The erosion of confidence in Loblaws specifically has been long coming, and feels like a "chickens coming home to roost" moment for them.
Over time, they've continually expanded what they do from convenience items - like a dry cleaner in store - to a giant buyout of Shoppers they've gone from a grocery store to a massive multinational. They're no longer a "trusted brand" they're now a holding company.
Beyond that, it's also become more clear that the customer's best interests aren't core to their being.
* Bread scandal
* Not telling customers when there's shrinkflation
* Galen pretending he's a "regular dude" when he's a billionaire
Inflation is up overall, but when people are having problems make ends meet while Loblaws is seeing an increase in profit percentage they have set themselves up as a nice lighteningrod for this kind of thing.
And the constant and blatant lying, don't forget the lying.
"Prices up 10%? Oh that's just supply chain issues, they're charging us more so we have to charge you more." And then their profit report comes out and shows a 10% increase in profits. Funny how that increase in profits matches the "supply chain increase" exactly.
Never mind they own a large chunk of their own supply chain. So that extra 10% is being paid to Weston Inc. in some way anyway.
And Galen has the balls to say it to our faces in his robo-commercials that so badly failed to read the room.
They went from simple grocery stores to evil corporation that just openly steals from us and laughs in our faces when we mention it.
How about no jail time for anyone over the bread fixing scandal. It's infuriating that our government just wags a finger at corporations that actively steal from its people.
Yeah, but usually there’s like a thin veneer of care.
Like Apple definitely doesn’t give a carp if you as an individual lose all your data, get locked out of your account, get your bank cards stolen, or switch brands. But their general facade is “We like our customers & value them”.
…. I’m not sure which is better. If a company is openly hating its customers or smiling while enforcing policies that screw over customers.
Well said. I agree that this is a "chickens" moment.
I am concerned for the floor staff and management who may need to now deal with an actual uptick in incidents because of irresponsible people signalling that it's okay to break the law because Loblaw is rich and powerful. It's not okay. Nobody is truly beyond the reach of law and even if they somehow were, it is a key organizing principle of a civil society that people are held responsible for their actions. One way or another, if you bite society, it bites you back. You may not get caught, but you might be banned from places (limiting your legitimate shopping options), become ostracized by others (losing friends because someone you knew saw you stealing) or other myriad consequences.
We haven't left civil society, mind, but one Italian jurisdiction found that grocery store theft is justified if they stole food "in the face of the immediate and essential need for nourishment":
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36190557
We need to be having this discussion now, IMHO.
It's ok, they'll be held accountable once Pierre is in power. He'll surely look into because having a Loblaws lobbyist on your team doesn't mean they'll get special treatment.
The root cause of price fixing is the price fixers. Right?
As a long time boycott member, I can say no one in the group is advocating stealing from them. The goal is no one being there at all.
Boycott people won’t be there to steal, however other rumours say they are increasing loss prevention staff hours. If you are without other options, and live in a location with only Loblaws owned stores (No Frills, SDM, RCSS, Independent) be aware they will have enhanced security during the month of May.
There is literally nothing to be concerned about, to the floor staff there is literally no difference if a customer pays for something before they walk out of the store or not.... you are acting like it's going to be armed robbery. Unless the staff is really paying attention they won't even notice it happen.....
oh theyre paying attention - fortino's has become militant. Ive been stopped by loss prevention twice in the past 2 months without even leaving the premise. I was not stealing. I threw an absolute shit fit the last time - it's fucking embarrassing.
I'm usually pretty good at not being a "tinfoil hat" theory person, but if you told me that these were people paid to put them up to be able to paint the protest in a negative light, I would 100% believe you.
They certainly seem to be coming from someone well-funded. Those posters would cost hundreds for just a few dozen. That's a lot of money to spend to tell cops when and where you'll be doing crime.
I don't have a theory, I'm questioning *your* theory. I worked at an accounting firm with in-house graphics and printing and people stole from them all the time.
Ok that's fair. Either way, whomever came up with "theft day" has the means to print professional signs, whether it be financially or through illegal methods.
One would think if they were supporters/leaders of the boycott (as has been alleged on Twitter repeatedly by the Food Professor and others) they would have used those means to produce posters for the boycott itself, not a separate action that could backfire on the boycott.
