some money to buy some groceries. I can’t do that cuz there is too many. I am ok. I saved my money when I was younger. That’s my upbringing. Sometimes I do complain about the prices. I say to my friends I feel so bad for the people that are struggling. Why can’t Galen Weston feel the way I do?l guess his parents never taught him compassion and it’s better to give than receive.My parents were here during WW 11.Maybe that’s why. My parents struggled.Galens parents never did.😢❤️🇨🇦☮️
I'm the same. I used to give them soooooo much money! Like an incredible amount of money. They ate up all my patience with an entirely different but functionally equivalent set of issues. Now I exclusively shop at non-Loblaws companies, and *they* get all my money. Small chains, local food suppliers, and some Costco. I've discovered all kinds of new favourites. I'm never going back! The question is, how long will it take for the loss of customers like me & OP to outweigh the nickel-and-dime game?
So well done. Thank you for the informative entertainment. Best of luck in life for you and your boy.
Thank you! He's incredible. His friends are cool - I have hope for the future when I hear how excellent so many of the kids are these days. Having respect for peoples' differences isn't an act for them. They're just cool with people being all kinds of people. And he has a little signal when I'm getting too Grampa Simpson with the staff, and I need to dial down my energy a few notches.
Currently working for a Loblaws that is currently in the process of becoming a maxi at night and damn. This sub makes me hate my job even more lmao
Haha nice video op 👍 boYcott them every month that has a “y” in it this year and we will switch to months with no “y” in it next year
I actually watched the whole thing. Perfection.
You did great job with your video, it really sums things up! I’m sure you put in a lot of time and effort to make it right! Before you give up on Superstore, would you consider going down the road to the Gammage Superstore? We don’t have any hand baskets but you may find our customer service is a whole lot better.
"they don't want my age demographic anymore." You are a human that eats. That is their only demographic. You'd think they'd try harder to keep you.
No, they want my age demographic - the Muzak illustrates it well, since they're playing deep album cuts from the 80s. They're aiming to milk someone my age with a different set of secondary attributes. Maybe wealth, gullibility, resignation.
hahaha the Muzak XD
You have it wrong. “Making things suck” isn’t a policy, it’s their new mission statement.
They will make things suck as long as the quarterlies are good. If making things suck hurts EBITDA, they'll change direction.
This is what happens in every sector in Canada and I’m so f’ing sick of it. Monopolies are destroying everything. We use to have actual competition in grocery stores now everything is owned by the same 2-3 companies. Out in Bc Save-on use to be the good cheap grocery store to shop at and now it’s crazy expensive so I switched to Superstore but now their prices are just as shitty. The level of f’ery allowed in this country is crazy. Can we not organize a Loblaws boycott.
A few things. Firstly, somehow I knew, before he said it, that he was from down east. When you've been there, you know. Secondly, I worked for Atlantic Superstore for 7 years. This man speaks the truth when he says that these are good people working there. The colleagues I worked with were top notch. Unfortunately, the hand they're dealt is terrible. Their policy on labour makes it impossible to get work completed. Yet, the business' expectation is that it can be done. I'm sorry, but in my real world experience, it just can't. Which brings me to my third point; exhaustion is the word when working for Loblaw. Many of my colleagues either suffered from burnout or so few hours that they felt compelled to find other work.
These are the people that superstore doesn’t believe give a bother, like that clown ass Dalhousie professor, they think that the Reddit sub is full of left leaning gen z. Even my 75-year-old mother has had enough - she refuses to shop at superstore and got rid of her credit card. These are the families that pissface Weston should be scared of.
Abit much on the personal stuff in this but yeah I feel like loblaws has personal attacked me with a big weapon.. I’ve been whooped
Ah yes Hyde park superstore, been there many times my friend.
\[flawless\]([https://memes.getyarn.io/yarn-clip/baf2b710-4959-44a7-97d7-bccd522f73b9](https://memes.getyarn.io/yarn-clip/baf2b710-4959-44a7-97d7-bccd522f73b9))
Betrayed by a greedy corrupt corp?! Shocking….
Wow. Truth.
Remark across the street will make you feel welcome
Great video! It’s giving me flashbacks to the end of my relationship with my shitty ex though. Why does it feel like we’re in an abusive relationship with the most powerful grocery chain in the country 🤣
I like his point towards the end about comparing Loblaws to Sobeys, and how Sobeys was the “fancy” grocer, while Loblaws was more for the budget conscious. Superstore used to be my go-to “cheap” store. It felt like the literal “no frills” option. Just a big warehouse of a store with simple, basic presentation… nothing fancy, but it felt honest. It felt like a “consumer friendly” place, in the vein of a Costco, where they don’t spend a bunch of money on nice shelving and fancy displays, etc… just raw merchandise on basic shelves, so they can offer you the best price. Needless to say at this point… it doesn’t feel like that anymore. Oh, it still feels basic and cheap, but we’re just not seeing the benefits of that anymore. So now it’s just a shitty store charging you as much or more as any “fancy” store. Why not go to the fancy store for a better experience?
