“Not like anything we’ve ever seen before”: Reddit group plans Loblaw boycott

Reddit user-generated poster encourages Canadians to participate in Loblaw boycott (Credit: r/LoblawsIsOutOfControl)

Story by Alexa DiFrancesco

As food prices skyrocket in Canada, one Reddit group is taking a stand by planning a boycott of Loblaw-owned stores during May.

Emily Johnson created the Reddit community “Loblaws Is Out Of Control” in November 2023. The group gained widespread support after its March 15 post – which encourages readers to shop at local grocers instead of the company – went viral.

Map of local grocers recommended on r/LoblawsIsOutOfControl (Map Credit: Matthew Hanick)

“Inflation is this much, but the increase that I’ve seen [on] chicken is this much, and there’s a lot of disconnect between that,” Johnson told City News.

Johnson’s group calls for a 15 per cent reduction in prices and the removal of members-only pricing for customers with an Optimum card.

The community also urges readers to send letters to their local member of parliament and to Loblaw customer support to express their frustration with Loblaw pricing. The group has created templates for both messages.

Johnson, a mental health and addictions worker in Ontario, said that the group decided to boycott Loblaw in particular because it’s become the face of Canada’s affordability crisis.

“Seeing groceries — an essential that nobody can avoid paying for — rise beyond the rate of inflation is really upsetting a lot of people,” Johnson told The Daily Hive.

“Because Loblaw is one of the most prolific grocers in the country, many people have placed most of that frustration onto [them].”

On Thursday morning, Richard Dufresne, Loblaw’s chief financial officer, released a statement which noted that Loblaw’s internal inflation rate in February was “materially lower” than the Consumer Price Index food inflation.

Dufresne noted “ongoing efforts” that Loblaw is taking to lower food prices, including opening 31 new “discount locations”, introducing new promotions and offering customers 35 per cent discounts on “everyday items.”

Loblaw Companies Limited (Credit: Toronto Sun)

This boycott isn’t the only recent time Loblaw has faced criticism – in January, the company walked back on the decision to reduce its discount on food items nearing their sell-by date.

Johnson told City News that these moves have dangerous effects for vulnerable populations given that Canadians are reporting paying “absurd amounts of money” on groceries.

“I work as a mental health and addictions worker with a very vulnerable population…they just can’t make ends meet, and we’re seeing [a] drastic increase in need and demand on food banks, not like anything we’ve ever seen before,” she said.

At the end of last year, Canada’s Food Price Report forecasted that overall food prices would increase by 2.5 per cent to 4.5 per cent in 2024, a lower rate of increase than in 2023. But, a study by Second Harvest predicts that food bank demand is expected to rise to 18 per cent nationwide this year.

CPI Decrease since July 2023 (Graphic Credit: Matthew Hanick)

Although many groups see boycotts as a method of creating change, there is little evidence that suggests they’re effective.

In November, Rhia Catapano, a marketing professor at the Rotman School of Management, told CBC News that “boycotts work in terms of mobilizing media attention and creating a threat in terms of the reputation for companies” but that “people are not always willing to follow through on those [boycotts], even when brands are acting in ways that are very much not aligned with their values.”

However, Johnson believes that believing in boycotts is essential to create change.

“One person may not be able to make a difference, but a bunch of people together absolutely can,” Johnson told BlogTO. 

“We can hold these people accountable and make positive changes for Canadians.”