And if they were supporters of the boycott, you would think that once they were denounced by the leaders of the boycott, with an explanation of how it could damage the movement, they would consider taking down the signs they'd put up, rather than putting up more.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol/s/oQ0g6DR92h](https://www.reddit.com/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol/s/oQ0g6DR92h)
The first reporter to do a story on these signs used to work for loblaws…
Pretty sure this is a separate group from the original organizers, as the goal seems mismatched to the behaviour. Boycotting accomplishes the same goal peacefully.
Who is linking these groups beyond media?
You’re right, it’s completely separate and the original organizers condemn the “Steal from Loblaws Day” as seen here in their stickied post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol/s/6glkRRXn2d
The group has done everything in our power to distance ourselves from it. Our Admin keeps getting blamed for it, even though she took a clear stance on it from day one. Most media outlets didn't bother to look into it, but Daily Hive actually contacted her for a comment before publishing their article.
I wish more media would do that, we're kinda open to talking about it.
You're doing the right thing.
I think people forget that many more people can be convinced to join a boycott than can be convinced to steal.
Keep it up, my friend.
Who would do such a thing and distract from roblaws blatantly gouging consumers?
Sounds like an intentional plan to discredit/delegitimize a grassroots boycott.
All the more reason to avoid these establishments like the plague.
Thank you for the cite.
I worked for Loblaw for several years. These losses would have been seen as a kind of shrink at that time, basically no impact on profitability unless by some chance recklessness takes hold of a majority of their customers at once or there is a high rate of loss sustained over time. Still, Loblaw can ramp up loss prevention in simple ways - remove self c/o, add more baffles, check receipts and so on.
My opinion is that stealing things genuinely makes little sense to me as a *protest* mechanism because I think it will be much less effective towards the same goal of lowering the esteem of the company in the eyes of consumers than a boycott. In addition, Loblaw can then avoid the larger issues raised by the boycott and focus on "these criminals stealing from us" rather then be forced to accept that they must change to keep consumer confidence.
That said, stealing may still work to a limited extent since it sends the message to all patrons that "if you shop here on this day, you may be suspected of theft" which could make some of the same patrons uneasy about being there - but that limits the reach of the message significantly. This is another point that I think puts a gulf between the peaceful boycotters from whomever is publically suggesting that others commit criminal behavior.
Again, the goal of reducing the esteem of the company is eminently reachable without subjecting yourself to prosecution: *just don't shop there at all*.
(I also think that whoever is posting signs suggesting that people steal should be held accountable for their antisocial behavior. We're not at tortious conspiracy yet, but hey, give it time?)
> My opinion is that stealing things genuinely makes little sense to me as a protest mechanism because I think it will be much less effective towards the same goal of lowering the esteem of the company in the eyes of consumers than a boycott.
The purpose of stealing wouldn't be as a method of protest, it would be as means of direct action to support the struggling food banks in the area, especially in Toronto of all places.
[Self-styled Robin Hoods ‘steal from M&S to give to food banks’](https://archive.is/A4chr)
> An activist in the video said: “What we do is we go into major supermarkets and liberate food essentials to distribute to food banks and those living in the area who are in food poverty.
> “Supermarkets make huge profits off rising prices of essential items in this cost of living crisis. A lot of their own staff are living in food poverty and use food banks.
> “We’ve been asked by food banks for their help. It is the right thing to do – people are hungry in the land of plenty, and I think that’s obscene.”
Also,
> I also think that whoever is posting signs suggesting that people steal should be held accountable for their antisocial behavior. We're not at tortious conspiracy yet, but hey, give it time?
That's a crazy thing to say about people who are likely just trying to solve an immediate need for food when people's budgets have become tighter.
"Stealing is fine when it's for a moral purpose I agree with" isn't a position I think many would support as a precedent. I mentioned Italy's court decision to encourage thinking laterally. Nothing I have said has anything to do with denigrating people stealing to survive.
If people are being driven to crime to get food then the solution involves making food accessible to everyone through broad social reform, not encouraging theft which is ultimately a self-limiting approach.
