Loblaws grocery stores boycott: Reddit group founder says May boycott of Loblaw-affiliated stores is 'unifying' Canadians

Plans for a May-long national boycott of Loblaw and its affiliated stores have been several months in the making thanks to grassroots efforts started on a Reddit group called "Loblaws Is Out Of Control" which now boasts more than 58,000 members. Organizers say the attention the boycott has been getting is encouraging but concrete changes to food pricing need to happen before they can call a victory.

Emily Johnson of Milton, Ont., started the forum in November to give Canadians a space to vent about the cost of living and grocery prices. Intense discussions started happening on threads after Loblaw announced it would be scrapping its 50-per-cent off quick-sale section in their stores earlier this year — a decision it eventually reversed after intense backlash.

“A lot of natural conversations started to spring up about how we as a group need to do more and make our cause known to the people in charge [at Loblaw],” she tells Yahoo Canada. “As our moderation team, we felt it would be best if we organized that boycott.”

The mental-health worker says the two months leading up to the boycott have helped her and other organizers get the word out to people who could participate.

“A lot of what we’re doing is organic and food is a unifying factor for people,” she says. “Whether you’re in a condo or a mansion, it doesn’t matter who you are. You eat. I feel that people really want to ensure that what they’re eating is as reasonably priced as possible.”

While the group doesn’t have a definitive list of boxes to tick off in order to confirm they’re doing things right, Johnson says they’re “in a good space” and are definitely on the grocery giant’s radar. A representative from the company’s communications department has even reached out to arrange a meeting.

“I feel like that’s a success that we’ve got people listening to us,” Johnson says, adding that she’ll be happy to meet with them as long as they solidify what the company would like to talk about.

Loblaws boycott May 1: A few companies 'essentially decide how much food costs'

As the forum quickly gained momentum over the past few months, organizers of the protest set up polls to ask what members wanted from the boycott. Their current list of demands include: No further retailer-led price increases for this year; no further increase to dividends for this year; increased cost transparency including identifying "shrinkflation" items; a commitment to affordable pricing, like price caps on essential grocery items; and an end to members-exclusive pricing which forces customers to join loyalty programs to take advantage of some sales.

On the Reddit forum, organizers of the boycott say people who can't avoid shopping at Loblaw-owned stores can still get involved by writing to their member of Parliament. The group even offers a template letter to make it easier to "express my deep concern about the escalating grocery prices in Canada." Boycott organizers also offer a template letter to send to Loblaw customer service to express their ire over prices.

According to a Loblaw earning report from February, in 2023, the company's revenue was up 5.4 per cent from a year earlier.

The group also suggests Canadians use Optimum points to pay for purchases when possible and to only buy loss leaders at Loblaw-owned stores. Loss leaders are items stores offer at low prices, often at a loss, in order to get customers through their doors to spend money on other products.

For Rachel Manson, getting involved in promoting the boycott felt necessary, especially from her unique position. The Toronto-based comedian was the face of No Name in a 2019 ad campaign, and now works for a food insecurity non-profit that funds food banks and food programs.

“This gives me a unique perspective on just how rampant and ridiculous the problem is,” she says. “Food banks weren’t supposed to be this resource but now one in six food bank users is employed.”

She recently released https://www.instagram.com/p/C6NQouPNal4/ about the boycott and what people can do if they they aren't able to take part.

“If this gets the conversation going on where to buy local, how to buy local and how we can make those everyday choices to chip away at this monopoly, then we might actually take some of the power away from those who essentially decide how much food costs,” Manson says.

Johnson says what will happen after May depends on whether Loblaws is interested in listening and taking actionable steps in meeting demands.

“We’ll leave that ball in their court,” she says.

In the meantime, a member of the forum created a website called Alt Grocery for people to search for alternative grocery store options in their region. May 12 has also been designated by the forum as Local Grocers Day, a day to celebrate local grocers, pharmacists and farmers' markets.