{"id":16,"date":"2024-03-22T14:19:15","date_gmt":"2024-03-22T18:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/?p=16"},"modified":"2024-03-22T14:25:55","modified_gmt":"2024-03-22T18:25:55","slug":"not-like-anything-weve-ever-seen-before-reddit-group-plans-loblaw-boycott","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/2024\/03\/22\/not-like-anything-weve-ever-seen-before-reddit-group-plans-loblaw-boycott\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cNot like anything we\u2019ve ever seen before\u201d: Reddit group plans Loblaw boycott"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"701\" src=\"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/197\/2024\/03\/Screenshot-2024-03-22-at-11.01.32-AM-1024x701.png\" alt=\"Image of Reddit user-generated poster encouraging Canadians to participate in a boycott against Loblaw stores in May.\" class=\"wp-image-22\" style=\"width:740px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/197\/2024\/03\/Screenshot-2024-03-22-at-11.01.32-AM-1024x701.png 1024w, https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/197\/2024\/03\/Screenshot-2024-03-22-at-11.01.32-AM-300x205.png 300w, https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/197\/2024\/03\/Screenshot-2024-03-22-at-11.01.32-AM-768x526.png 768w, https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/197\/2024\/03\/Screenshot-2024-03-22-at-11.01.32-AM.png 1490w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\">Reddit user-generated poster encourages Canadians to participate in Loblaw boycott (Credit: r\/LoblawsIsOutOfControl)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Story by Alexa DiFrancesco<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/197\/2024\/03\/Screen-Recording-2024-03-22-at-1-mp3cut.net_.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As food prices skyrocket in Canada, one Reddit group is taking a stand by planning a boycott of Loblaw-owned stores during May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-11e624f843e427fd137bc22b6454501f\">Emily Johnson created the Reddit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/loblawsisoutofcontrol\/comments\/1bff9rm\/boycott\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">community <\/a>\u201cLoblaws Is Out Of Control\u201d in November 2023. The group gained widespread support after its March 15 post &#8211; which encourages readers to shop at local grocers instead of the company &#8211; went viral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/embed?mid=1nmFy91wn_JjZxqke6eKmx9aRCTo5R4A&amp;ehbc=2E312F\" width=\"100%\" height=\"480\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\">Map of local grocers recommended on r\/LoblawsIsOutOfControl (Map Credit: Matthew Hanick)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-98f80e3df9cf9dcc3940630956609c02\">\u201cInflation is this much, but the increase that I\u2019ve seen [on] chicken is this much, and there\u2019s a lot of disconnect between that,\u201d Johnson <a href=\"https:\/\/winnipeg.citynews.ca\/2024\/03\/20\/grocery-prices-boycott-stores\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<em> <\/em><\/a><em>City News<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Johnson\u2019s group calls for a 15 per cent reduction in prices and the removal of members-only pricing for customers with an Optimum card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Johnson, a mental health and addictions worker in Ontario, said that the group decided to boycott Loblaw in particular because it\u2019s become the face of Canada\u2019s affordability crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSeeing groceries \u2014 an essential that nobody can avoid paying for \u2014 rise beyond the rate of inflation is really upsetting a lot of people,&#8221; Johnson <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyhive.com\/vancouver\/loblaw-boycott-food-inflation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told <\/a><em>The Daily Hive<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color has-medium-font-size wp-elements-602909db448869ffc11fef7628bb146d\"><strong>&#8220;Because Loblaw is one of the most prolific grocers in the country, many people have placed most of that frustration onto [them].\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Thursday morning, Richard Dufresne, Loblaw&#8217;s chief financial officer, released a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newswire.ca\/news-releases\/inflation-in-canada-continues-to-moderate-as-food-inflation-declines-to-2-4-in-february-887460356.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a> which noted that Loblaw&#8217;s internal inflation rate in February was &#8220;materially lower&#8221; than the Consumer Price Index food inflation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dufresne noted \u201congoing efforts\u201d that Loblaw is taking to lower food prices, including opening 31 new \u201cdiscount locations\u201d, introducing new promotions and offering customers 35 per cent discounts on \u201ceveryday items.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"620\" height=\"413\" src=\"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/197\/2024\/03\/loblaw-dramatic-TO-sun-1.jpeg\" alt=\"Image of the outside of the &quot;Loblaw Companies Limited&quot; building.\" class=\"wp-image-34\" style=\"width:740px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/197\/2024\/03\/loblaw-dramatic-TO-sun-1.jpeg 620w, https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/197\/2024\/03\/loblaw-dramatic-TO-sun-1-300x200.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\">Loblaw Companies Limited (Credit: Toronto Sun)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This boycott isn\u2019t the only recent time Loblaw has faced criticism &#8211; in January, the company walked back on the decision to reduce its discount on food items nearing their sell-by date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Johnson told<em> City News<\/em> that these moves have dangerous effects for vulnerable populations given that Canadians are reporting paying \u201cabsurd amounts of money\u201d on groceries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI work as a mental health and addictions worker with a very vulnerable population\u2026they just can\u2019t make ends meet, and we\u2019re seeing [a] drastic increase in need and demand on food banks, not like anything we\u2019ve ever seen before,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the end of last year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dal.ca\/sites\/agri-food\/research\/canada-s-food-price-report-2024.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Canada\u2019s Food Price Report <\/a>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 <a href=\"https:\/\/dev.secondharvest.ca\/resources\/research\/hungry-change\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">study<\/a> by Second Harvest predicts that food bank demand is expected to rise to 18 per cent nationwide this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"795\" height=\"373\" src=\"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/197\/2024\/03\/lolaws-boycott_63503782-1.jpg\" alt=\"Infographic showing that the CPI for food decreased to 2.4 per cent in February 2024, down nine percent from the average.