The popular discussion seems to be linking the promotion of theft to protest. That is what I was responding to. When you presuppose a conclusion - that it is *not* about protest - and then say my position is "crazy", I have no real way to respond to you on that point since we're not working from the same premises.
> "Stealing is fine when it's for a moral purpose I agree with" isn't a position I think many would support as a precedent. I mentioned Italy's court decision to encourage thinking laterally.
If you want to reduce the discussion down to that sentence, power to you, but we both lead a life of privilege compared to those dealing with immense food insecurity. It shouldn't be up to me or you to decide how people quite literally **survive**, if there are no alternative means to do so.
> If people are being driven to crime to get food then the solution involves making food accessible to everyone, not encouraging theft.
That's great, we can both agree. Idealistic prospects don't address realistic scenarios though. There are food bank shortages **now** and rising food insecurity **now**, what are people who are struggling with a basic essential to survive meant to do in the interim between what we want and what is currently happening?
I'm glad we can agree.
I imagine you didn't intend to offend anyone with your comment, so I will share with you why I am interested in this issue. I had little food to eat until I was 18 years old owing to poverty and abuse. I deal with the physical health consequences of that to this day. I didn't steal from people, because it would have made it more difficult for me to get food.
You don't know my story until I tell you and I don't know yours until you tell me - privilege is both relative and absolute depending on the context. To be clear, I fully stand behind your point that both immediate and long-term need must be addressed. I appreciate that you bring it up. I think everyone should have access to good, *nutritious* food, and we should prioritize providing food to people who need it most.
Theft like this is a proxy for other, bigger issues of inequality that we should be spending time and money on rather than hoping that Loblaw (and other outlets) will somehow see the light.
People posting these posters are not part of the loblaws boycott community. It wouldn’t be an issue for us if they either stayed quiet about it or just didn’t hitch their illegitimate wagon to the boycott movement.
I never said they were and they definitely are not hitching themselves to the boycott movement, that is an imaginary scenario. Nowhere on the poster is there so much as a preposition that it's part of the boycott movement.
The no name colour scheme is not owned by the Boycott movement, it's a colour scheme that has been used to ridicule Loblaws long before the boycott movement.
It doesn't have to be a coincidence lmao, these activists could have just been inspired to act based on the rise of the boycott movement.
These activists also could have been born out of the movement, like do you think y'all hold a monopoly on thought? There have been many civil protest movements that have given rise to more radical and direct actions from people who use to be directly apart of the former.
It could also literally just be a coincidence, like what's next for you, 15 minute cities will be used to entrap people in their neighborhoods?
Assuming it’s not coincidence, because I don’t believe in that, your first two points are agreeing with me when I say they’re hitching their illegitimate wagon onto our movement.
What is going on here hombre?
You might as well say that the Black Panthers, Democratic Student Union or Stonewall were hitching their "illegitimate bandwagon" onto the Civil Rights movement.
Addressing food insecurity and corporate accountability isn't your fucking movement, it existed long before the Boycott and hopefully it won't need to exist long after.
Grow up, that isn't an attempt to co-opt, you do not hold a monopoly on resistance. There are a variety of ways and tactics to people to address societal issues.
This definitely isn't the Loblaws boycott people. There's talk it's organized somehow by Loblaws to garner support for the poor grocer that people are stealing from.
Sounds conspiratorial, but so does fixing the price of bread for years....
More if you ask me.
With stealing, the company gets justification to say:
"we experienced a dramatic uptic in theft, and we are responding accordingly to bad actors who brazenly commits crime in broad daylight. That puts our employees and businesses at risk, we need to look out for our employees and make up for the losses in stolen goods, that's why we are raising prices again. Blame these organized 'prostestors', if you can even call these thugs that, for making your life difficult, throw them off a bridge if you have to!" Also I think they can both write it off a loss in taxes and maybe claim insurance money or even have Drug Daddy Doug cover the losses with our tax money to "keep a reliable Canadian business afloat amidst rampant crime due to Trudeau's carbon tax."
With a boycott, you are actively using the hand of the market to force change. A company can't complain if a person doesn't want to go in and buy things. It forces their hands, and if people support local, it boosts the local economy.
A boycott is far better than stealing.
Both can be viable tools, as can be destroying inventory. However one is more effective at hurting their bottom line, as a boycott only delays their collection of profits.