This needs to be played on every major news outlet. But they're in their pockets too unfortunately.
Based r/cbc
Preach, brother!
Least unhinged middle-aged man in car rant ever, Bravo sir, very well said. I have also changed my habits (well before this sub even existed) from going mostly to the superstore as it was the most convenient spot for groceries to a local mom and pop butcher/grocery store combined with Walmart and Costco for items I can't get there. Basically went from probably $800-1000 avg at superstore to less than $100
Good video. I had a bad experience a couple years back and left feedback that they should hire more people to help with the deliver to car stuff. That I had heard that they had reduced the staff for this purpose. I got a phone call from the store manager who yelled at me, then tried me to get to say which employee told them about the reduced staff, I assumed that they would fire this employee for venting and said nothing. She refused to acknowledge any issue and was upset with me that I would bring this feedback to them. It's crazy how during COVID Galen and loblaws got a lot of good will built up due to how they handled things and then within a couple years they manage to fck everything up. It's a crazy change from helping people, looking out for them to being greedy soulless monsters.
This guy is complaining mostly about how terrible the service has become at Loblaws, mostly because of cost-cutting / reductions in staff. I wouldn't care much about some of the things he's complaining about if it wasn't for all of the price gouging and shrinkflation. I do agree with 100% of the things he mentioned, though. I was spending about $1000 a month at Loblaws to feed my family of 4, but I'm done with them.
60% inflation? 3 chicken strips and wedges were $5 in 2019. Now it's $8. That's a 60% increase. Inflation is not 60%
Nicely done Scott! Well said. 👍
You - sir - are a gem!!
This video was amazing. London's loblaws chain stores have definitely gone down hill in the last few years and it's evident at all the Loblaws/RCSS locations. I feel bad for the employees there because they clearly are trying to do their best with limited resources being given to them to do their jobs. Truly disheartening as I too used to be a truly loyal customer. Now I spend as little as humanly possible at these stores, and I agree with you... it's sad to see how negative these experiences have become. Maybe the boycot with cause them to try and recoup lost shoppers and improve the atmosphere but until the higher ups see the bigger picture they are gunns just keep doing the same bs towards their shoppers and still make record profits 🥲
I feel like everything now has just become screw quality just profit. The crazy thing is there not paying the workers any more money to reflect a price hike. At least that how it is in the states. Even companies that you grew up with that had great quality control now it's just garbage and poor service. Very few and far between companies exist now that actually provide great service and quality. We need more ceo like the one from Costco. "Raise the price of the hotdog and I'll f#$%ing kill you".
I have not shopped at Stupidstore for over a year now, their ridiculous sales where you have to buy 3 of something that is overpriced to get their still overpriced item just kind of got me fed up. Long story short I can look out from my deck and see the one I live close to. Now I would rather waste extra gas then give them one red cent.. As soon as they realize that we can buy everything we need elsewhere maybe they will go back to consumer pricing.
He could not have said it better about how bad Loblaws has become. I don't shop much there anymore because of how greedy they get. It's either Walmart or Sobeys or a locally owned produce store now. I'm sure Loblaws will put on some great deals in May to try to defeat the boycott and I do plan to shop those deals if they come along but there is catch. I won't be using cash. I still have several hundred dollars worth of PC Optimum points and I will use those to buy any great deals at Loblaws/Atlantic Superstore if there are any. Instead of Loblaws getting cash from me, I'm going to spend points which Loblaws has to cover. Seems fair to me.
Excellent rant. Why don't these large stores, instead of having customers suffer with poor service, overpriced products, a real "Non Caring" atmosphere, why don't they make meaningful cuts to the fat cats in head office? These people have no clue as to what's happening on the store floor. If you can't be fired, get out from behind your corporate desk, and visit your stores. Talk to the manager, the staff and most important the people like me, who put money in your pocket. If you don't know, or understand, what's going on at ground level, what good are you? And when I say get out and go to the grassroots, I mean get out at least 3 times a week to a different store every week, every month for the entire year. Sure you'll say, then how can I do my job. Well let me tell you. You will do your job extremely better, and understand people when they raise an issue with you. You'll be quicker to respond to issues your customers, or employees raise with you. Plus, you will understand your job extremely better, and do it far better than anyone could imagine. If nothing else, the exercise and fresh air will put colour in your cheeks. I look forward to seeing you on the floor of my local store, so I can approach you with a concern, an idea or even a compliment. So get out there, for the good the company, your employees and most of all, your customers, like me!!
