working at a grocery store should be enough to radicalize anyone

when I worked at loblaws, which is owned by one of the wealthiest families in canada, we were not permitted to put baby formula on the shelves. it had to go behind the customer service desk, because too many people were stealing it. being that I'm of the opinion that no one should have to pay to eat, I pretended not to know store policy and put it on the shelves anyway. the cheapest of baby formulas cost more than a quarter of what I made in an 8 hour shift. and yes, this is the same grocery chain that pays minimum wage to the majority of their workers, and student wage to workers under 18.

I saw someone banned from the store for attempting to shoplift diapers, another for taking bread. you know the age old "would you steal a loaf of bread to feed your family?"? yeah, a grocery chain owned by a billionaire family will ban you for that. and yes, this is the same grocery chain that admitted to a price fixing scheme based around the cost of bread.

the store manager instructed us to keep an eye out for people who "looked homeless", and to watch them while they were in the store to ensure that they didn't steal anything. and yes, this is the same grocery chain that denied drivers overtime wages unless they worked over 60 hours a week.

and we were unionized! imagine how they would have treated us if we weren't! and yes, this is the same grocery chain that blamed product theft on their workers.

basically, seeing the way that grocery stores underpay workers while boosting their prices and having over the top policies to prevent people from accessing basic human necessities should be enough to make anyone despise capitalism.

The bread prices are fixed by the ogliarchy and the circuses are locked behind a monthly subscription service

Galen Weston CEO of Loblaws - Canada's wealthiest greedflation proprietor and head of multiple grocery chains. Creating more food bank users than any man in Canadian history!

This Anarchist is Now in Organized Crime!

Of course I would never, ever steal from a price-gouging corporation that engaged in fucking BREAD FRAUD for OVER A DECADE. But if I did, would I still have a receipt to boop on this scanner? Well, yes, I think I would. That would not be a hard thing to do.

They are losing their minds over this. Someone speaking for Loblaws basically muttered, "It's organized crime" into the phone and hung up on the press, while providing no citations. No-no-no, organized crime is out there stealing million-dollar handbags and fashion from department stores I'd never go near. You're up against people who need to eat, they're not organized at all. And they're way harder to beat.

They are spending millions of dollars to secure their privilege to price-gouge without consequences! How the hell much are they making despite pissed-off consumers implementing their own need-based taxes? And this won't work. Dropping their prices would! I'd need some transparency to be sure the bread scam isn't still ongoing, just with a different item, but if I KNEW I was paying fair prices, I'd answer honesty with honesty.

But I know I'm not. No one is. And people need to eat. Every little bit helps. If I can go into the grocery store and feed someone standing outside, I will do that whenever I can.

And, honestly, the store nearest me is Loblaws-owned. If they do this, I could get wasted, stagger over there, and just spend a few hours going in and making someone let me out, because I didn't buy anything. I could go be a cat! Everybody wants to be a cat! (Seriously, it looks like everybody does, and that's why they're not keeping the scanners.)

I'll hafta think about it. It all depends on what's a better use of my time. Not stealing, though! We don't do that! Only corporations are allowed to do that, and that's OK!

Loblaw has named Danish retail executive Per Bank to be its president and CEO starting next year, replacing Galen Weston in the top job at the company. The company announced the news in a media release on Tuesday morning. Bank is currently CEO of Danish retail chain Salling Group A/S, which runs more than 1,700 supermarkets across three countries in Europe.

Loblaw says the leadership transition was planned in advance, and part of a "global talent search" that began in August of last year, when chief operating officer Robert Sawyer announced he was stepping down.

Full article

Tagging: @allthecanadianpolitics

Loblaw Companies Limited continues to see gains in profit and revenue as Canadians struggle to keep up with the soaring cost of living.

The grocery giant reported a profit of $508 million available to its common shareholders from its second quarter this year. That's an increase of $121 million, or 31.3 per cent, compared to last year.