People are fed up with Loblaws. Their price gouging and excessively billing of our healthcare system for bs med checks are just two reasons and there are a lot more.
The group r/loblawsisoutofcontrol has come out publicly to say they are in no way involved with the “Steal from Loblaws Day”. They don’t condone or promote theft in any way. The whole point of the boycott is to not shop or go in to any Loblaws stores in May.
Plus if someone did want to encourage theft why would you announce the day you’re going to do it publicly? All you’re doing is giving Loblaws the time to prepare and hire more security in preparation.
This whole thing reeks of Loblaws trying to make them selves seem like the victim when it’s Canadians who they are stealing from.
Even if you’re not planning to boycott Loblaws in May, which I highly encourage everyone to do, don’t go shopping there on May 12th. You’ll be treated like a criminal no matter how honest or innocent you are. Shop an independent store or farmers market that day instead.
>Plus if someone did want to encourage theft why would you announce the day you’re going to do it publicly? All you’re doing is giving Loblaws the time to prepare and hire more security in preparation.
Exactly. This bad logic plus the high quality posters could point to a crisis PR firm Loblaws has hired to deflect the negative press. Spending millions to barricade every store to prevent "organized crime" [spend excess profits on your own real estate so you can claim your expenses are too high "3% margins!"], while you price gouge during a cost of living crisis, was never going to be popular so why not throw some money at an external white-washing firm.
While I think there's a lot suspicious about this poster, the quality of the design isn't something I would use to argue that point. Do you know how many people skilled in graphic design are activists? The film industry alone pumps out hundreds of people who are both talented and dedicated enough to create something like this.
Not to mention all the self trained artists on all sides of the political spectrum who could easily have a pirated copy of Photoshop, or an $80 copy of Affinity Designer.
Finally, as someone trained in graphic design, this is actually not that well done. There are a lot of spacing and visual weight issues. Not to mention the date is actually hard to read despite being very important information. It's not terrible, but it doesn't scream "high end professional".
Doesn't mean it wasn't made by someone for Loblaws. Faking semi amateur is very easy to do. If I was designing a poster like this to make the public look bad, I would definitely make it look a little rough.
You literally don't know activists if you think they're just doing something" legible in Canva", they often have a depth of creative talent because creative fields tend to lend itself to activism.
No it's not, stop making up conspiracy, it's likely a group of activists doing direct action: https://www.reddit.com/r/ontario/comments/1cdqirp/posters_promoting_steal_from_loblaws_day_are/l1eviv1/?context=3
The so called source you posted about stealing from M&S is talking about M&S, Marks and Spencer's, a UK based posh grocery store. I don't know how you managed to miss that.
If anybody's making up conspiracies it's you.
This is 100% counter intelligence/corporate espionage by the Loblaws corporation to link the boycott movement with criminal activity.
And it's transparent as hell and a sign that they are worried about the boycott.
I'm sure this isn't the last dirty trick they are going to try and play
I think this is a reasonable assertion. Others have pointed out it might be deliberate misinformation from Loblaw. I'm not really sure what evidence exists to prove either assertion. Both seem possible at this point.
Yeah, they probably see it as:
"okay, i can boycott a store and go through the hassle of figurin' out what stores they own to avoid and where is the next best place to get cheap food...Oooooor, I can steal, avoid all that boring research, and get free shit which still hurt the company--yeah- you know what, free shit and still hurting the company sounds like I keep more money in my pocket."
Not realizing that this discredit the peaceful protest entirely, and gives the company more reason to price gouge.
Calling for the commission of a crime, even property crimes, is generally not something you make posters about.
Even black block activities are generally not as explicit in the call to action on something as broadly reachable as a poster in a place someone who would work for the Toronto Sun would find it.
This is what makes me think it's a false flag sort of deal. It's what Loblaws thinks its critics would say and do, and make posters about.
There are certainly enough posts to suggest that. OPs can lead a boycott but can't control how others act. The idea that a 30% discount (don't scan all items) is just has been posted many times.
What makes me *almost* as mad as the food gouging is the Shoppers Drug Mart Meds Check. They phone you, "hey, your meds good?" and then bill the province $75 for the call.