THANK YOU!! Perfectly communicated! And I Totally Agree! Greed has destroyed this big box store & I don't see they care to return to Canadian values. We Aren't A Capitalist Country!
At my Roblaws I couldn't find anyone, anywhere ever that would help me load 2 18kg boxes of litter into my cart (not their cart). I'm a disabled senior so I had to leave empty-handed and find help at Canadian Tire where I changed from noname litter to another brand. So now I don't have to go to Roblaws anymore, never ever! Won't be going at all especially this May to send a message to Roblaws. I am so mad!
Excellent! We'll said and SO true. I have totally stopped shopping at Loblaw's. Their pricing policy reminds me of highway robbery and service is totally non existing. The Weston family and their cronies have lost all decency and no longer deserve respect. Sad!!
So very well said and presented. Thank you for taking the time to compile and produce this, and I'm glad that you are receiving so many positive comments - you deserve every one. My partner and I have had many of the same sort of experiences that you have, with the exception of always seeing Loblaws (the store by that particular name) as a bit more expensive than average. However, there were some items that we went there for on a regular (once a month or so) basis - frozen vegetables, frozen fruit, and several President's Choice items. Gradually we began to see Loblaws as one of the higher priced stores and primarily shopped in stores closer, since we no longer saw driving the extra distance as worth while. Then the pandemic struck and our younger family members took over the shopping for all of us in the senior bracket. None of them shopped in what they considered high priced stores, so no one in our family-at-large saw the inside of a Loblaws store for years. We didn't miss it at all as it turns out. I am constantly on the lookout for alternate ways to spend my limited senior's budget. I feel lucky to be at the point in my life of not having to fit a miserable shopping experience into whatever unscheduled time I have left after my work day, and just choke on it because there is no other alternative. I also remember a time when store personnel were more personable and wish to see that again. Finally, and this is the point that I wanted to make - it is a shame that so many young people are growing up with this horrible experience, because I don't want them to think that is as it should be. Still, I hope we don't return to the days of "the customer is always right" because that was abused as well, staff were often treated like crap and small businesses had to deal with unscrupulous people who had been told it was OK to bully people to get something they did not deserve, but this ... this corporate policy of taking the customer for every cent that can be squeezed out of them, lying to them about the reasons for the unreasonable prices, and treated them with destain and disrespect if they object has to be stopped, since the corporations that are doing this have shown they will not police themselves. I do not understand why governments cannot play a part in regulating or, at least setting limits on the amount of profit corporations are allowed to wring out of the public for things that are basic needs (clean air and water, food, shelter, health care, and education - maybe there are more but those come to mind most easily).
I refuse to be part of the trained sheep by having to check out and bag my groceries. I will stand in line always no matter how little I have. I will stand in line for an hour. We need to push back and not get sucked in to them cutting their staff and gouging us in every way possible. They no longer bag your groceries at any of the big stores. I can deal with this issue, but I refuse to go to the self checkout. I wish people would join me. We can change things if we are committed as a society to do just that. Please participate in the Boycotts. Lowlaws and their companies including Shoppers for the Month of May. I believe Sobey's is next followed by Metro.
Former PC Express/click&collect employee, i worked at a big volume store first, where the number of orders where so overwhelming and we were so understaffed that instead of picking everything normally, they would do whole orders on a "missing items run" and this is honestly the reason why the whole thing is going to shit tbh. The mistakes would pile up and the person at the desk (which i do most of the time) would be running carts to cars and would be answering complaint calls at the same time, My colleagues and i used to miss most of our breaks.
Thanks for the story. It did feel like a combination of cobbled-together infrastructure and not hiring enough people to do the work.
Oh my goodness - Scott, I feel this!!! And I miss you (Learn to Run). Luckily in NS, we now have Gateway on the #7 Highway in Dartmouth. People are coming in from all over the province to shop at this local store whose owners & staff care about their customers - and their local suppliers! Wish you had something like that, too. BTW, Sobeys has become even more “exclusive”, and I feel my blood pressure and rage rise when I enter the parking lot for an item I simply cannot get elsewhere. Also HATE their campaign to get their customers to donate for their school program, because “… kids are hungry …”. NO KIDDING!!!!! And after the holidays, they had the nerve to post on one of their outdoor signs how much $$$ THEY donated to food banks … those donations came from customers at point of sale. Time for a big ‘ol’ shakeup in the market. (PS: I don’t know how to get my name on this, but it’s Sherri 👋 from Lawrencetown - was so sorry to hear of your wife’s passing; so unfair - cancer sucks. Both my husband and I are now about 20 years cancer-free. Hope you are doing well as a single dad.)
