Grocery Stores Cheating AGAIN?

GrumpyCanadian · 2025-01-19T04:38:58+00:00

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?

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.

GrumpyCanadian

Another follow-up article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/meat-weigh-grocers-1.7440150

Apparently, there is more recent evidence that other stores are still doing the same thing. This article is interesting, in that the reporters spoke with a former inspector, who mentioned that in-store inspections used to be a more common occurrence, especially in the event of a complaint. If I remember correctly, inspections were significantly curtailed in the time of Harper, and it's clear that we should bring them back. That is one of the things we need: unscheduled, unannounced, random inspections of grocery stores. When a potential problem is found, the evidence is documented, and followed by an official in-store inspection during business hours.

The article mentions that, again, the CFIA did telephone and e-mail "inspections", not visiting or issuing fines, because the store management claimed that they had acted to rectify the problem. Is that how we're doing it now? If I rob a bank, can I expect the police to intervene via e-mail, and all I have to do is reply saying that it was a misunderstanding and all of the money is back in the vault, with no evidence of such, and all will be fine (and I get to keep the money I didn't steal wink-wink-nudge-nudge)?

Thane_Bitter

Reminds me of the office space line "we fixed the glitch" when the grochers claim the matter was addressed in house.

Donoreo

I can see some of the excuses being valid: they switched trays and did not update the scales, etc. That could be the case sometimes which means procedures are not being followed. It may not represent an effort to charge customers more for less.

« Previous Page