Grocery Stores Cheating AGAIN?

GrumpyCanadian

A recent CBC article presents evidence that multiple grocers have been "misweighing" meat, and it has been going on for years. In some cases, we have the privilege of paying for the packaging at the same price as the meat itself, among other underhanded tactics:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/grocers-customers-meat-underweight-1.7405639

Apparently we're supposed to believe that the "tare" button is just too complicated, and it wasn't something employees and sub-contractors were ordered to do. Of course, in none of the cases documented were fines issued.

I suspect something similar has been going on with pet food, as the weights just don't seem to add up. So, am I the only one who will be getting the scale out more often?

AppleGuy

GrumpyCanadian I have been following this a bit, as well as other packaging (like dry good) and tare or not, people are paying for weight that is simply not there. I guess when it comes to meat, go to a store that has an actual butcher and get your meat that way.

px_eliezer_

GrumpyCanadian

This is a good point, but if the stores didn't pull that crap (charging a bit more for the packaging) they'd simply raise the price per kg (or per pound). It would come out to the same total in the end.

FrathosCAN

GrumpyCanadian The Food Professor commented on X about that issue and this was my reply to him about it:
I've seen that happen at my @FoodBasicsCA a couple of years ago but much worse as the beef item weight was more than double actual weight (I noticed it because I buy 2 trays & one was way higher than normal). Store staff said it was supplied to them that way from meat packer.

bbbc

I just saw a news segment on this bullshit. Loblaw Companies Limited seems to have mastered screwing shoppers.

Remember bread price-fixing?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/bread-price-fixing-loblaw-1.6719884

taraf

bbbc we try to avoid shopping at loblaws-owned stores for exactly that reason. fuck galen weston with a rusty spoon

GrumpyCanadian

bbbc Unfortunately, it's not just the Weston companies. Just in the last few years, we've had the bread price-fixing, "misweighed" products, misleading cereal labelling, pricing shenanigans at the potato processors and likely more that I haven't mentioned, or that we don't even know about.

In all of this nonsense, there is one constant: we are the ones being gouged, swindled, misled and manipulated. Then, when it finally all comes crashing down, they'll act like they had no part in it, and don't know what happened.

Laidback

Our local Independent grocer jacked up pricing to cover the "GST/HST" tax reprieve.

AppleGuy

Laidback I am almost certain many businesses are doing this and likely blaming it on "higher costs" and not GST/HST related. There are a handful of drinks I get from the LCBO and grocer that should be cheaper, but they don't appear to be.

Has anyone noticed a price drop in items with hidden HST?

ElQuintron

taraf Yup... Butcher, Indie Produce store, and dry goods at Costco. The Canadian Grocery industry needs to be beaten repeatedly with the long stick of regulation.

Laidback

taraf

Sadly, we don't have much variety. Giant Tiger here has actually improved what it carries for groceries. We buy beef from a beef farmer and pork product from the Menonites that are 45 minutes away. Food Basics in Timmins is an hour away and we save that for our twice monthly trip. Costco every 3 months or so, but that's a trip to Sudbury which is 4-5 hours away. If it can be frozen or has long expiry date, we get our daughter to pick up groceries in Hamilton since we are there every other month.

GrumpyCanadian

ElQuintron

ElQuintron The Canadian Grocery industry needs to be beaten repeatedly with the long stick of regulation.

That, of course, would require regulators with teeth and the inclination to actually use their powers, as well as a government that actually allows them to do their jobs without interference.

Hydraglass

GrumpyCanadian That, of course, would require regulators with teeth and the inclination to actually use their powers, as well as a government that actually allows them to do their jobs without interference.

