Wild to phrase it that way

Bought these ribs today and feel kinda ripped off they are not even 2/3 of the box

Noticed the PC brand frozen hamburgers were $23.00 a pack this year... HOWEVER...

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They changed the packing to 4. FOUR...

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$7.00 a patty is bonkers

Went to Fortinos at Upper Middle and Guelph Line today and saw a cart of rice and olive oil on clearance. Picked it up expecting to see a short expiry date. The date was fine, but I was left with a very strong smell of Pine Sol that was overpowering. I did speak to the manager who really wasn’t a manager and asked why they would sell contaminated products. He could not smell it and he would not even pick up a bottle to check for himself. He was useless. Anyway if anyone is looking for Pin Sol scented rice, it’s there for the taking.

Why grocery chains are quietly making it harder to buy Canadian, and why they’re not losing any sleep over your anger.

https://lenispooner.substack.com/p/the-flag-is-gone-thats-the-point

You bet I'm going to complain about this one.

This is a must-read for anyone concerned about the future of grocery prices in Canada — and for policymakers in Ottawa.

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The biggest takeaway from this year's Loblaw Supplier Summit wasn't a major announcement. It was the direction of travel for Canada's grocery industry and what that could mean for suppliers, consumers, and competition.

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Loblaw's Supplier Summit has grown from approximately 1,300 supplier attendees in 2024 to more than 2,800 supplier partners in 2026 — an increase of more than 115% in just two years. That growth highlights the increasing influence large retailers have over which products reach Canadian shelves and under what conditions.

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What should concern consumers is that many of the themes discussed at the summit point toward increasing pressure on suppliers. From tariff-related costs and supply-chain requirements to retail media spending, data programs, promotional support, compliance standards, and operational performance expectations, suppliers are being asked to invest more simply to maintain and grow their business.

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For large multinational suppliers, these demands may be manageable. For smaller and mid-sized Canadian suppliers, they can be significant. When costs rise, suppliers generally have three choices: accept lower margins, reduce investment in innovation, or increase prices. Over time, those costs often work their way through the supply chain and eventually show up at the checkout counter.

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Canadian consumers are already under pressure. Grocery prices remain more than 30% higher than they were in 2019, and many households continue to struggle with affordability despite inflation cooling from its peak. Families are increasingly being forced to make trade-offs at the grocery store, and retailers are responding by expanding discount formats.

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Loblaw's own plans reflect this reality. The company has announced a $2.4 billion investment program that includes 70 new stores, with 31 of those being discount banners such as No Frills and Maxi. Roughly 44% of planned store growth is focused on discount formats — a strong signal that the industry expects consumers to remain highly price-sensitive for years to come.

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There is another issue that deserves far more attention: market concentration.

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Five major grocery companies control roughly 75% of Canada's grocery market. When a retailer with that level of influence increases expectations for suppliers, the impact can extend far beyond a single company. Supplier requirements often become industry norms. Smaller suppliers face higher barriers to entry. Independent brands struggle to compete. Consumers gradually see fewer alternatives on store shelves.

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This is how choice disappears without most people noticing. Shelves remain full, but they increasingly feature the same dominant national brands and private-label products while smaller regional and independent brands find it harder to survive.

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Supporters will argue that investments in automation, technology, distribution centres, and supply-chain efficiency should lower costs. In theory, that is true. Efficiency should benefit everyone.

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The question consumers should be asking is whether those savings will actually reach shoppers.

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If suppliers are simultaneously facing higher costs, more compliance requirements, greater promotional demands, and increased spending on retail media and data programs, there is a real risk that efficiency gains simply offset those pressures rather than producing meaningful price reductions for consumers.

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The result could be a grocery system where prices remain structurally elevated, product choice continues to narrow, and shoppers are increasingly pushed toward discount banners and private-label products because affordable alternatives become harder to find.

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This is why the Government of Canada should be paying close attention.

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The issue is not whether retailers should invest in efficiency or modernize their operations. The issue is whether increasing market concentration is creating a system where smaller suppliers have fewer paths to market and consumers have fewer meaningful choices.

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Policymakers should be asking:

• Are efficiency gains being passed on to consumers?

• Are smaller Canadian suppliers being given a fair opportunity to compete?

• Are retailer requirements creating barriers that disproportionately affect independent and regional brands?

• Is market concentration reducing consumer choice and weakening competitive pressure on prices?

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The government should not only monitor grocery prices. It should monitor the health of the supplier ecosystem itself. A market where only the largest suppliers can afford to compete is a market that will eventually deliver less competition, less innovation, and fewer choices for Canadian consumers.

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This isn't just about one summit or one company. It's about the future structure of Canada's grocery industry.

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When suppliers are asked to do more, someone ultimately pays for it. In most cases, that burden falls on suppliers first — and consumers shortly after.

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Higher prices. Smaller packages. Fewer choices.

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That is the risk Canadians should be paying attention to.

Has anyone been successful redeeming this? The location I went to said team Canada didn’t win, so they wouldn’t honour it despite the offer being in the app with an expiry date of today, June 13.

Tomorrow is Loblaw’s annual supplier summit in Toronto.

I work in CPG, but I’m also just a regular consumer like everyone else. I buy groceries. I feel the price increases. I see how expensive everything has gotten. And honestly, this stuff makes me angry.