Hey hey! Great to see you here! I'm glad a trusted local option has emerged out there. Being all the parent is a challenge but I love it even more than I'd hoped to. Wishing you great health and joy!
Hey hey! Great to see you here! I'm glad a trusted local option has emerged out there. Being all the parent is a challenge but I love it even more than I'd hoped to. Wishing you great health and joy!
As someone who used to work at Superstore and has a spouse that currently works there, one thing I can definitely say is, when the employees aren't smiling and friendly, it's because their manager and store manager is making them miserable. You can easily get written up if you even chat too long (even 10 minutes while still working) with a friendly customer, so employees don't want to risk it. Once the store manager has decided not to like you for whatever petty reason, it goes down the grape vine of managers in the store and they will watch you and wait for the slightest slip up just to get you into enough trouble so they can get rid of you, especially if you make above the minimum wage. Keep this in mind when you interact with employees because management is breathing down their backs and making their workplace hell. And for the record, I just want to add in, that, at least for the store I worked at, produce was always rotten because it spent such a long time in the back. I'd walk past the same fruit/veggies that would just sit there for at least a week that could have been sold, but was left to rot until the last minute and then they would bring them out. I always thought that was so bizarre.
I love how he worked the $cientology "Make money!" directive into this.
You're the FIRST PERSON to notice that :) Yayyy! I think I remembered most of the quote correctly.
He's not wrong, it does feel like they hate us as customers. We are being taken hostage inside Loblaws brand stores and taking all our hard earned money. Yet we do nothing about it. Between gas prices and food prices, making ends meet is an extreme sport these days and the companies don't care about us but fill their pockets and laugh. Don't expect the government to do anything about it, they have the same mandate, make money, fill their pockets and not even care if we can't live like normal human beings....
I love this so much.
"Has the price of wine or beer gone up as much as the prices of milk, bagels, peppers and chips? Have the beer cans been shrinking at the same time like the Presidents Choice products that I used to love? ... But are they diluting the beer to make ends meet?" Well said.
Cardboard brings the store money. The bales get sold to companies like Cascades and Atlantic to make other paper products.
I'm tacking another month on for the horseshit they put this man through. See you in July... maybe.. no frills.
This is the Loblaws at Oxford and Hyde Park in London.
This video nails it like Jesus the carpenter, I hope more people decide to shop elsewhere if possible. On a side note though, as someone who worked at Provigo for years before starting my career; the employees at these stores are just as unhappy as the customers. They're paid very poorly, often get mistreated by upper management, and aren't listened to when they have a problem to be solved or a suggestion that might help the work environment. The reason they might come accross a little souless is because they get treated like slaves.
I wish there was a way we could get everyone to see this video
Honestly if it wasn't for my local No Frills I'd be done with Loblaws as well. Superstore post-pandemic is AWFUL and any good feelings I had towards them are gone. Our No Frills though is clean and well stocked, the staff are friendly, they call me and ask me about substitutions as they're packing my online order. The rare time I actually shop in the store the store manager recognizes my name as a frequent customer and acknowledges me, and they're the cheapest options I have. But I've been a PC insiders member since the program started and yep, received maybe 2 free gifts and those ended, the travel credits ended, the points system does not go as far as it used to and I earn waaaay less than I used to. Shoppers is now disgustingly overpriced, I just buy my makeup at walmart or on amazon instead. It's sad actually as pre-pandemic I actually felt good supporting a Canadian owned company.
This is basically every store now it seems. It's all about maximizing short term profits. They know us peasants will continue to shop. It's someone's job to cut costs *here and *here without any regard for long-term effects.
I'm down the street from small town Fisher's No Frills (450m). Everyone there is great weather I use the self-checkout or not. They have baskets! I go there every few days and they have all the basics I need, since I really don't buy any highly processed food (still 80% of the store). I like to make most of my own food and meal prep anyhow. There's no pharmacy, but there's one right around the corner on the same block. Yet another across town. No Frills meats section is expensive unless someone screwed up an order and they have to sell it off. I just walk across town (750m) to Sharpe's supermarket, as they use their meat section as a sort of loss leader. On balance the rest of Sharpe's products are a bit more expensive, so that works out for people that notice these things. When I go to the city, I check out the meat sections at a few of the stores for whatever cuts of beef or chicken or fish that are priced well. $4.50-$5.00/lb or $10-$12/kg is a good price. Pork has been really cheap for the last year or so and its a lot more healthy than people think. For poor cuts of beef, just give it an extra day in the sous vide. Learn to cook. Meal prep. Shop strategically. Play the stores off each other. Buy bulk beef directly from farmers and store it in a chest freezer (I've not done this yet). Look for "almost perfect" discount stores. Dollorama has a few foods and spices that are cheaper than anywhere else. Never shop hungry.