This increase is, in part, due to a one-time charge of $111 million related to a PC Bank commodity tax matter, clarifies the report.

The Loblaws and Shoppers Drug Mart parent company's revenue for the second quarter, which ended on June 17, amounted to a whopping $13.7 billion. It increased by $891 million, or 6.9 per cent, from last year.

"Our businesses remain focused on providing Canadians with the selection, freshness, care and value they need today," said Loblaw chairman and president Galen G. Weston in a statement. [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada, @vague-humanoid

You mean the company that was convicted for price fixing bread less than 5 years ago might be lying about the inflation of groceries (and nothing else (at the same rate)) being caused by the carbon tax and farmers? Say it ain't so.

useless eater

I feel like part of the reason billionaire CEOs don't want to pay higher wages is because they have never had to see money as anything other than a luxury and not as a necessity

im this close to shooting galen weston and just sitting in jail for it

I would NEVER shoplift because, uh, having an underpaid security person demand to see my receipt would STOP me. For sure.

Yes, Loblaws is price gouging. No, of course they don't admit it. Most of their stores have self-checkouts and they also like you to bring your own bags. I bring my own cart and walk to the store (Nice, walkable area right here! It's amazing!), an opaque cloth shopping cart, with a lot of pockets. It's terribly convenient. I go to Canadian Superstore, and Wal Mart, and No Frills, and Dollarama, all kinds of stores. Of course, I do not steal from these stores. Stealing is WRONG!

But, uh, if I did, would a receipt check stop me?

Wal Mart happens to do receipt checks - sometimes of everyone, sometimes just if you set off the alarm thingy. The underpaid employee who pawed through my cart when I set off the alarm thingy said, apologetically, that he was looking for drugs or clothes. Those things set off the alarm most. He found a large bottle of antacids, said, "Oh, that must be it," checked it against the receipt (yes, I paid for the antacids) and let me go. So, as far as Wall Mart goes, if you've got drugs or clothes (or large, obvious appliances and electronics, one assumes), and you paid for 'em, you're good.

Was there anything else in that cart NOT on the receipt? Food perhaps, or small cosmetics without security tags? OF COURSE NOT! STEALING IS WRONG!

But, say, if I were a really petty, vindictive individual, I would be MOST inclined to steal the things they fence off like I'm going to steal them, or from places that insist on receipt checks, or from places that are price gouging. Those locks they put on the display racks and force their underpaid employees to open again and again, for example, can be defeated by simply tearing through the cardboard loop the merchandise hangs from, or, in the case of a plastic loop, a smallish scissors. Just for example! Never do this!

Any sting they might be feeling from lost inventory is, of course, a side-effect of firing people and replacing them with self-checkouts. Some things just don't scan, and things can get lost in a cloth bag or cart. That's not anybody's fault! (Well, it's management's fault, but apparently we're still not stealing enough to make them reconsider the self-checkouts... I'm sure we've all walked off with one or two things that just didn't scan, that's how I mean "we"!)

I doubt it's enough to make them consider hiring more people, or pricing things reasonably - not yet - but it is interesting that they're posting warnings for us all to be a bit more careful. They must not be seeing quite the level of profits they expect! For some reason.

If you happen to look ethnic, teenaged or poor, they're going to hassle you more, even if you're not stealing. Legally, they cannot demand to see your receipt, but it's difficult to protest when a security guard is standing between you and the exit. If you get annoyed with that, I suggest making friends with a middle-aged, fair-skinned woman (or at least someone who looks female). Middle-aged, fair-skinned women make wonderful friends. Many of them have friendly opaque cloth shopping carts - er, I mean shoulders, "shoulders to cry on"! I'm just so bad at spelling! Make sure you check them for anarchist or socialist tendencies first! We don't want any law-breakers, ha-ha!

Didn’t they, eh?

Loblaws Groceterias Co., Danforth Avenue, south side, west of Fenwick Avenue, Toronto, Ontario 1927