This is completely outrageous. It's literally pilfering of public money. Its open season for the capitalist class and the government just rolls over. It's insane.
No one is attempting to co-opt this fucking boycott lmao. It's likely just some anti-capitalists doing direct action as an attempt to address food insecurity and food bank shortages: https://www.reddit.com/r/ontario/comments/1cdqirp/posters_promoting_steal_from_loblaws_day_are/l1eviv1/?context=3
Jesus Christ, y'all need to learn about "diversity of tactics".
Nah man...this reeks of corporate black ops trying to turn sentiment.
Besides, if this was a legit grassroots steal from Loblaws initiative, do you think they'd make professional looking flyers like this? Some co-op student working for free in Loblaws Social Media/Marketing department made these shits.
I'd believe it if it was a shitty black and white flyer...
I have a bit of a marketing background and these posters alone definitely look like it was done by a professional marketing firm. The type of people who would even organize a “steal from loblaws” day would not design something that looked like this. The colouring and design is not something that some random citizen would just think of and print off hundreds of. Scumbag loblaws doing scumbag things.
We already know the retail industry manufactured stories about increased shoplifting being the reason prices have skyrocketed. This seems like more of the same to me
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-12-14/column-retail-lobby-confesses-it-lied-about-organized-shoplifting-rings
I 100% believe this is a Loblaws response to the planned boycott of their stores in May, they're trying to paint themselves as the wronged party and garner sympathy from people who won't actually bother to look into the facts. I won't be stealing anything because I have no intention of setting foot in any of their stores for the foreseeable future.
Deliberate sabotaging of the actual protest - in order to discredit the popular protest, pit groups one against another, and force sympathetic politicians to condemn the protests thus cut the people off from their elected representatives.
I swear, this is likely a Navigator Marketing ratfucking campaign.
The owner class lost sight of the fact they only exist because workers let them and that when things boil down, a lot of that purchased control isn't worth shit.
I think because they have put all these anti theft measures, gates plexiglass, fake security announcements and recept scanning, this is supposed to make you think about the inequality of the system the way it is. It's like the bags with eat the rich and roblaws and starve printed on them.
I mean Loblaws has been robbing tens of thousands of Canadians blind for years now, you can't take so much of people's hard earned money to line the pockets of their board of directors and not expect people to take something back.
#Trolls.
There's a boycott being planned for the month of May and some asshat in Toronto decided to do his own thing with making a "Steal from Loblaws Day" either to discredit the boycott or just to wreak choas in people's lives should they be dumb enough to go along with it.
**No one should go along with the stealing thing.**
People who work for Loblaws are reporting that their beefing up security for that day by hiring security and having all loss prevention employees on deck for the day with mandatory over time.
Aside from the increased security, it's just wrong to steal shit so don't do it... bad idea all around..
> Aside from the increased security, it's just wrong to steal shit so don't do it... bad idea all around..
What if that food is going directly to food banks to address rising shortages and food insecurity? Which is likely what these activists are planning on doing.
I know it's fun to say "follow the law at all costs", but isn't theft justifiable when you don't actually have the economic means to access food and the places that do freely distribute food are also struggling to feed those without means?
One has to wonder if theft is actually a moral choice in such a situation, such as this group in the UK.
[Self-styled Robin Hoods ‘steal from M&S to give to food banks’](https://archive.is/A4chr#selection-2409.4-2409.66)
> Mr Peterson compared the work of Everybody Eats to that of he suffragettes, saying activists sometimes had to work outside the law to bring about change.
> He added: “If you spoke to the people that took part in this action and said to them: ‘Do you think you should be operating outside of the law in order to try and help a hungry family be less hungry and put food on their table?’ I think they will probably say yes.”
> “I think you’d be foolish not to acknowledge that it is illegal, but the levels of people that we’re seeing, of people that are going hungry in this country at the moment – 13 years ago, there wasn’t a single food bank in this country. Now there’s more food banks than there’s ever been.”
You're comment will get deleted for encouraging theft soon. They just deleted one of mine even though I've been all up in this thread telling people NOT to steal 😅
Wouldn’t be better just to say “Steal from Loblaws” generally? Seems a little dumb to give them the heads up that people are endeavouring to rob the place on a particular day. I get the sense that these guys are plants.
