Ottawa shoppers plan to boycott Loblaw-owned stores starting Wednesday
A boycott targeting Loblaw-owned stores is gaining momentum online, with thousands of shoppers taking their money elsewhere for the month of May.
- Sign up now for our daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
It's the latest sign of Canadians' mounting frustration with the major grocers, which have been under political and public scrutiny for rising food prices and profits.
As Taylor Metcalfe is picking up fabric for her wedding dress, next to the Loblaws on Merivale Road, she says she won’t be shopping at the grocery store anytime soon.
"I'm definitely not going to be coming back here to shop and I'm going to save my money and spend it where it needs to be spent," Metcalfe said.
She’s aware of an online boycott of the grocery giant, planned for May.
"There's not much that we can do. So we've got to start somewhere," she said.
Taylor Metcalfe says she will take part in the May boycott against Loblaw. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa)
"I will take part in the boycott, now that I know it exists,” said another shopper.
What started as an online push, seems to be gaining momentum. The boycott, organized on Reddit, has reached more than 60,000 members.
"We don't want to struggle anymore," said Emily Johnson, a mental health and addictions worker in Milton, Ont., and one of the boycott's organizers.
Johnson and others started organizing the boycott after a Reddit group she created gained thousands of followers looking for a place to complain about Loblaw and other grocers.
The page, r/loblawsisoutofcontrol, now has more than 60,000 members.
While there's no way of knowing how many will participate in the boycott, the page is full of posts from people who say they plan to, or have already started.
There's also a list of demands to Loblaw from the boycott organizers that includes signing a grocery code of conduct and committing to affordable pricing.
"You could perhaps blame Loblaw for making too much money selling Chanel No. 5 or lipsticks, but when it comes to food, margins are actually not there at all," says Sylvain Charlebois with the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University.
He says the anger should be directed elsewhere.
"I think Loblaw is part of the problem, but the group is actually aiming at the wrong problem. It's not about the consumer in the store. It's about the supply chain," he said.
"The supply chain bullying happening between Loblaw, Walmart and suppliers. That's really the problem. And it needs to be fixed."
In a statement to CTV News Ottawa on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Loblaws defended the company's prices and value.
"As a business, we are acutely aware of the fact that we have to win our customers' business each and every day. The last few years have been tough for Canadians, and we continue to do what we can to combat inflation at our stores," Loblaw said in an email.
"Customers are noticing, with more visits in our stores and many commenting in the same Reddit groups that they’re getting real value at our stores, often the best across the industry. That won’t change - we’re going to keep working hard to deliver on our commitment to value and to rebuild the trust grocers have enjoyed for more than 100 years."
Shoppers at the Merivale Road Loblaw store have mixed views about the boycott.
"No, I don't think I'll change my shopping habits," said one shopper.
"I think all of the big chains. Sobeys, Metro, Loblaws, they're all the same. Every one of them are gouging us," says Jim Kitts.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Robert Pickton to remain in medically induced coma until later this week: police
Serial killer Robert Pickton will remain in a medically induced coma for at least the next few days following an attack in a Quebec prison Sunday, according to police spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu.
Charlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.
'Five feet nothing': Pickton's safety likely behind Quebec transfer, says ex-prison judge
When serial killer Robert Pickton was transferred from British Columbia's Kent Institution to a maximum security prison in Quebec about six years ago, correctional authorities gave no public explanation or confirmation at the time, citing privacy.
'I feel betrayed': Ottawa-area customers out thousands of dollars warn of bad faith contractor
A group of people from eastern Ontario and western Quebec is issuing a warning about Dennis Walker and his company Vue Windows.
Fancy pigeon outfitted in custom diaper has free rein in B.C. family home
When Chrissy Chin volunteered to take in a fancy pigeon abandoned on a park bench, she never imagined she would one day be ordering custom-made diapers for the bird – who lives in her house and has become a member of the family.
'We'll need all hands on deck': Details emerge after deadly boat crash near Kingston
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
4 dead and at least 35 hurt in Iowa tornado: officials
Four people died and at least 35 were hurt in a tornado that devastated a small town in Iowa on Tuesday, officials said.
WestJet planning new fare category for travellers willing to forgo carry-on bag
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
Woman found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017 matches identity of missing person in Switzerland
Genetic genealogy has helped Toronto police identify a woman who was found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017.