From the article that definitely seems to be an issue -- it would seem every time one of these stores or chains get caught they feign ignorance and say "Oh it's a local problem must be training we'll fix that today so sorry" and there's no penalty or fine. They even reported one store did it THREE times in a row and they just kept saying oh sorry we'll fix it our bad! and got away with it. Each chain should essentially only get one free strike, and once that's used up it's a fine (which they should pay directly out of the till of each store that commits the act - directly impacting that store's profitability numbers and looking bad on that store's manager - thus putting the pressure on each local store to clean up their acts).

Thane_Bitter

I tend to weight meat when I get it home to repackage it and have not experienced this "thumb on scale" phenomena, however I have bought "lean ground beef" that appeared to have a lighter fat content than stated (should be no more than 17%) but on occasion it seems to give off the same amount of fat as regular grind (which is a horrific amount of fat - 30%!). You can't return cooked meat and it seems no one really cares if they are adding in cheaper filler into the mix. Regulations fail when there is no inspection or complaint enforcement. Even logging a complaint is difficult.

Speaking of Loblaws rip off, seems they have run out of their low production cost, high markup cookware much sooner than their corporate masters anticipated. Many people are upset because to collect a full card of stickers ment a person would have spent 400 dollars (before taxes) at their store, and would have needed to spend another another 25% of the inflated value of the pan just to get one. Now to be fair the company said until supplies last but given their spoty replenishment of product it seems that stores only got a couple of shipments people have tried to cash in their points for weeks without luck in places.

Link to original announcment https://www.loblaw.ca/en/calling-all-culinary-enthusiasts-collect-and-save-big-with-loblaws-exclusive-swiss-design-cookware-program/ . “For our cookware enthusiasts, this program could save them close to $500 on a full set.” - Mary MacIsaac, Senior Vice President, Loblaw Marketing and Control Brands [insert space cadet emoji here]

Wow, Mary is a hell of a spin doctor! One could get cheaper and better cookware elsewhere but you have to buy it all at once, and this likely is an issue for those needed new pots and pans that have a limited budget for such things. Since Loblaws corp stores are dotted around rural communities and are only grocery store option for many I expect some of these people would go along hoping they could get pans and pots this way since they are forced to spend all their food budget out of this retailer. I cannot imagine that anyone collected enough stamps to get all seven pieces, and the savings Mary gives are dubious because they have clearly overvalued their cookware.

GrumpyCanadian

px_eliezer_ There's an important distinction to be made, though. They can raise their prices, and short of meeting some legal criteria for gouging or price-fixing that might result in a fine, the worst that can happen is that customers stop buying the products in question. With this thumb-on-the-scale sort of practise, it is illegal, and regulators should be throwing the book at them every time. It's not just the final total price, it's the principle and the all-important customer perception, and the example you set. If they're stealing from us with impunity, they can't really complain too much when customers help themselves to a discount in the checkout line through various means (even though they do, and treat the customers like the only criminals).

Heat84

But the packaging weighs a fraction of a fraction of a pound. As far as the principle of it, you're right, but maybe it's not worth complaining about?

taraf

Heat84 Ever seen Office Space? You might not care about 1-2g per purchase, but multiply that out by millions of purchases and it's real money they're stealing.

g121

taraf you still haven't returned my stapler !!

urbanriot

FrathosCAN Who's "The Food Professor"?

Donoreo

urbanriot Who's "The Food Professor"?

Charlebois

ElQuintron

Donoreo I've never seen so many tears from an adult over a Reddit boycott.

urbanriot

Donoreo I feel like I waded into a battle about ketchup...

Thane_Bitter

Donoreo Some have called him the "Jordan Peterson of Carrots".
I didn't recognise his name but have grown tired of seeing his face whenever CTV needs to find a comment.

Turns out while he promotes himself as an independent food boffin, he is a professor with tenure, and he did get a 60k grant from the Weston Foundation. https://www.readtheorchard.org/p/who-the-fuck-is-the-food-professor

I have not read any of his research but the columns he produce seem two dimensional and generous towards the big food companies citing everything except the suspiciously absent reference to the overall increased profitability these companies have had as the reason for food price increases.