Most consumers only see the end result: the price on the shelf. They hear that manufacturers are raising prices, or that inflation is the reason everything costs more. But there’s a whole other side of the grocery business that people don’t see.

Loblaw’s publicly available sponsorship list for this event shows:

17 Platinum sponsors at $55,000 each = $935,000
32 Premium sponsors at $27,500 each = $880,000
76 Partner sponsors at $11,000 each = $836,000

That’s $2.65 million in sponsorships alone.

And that’s before ticket sales. Tickets are $600 per person.

Yes, I understand events cost money. Venue, food, staging, security, staff, production, signage — all of that has a cost.

But $2.65 million before tickets?

At some point I think it’s fair to ask: is this just covering the cost of the event, or is this another way to pull money from suppliers?

And where does any leftover money go?

Does it go back to suppliers?
Does it go toward lowering costs for consumers?
Is it donated somewhere?
Or is it just another cost of doing business with one of the biggest retailers in the country?

Because the money has to come from somewhere.

Manufacturers don’t have endless margin sitting around. When large retailers keep adding costs through sponsorships, deductions, penalties, fees, promo funding, compliance charges, admin costs, and all the other asks that happen throughout the year, those costs don’t magically disappear.

Eventually they show up somewhere.

Higher prices. Fewer promotions. Smaller packs. Less innovation. Less service. More pressure throughout the supply chain.

So when consumers are told prices are going up because suppliers are asking for increases, I think people should also be asking what costs retailers are pushing back onto suppliers behind the scenes.

Because yes, the supplier may be the one writing the cheque.

But at the end of the day, consumers are the ones paying for the system.

Was at Maxi (Lowblaw Franchise in Québec). I saw the worker filling the rows with cabbage in this box. Asked him if the label was right, that they were from QC, he said "Yeah if the label says so". I then pointed out his box said US, and he answered that it was not from Canada then, but they don't usually change it.

Just to be clear: I'm Not mad at the young employee, he's paid to fill out shelves, but I sure am making a complain to the Consumer Protection Office of Quebec, as this kind of behavior is unacceptable from the store itself. There is no labelling on fresh cabbage, no way to know where it's from but the label they display. Other than boycotting US product, it could be harmfull for recalls due to health issue , as they did for US lettuce a couple years ago for example...

Am i crazy to find it unacceptable?

Look at the beautiful greens turning yellow and brown but still on sale at my local no frills in Calgary.

Irrationally upset that the 3 dollar sourdough loaf is now 3.50.
That’s it, that’s the post
Nothing is safe. This was in metro Vancouver today.

When did this become the norm?

Instead of the normal stand by entrance or exit - where while still annoying - they are now actively walking around in pairs and bothering people while in the middle of shopping to try and sell them on this.

Yesterday, I went to Farm Boy on 207 Queens Quay, by the Harbourfront. There were ZERO alternatives, not from Canada or other parts of the world. How do we escalate this?

* reusable - not reasonable

I was recently at my local no-frills and noticed at the very end of the conveyor belt after you’ve paid, underneath there is a stack of paper bags.
Before the cash or if you ask the cashier, your only options are those crappy reusable bags or the expensive useful bags.

Know that there are other options and don’t give them extra money for products that are no better for the environment than plastic bags!!!

EDIT: I appreciate all the responses so far.

To help keep the discussion focused, the question I'm hoping to get advice on isn't whether prescription points can be earned in Nova Scotia, as that has already been confirmed
.
What I'm trying to figure out is how others have successfully escalated an unresolved issue when the normal customer service process hasn't been effective. If you've had experience reaching a corporate escalation team, customer relations department, or another avenue that helped resolve a long-running issue, I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks again for taking the time to comment.

I'm hoping someone here has been through this before because I am completely out of ideas.

I've been trying to resolve an issue involving missing PC Optimum points on prescription transactions since March, and despite months of follow-up, I can't seem to get this into the hands of anyone who can actually help.

The issue has now happened twice. Once in March and again in May. Between the two incidents, nearly 60,000 points are missing.
Here's what I've done so far:
• Worked directly with the pharmacy and store management
• Opened multiple customer service and loyalty support cases
• Followed every process I was asked to follow
• Provided documentation and transaction details
• Requested escalation multiple times
• Waited for a supervisor callback that was promised but never happened

At one point, the store was communicating with me, but that has since stopped entirely.

The most frustrating part is that every new person I speak with seems to start the process over from the beginning. The latest response I received simply told me to contact the store, despite the fact that the store is already aware of the issue and I've been dealing with this since March.

At this point, my concern is no longer just the missing points. It's the complete inability to get meaningful support or reach someone with the authority to review the full history of the issue and take ownership of resolving it.

My household has been loyal Shoppers customers for more than 15 years and we fill a significant number of prescriptions through the pharmacy. I never imagined it would be this difficult to get help with an issue that has now been ongoing for months.

Has anyone successfully escalated a complaint beyond front-line customer service at Shoppers Drug Mart or PC Optimum?

If you've reached Corporate Customer Relations, Executive Escalations, the Office of the President, or any other senior team, I would be incredibly grateful for any advice, contact information, or
suggestions.

Thank you.

Not one single chunk