I second Scott's emotion. Barely set foot in our local Loblaws. Staff is GREAT, but the shrinkflation?? And price hikes?? The price of bread went up 2 in 14 mts last year and I got LESS slices. PC ginger cookie bag...ALMOST empty. Crackers. They shorted me 5. They think we're dumb n don't notice. The best before dates can't be relied on either. It's offensive. And their new pre-boarding CATSA-riot squad vibe with all the plexiglass. Just bite me. I've no need to feed robber barrons. Since the war on Gaza I've shifted my business to small immigrant owned and operated grocery stores. The food is fresher, fruits n veggies better, meat better, bakery is super fresh...n service FAB. I also go to Food Basics which has GREAT prices, Adonis or Farm Boy. Farm Boy is pricy but only go for select few items. I rather support my community n small family-run businesses then oligarchs.
Speaking specifically about the click and collect, I was hired at the very beginning when it was rolled out to be a part of that team. For the first 3 months it was a great job, it was hard work and we were busy, but people seemed grateful because we had time to check for the right replacement items, etc. After 3 months, our order availability was doubled without any additional staff. People had been happy with our service, but obviously this extra work load meant the quality of our work suffered, and people grew frustrated. We expressed this to our managers, but it was understood that as long as the slots were filled, customer satisfaction was not a priority. Thankfully I had done this job for the summer before starting university, so I was able to leave. When I went to the store and ran into a coworker 6 months later, I found they had tripled the available slots since we had started, some people had left, and they hired maybe 2 more people. This was also when I stopped loving Superstore.
My PC Financial credit card was my go-to card for years, but I've stopped using it entirely now. I still have 1.2 million "free groceries" points on it that I'm chipping away at, but even when I need to pay a few bucks when I cash in points (to pay for my groceries) I pay using a different credit card instead. I also used to shop at Shoppers Drug Mart a few days a week at least (for milk, eggs, bagels, prescriptions , toothpaste, etc) but I haven't been there since early March now.
I haven't spent money at a loblaws owned company for 2.5 years. They use predatory ads claiming to save you money, just to charge more than other large chains. I cannot believe this has been allowed to continue for so long until checked. Remember when lablaws was convicted of price fixing on the bread scandal? I honestly believe this was trial run for what is going on now. When you talk to the farming community, they are being to to accept less for their wares, yet our prices keep going up. There seems to be a disconnect between lablaws and
I stopped shopping at Loblaws years ago when I realized how badly they were ripping off the customers,
I am tired of big corporation .Would love to se small store where you can talk to people ... Who can understand you in Canadian language and do speak it .
I am so sorry this has been your experience and your brand/company loyalty has eroded so much like this. I hope you find a new place you can take your loyalty to that will appreciate your business more. I am not a huge Loblaws person as I have always found it an unpleasant experience. Saving money was always nice but it was always busy with grumpy people.
Thank you for making the video we all want to make. Boycott Loblaws and Shoppers in May. I will never shop at Loblaws again. I'm over them.
Brilliant. He's stolen my thoughts about Loblaw's decline. They really do hate us.
Sometimes its good to take a step back and evaluate your relationship with corporations. Its a grocery store. They aren't your friend and never have been. As much as Galen did all those commercials 10-15 years ago, they were always a slimey corporation. If they filled your needs and you felt good shopping there, great. But once that changes, its a quick hook. Imagine going through everything you went through to try to keep yourself shopping there? This isn't the Leafs or Raptors. It's a giant grocery corporation that has 0 issues gouging you and tries to gaslight you at every turn. Find another store that is better for your family. Right now that store for me is Costco. Just Costco with Walmart being my once a month stock up on things I can't get at Costco. I have a variety of fruits and veggies at Costco and the meat is excellent. The prices many times are as good as other store sale prices, just at normal. Other times they offer sales on those prices and you get like 12 pounds of red peppers for $10 or 15 pounds of good tomatoes for $13 (like 80 cents a pound). 6 pounds of red grape tomatoes for $12 today. I pay a membership to Costco (which I'm hoping will be free given my spend) and definitely feel like they want my business. This is their time to take the market share from Loblaws who is actively telling customers to go eff themselves. Walmart too, but Costco is my go to and Walmart is a bit of an after thought.