\" class=\"wp-image-52\" srcset=\"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/197\/2024\/03\/lolaws-boycott_63503782-1.jpg 795w, https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/197\/2024\/03\/lolaws-boycott_63503782-1-300x141.jpg 300w, https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/197\/2024\/03\/lolaws-boycott_63503782-1-768x360.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 795px) 100vw, 795px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\">CPI Decrease since July 2023 (Graphic Credit: Matthew Hanick)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although many groups see boycotts as a method of creating change, there is little evidence that suggests they\u2019re effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In November, Rhia Catapano, a marketing professor at the Rotman School of Management, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bing.com\/search?pglt=169&amp;q=cbc+news+boycotts&amp;cvid=ef6927bbdc0a49ca918b360f5fd915cd&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQABhAMgYIAhBFGDzSAQgyMTcxajBqMagCALACAA&amp;FORM=ANNTA1&amp;PC=LCTS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told <\/a><em>CBC News<\/em> that \u201cboycotts work in terms of mobilizing media attention and creating a threat in terms of the reputation for companies\u201d but that \u201cpeople 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.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, Johnson believes that believing in boycotts is essential to create change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color has-medium-font-size wp-elements-7c275327519997fd3f13bf08551ebb0e\"><strong>\u201cOne person may not be able to make a difference, but a bunch of people together absolutely can,\u201d <\/strong>Johnson <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blogto.com\/eat_drink\/2024\/03\/thousands-canadians-boycott-loblaw-stores\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told <\/a><em>BlogTO<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe can hold these people accountable and make positive changes for Canadians.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-block-show-more-container16_f24143-f4 > .kb-show-more-sr-excerpt{position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;clip:rect(0, 0, 0, 0);white-space:nowrap;}.kb-block-show-more-container16_f24143-f4 > .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn{margin-top:1em;}.kb-block-show-more-container16_f24143-f4 > .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kt-btn-wrap:nth-child(2), .kb-block-show-more-container16_f24143-f4 > .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .wp-block-kadence-singlebtn:nth-of-type(2){display:none;}.kb-block-show-more-container16_f24143-f4 > .wp-block-kadence-column{max-height:250px;overflow-y:hidden;}.kb-block-show-more-container16_f24143-f4.kb-smc-open > .wp-block-kadence-column{max-height:none;-webkit-mask-image:none;mask-image:none;overflow-y:unset;}.kb-block-show-more-container16_f24143-f4.kb-smc-open > .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kt-btn-wrap:nth-child(1), .kb-block-show-more-container16_f24143-f4.kb-smc-open > .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .wp-block-kadence-singlebtn:nth-of-type(1){display:none;}.kb-block-show-more-container16_f24143-f4.kb-smc-open > .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kt-btn-wrap:nth-child(2), .kb-block-show-more-container16_f24143-f4.kb-smc-open > .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .wp-block-kadence-singlebtn:nth-of-type(2){display:inline-flex;}.kb-block-show-more-container16_f24143-f4.kb-smc-open > .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-force-btn-fullwidth .kt-btn-wrap:nth-child(2){display:block;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-show-more kb-block-show-more-container kb-block-show-more-container16_f24143-f4\"><div class=\"kb-show-more-sr-excerpt\" aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\"><\/div><style>.kadence-column16_0fa2cc-fa > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column16_0fa2cc-fa > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column16_0fa2cc-fa > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column16_0fa2cc-fa > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column16_0fa2cc-fa > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column16_0fa2cc-fa > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column16_0fa2cc-fa{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column16_0fa2cc-fa > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column16_0fa2cc-fa > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column16_0fa2cc-fa kb-show-more-content\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kb-btns16_511525-f4{gap:var(--global-kb-gap-xs, 0.5rem );justify-content:flex-start;align-items:center;}.kt-btns16_511525-f4 .kt-button{font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;}.kt-btns16_511525-f4 .kt-btn-wrap-0{margin-right:5px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns16_511525-f4 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button{color:#555555;border-color:#555555;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns16_511525-f4 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:hover, .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns16_511525-f4 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:focus{color:#ffffff;border-color:#444444;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns16_511525-f4 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button::before{display:none;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns16_511525-f4 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:hover, .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn.kt-btns16_511525-f4 .kt-btn-wrap-0 .kt-button:focus{background:#444444;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn kb-buttons-wrap kb-btns16_511525-f4 kb-show-more-buttons\"><style>ul.menu .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn16_de4bfc-27.kb-button{width:initial;}<\/style><button class=\"kb-button kt-button button kb-btn16_de4bfc-27 kt-btn-size-small kt-btn-width-type-auto kb-btn-global-fill  kt-btn-has-text-true kt-btn-has-svg-false  wp-block-kadence-singlebtn\"><span class=\"kt-btn-inner-text\">Show More<\/span><\/button>\n\n<style>ul.menu .wp-block-kadence-advancedbtn .kb-btn16_50feeb-64.kb-button{width:initial;}<\/style><button class=\"kb-button kt-button button kb-btn16_50feeb-64 kt-btn-size-small kt-btn-width-type-auto kb-btn-global-fill  kt-btn-has-text-true kt-btn-has-svg-false  wp-block-kadence-singlebtn\"><span class=\"kt-btn-inner-text\">Show Less<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reddit user-generated poster encourages Canadians to participate in a boycott against Loblaws stores<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":852,"featured_media":31,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[18,16,17,14,13,15],"class_list":["post-16","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance","tag-affordability","tag-boycott","tag-cpi","tag-loblaw","tag-loblaws","tag-reddit"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/852"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}