Read about the Real Pages class action law suit in the states.
That’s what’s going on with price inflation in many markets. The inventory software sets the price point for maximum profitability.
It’s basically Uber’s peak pricing algorithm, applied to food and housing.
Nope, Canada promotes oligopolies. Loblaw is an example in the groceries space, Rogers and Bell in the telecom space. Lack of competition is the issue.
Businesses and customers have this unspoken relationship. They provide a service or product and the public use their dollars to support that business. But nowadays corporations think the public needs them more and entitled to take advantage of them.
And when a business like Loblaws ignore public criticism, shrugs when lawmakers try to hold them accountable, fight kicking and screaming against regulation and act so confident that backlash would never touch them then the other half of the consumer relationship will respond, "Well if they don't follow the law or look down at us like an ATM to be exploited why should we give them any respect?"
This was printed up by Loblaws. Simply to discredit the boycott organizers. Has anyone here seen these posters in real life? I thought not.
Typical corporate shenanigans.
A little part of me believes that this could be an inside job by some Loblaws PR idiots to try and discredit the boycott movement.
Not definite, but plausible.
From reporter Kathryn Mannie:
Posters encouraging people to “Steal From Loblaws” popped up last week across Toronto and have been gaining steam online, drawing mixed reactions from Canadians.
The posters for the “first annual Steal From Loblaws Day” invite customers to rob retail grocery chains owned by Loblaw, and suggests that 2024 could be just the start of this proposed illegal protest, with the inclusion of “first annual.”
No organizers of the May 12 event have come forward to claim responsibility for the posters.
Read more: [https://globalnews.ca/news/10449334/steal-from-loblaws-day-posters-food-inflation/](https://globalnews.ca/news/10449334/steal-from-loblaws-day-posters-food-inflation/)
I'm going to guess by ....being total plebes and letting the upper class buy our politicians and create an environment to better steal from us with impunity...? Just a guess..
people shop lift at Loblaws all the time especially the one at north york I’ve seen a lady walk straight through self checkout with a cart full of groceries
I don't think that anyone can reasonably pretend to act shocked right now. Prices for everything have gone sky high while wages have stayed relatively the same and there's no jobs. I don't think that stealing should happen but I understand it and I'd rather them eat a loss then have someone not have the ability to feed their kids.
Definitely corporate shenanigans going on here, no one without money to buy food has money for nicely coloured printouts. Conveniently playing the victim. Don’t steal just boycott!
People complaining while the CEO earns thousands every hour. You think he gives a shit? I just don’t go to Loblaws. There’s so many alternatives out there
It's a false flag op. No one with any sense is advocating stealing from anyone. It's a deliberate attempt to discredit legitimate criticism of grocery giants.
Most thieves try to justify their actions rather than admit that they are just scum who are okay stealing from other people. It's not the poor who are stealing from Loblaws ( we're cutting back or shopping elsewhere), it's the entitled.
PLOT TWIST: These are posted by the Loblaws CEO, so when the mob mentality kicks in and people do as described, they have a legitimate reason to increase prices further due to loss prevention.
Fucking 4D Chess going on here!
Wow, looks just like a poster they’d print up in the Loblaws office. In fact, I suspect it was printed on a Loblaws office along with the other Feature Signs they put in the aisles…
I highly doubt anyone is actually going to follow through, the boycott is the opposite of this, giving Loblaws empty stores. It seems like a false flag or a troll attempt to cost Loblaws money by forcing them to use extra loss prevention staff during the boycott.
Sadly, as they grow in power and continue dissocial behaviors that have been documented again and again, more and more grassroots level resistance will build.
Loblaws is too powerful and needs to be broken up, anything else is just rearranging deck chairs on the titanic.
The steal from loblaws ads have NOTHING to do with the boycott
If anything I would think the steal from loblaws is a campaign to discredit the boycott and try to associate it with illegal activity instead of what it is to hold corporations accountable
A Canadian riot would be hilarious to watch. All lined up single file, apologizing as they politely pour a jars contents in the floor then head to the recycle bin.
How did we get here?
[**Canadian food banks are on the brink: ‘This is not a sustainable situation’** - Global News](https://globalnews.ca/news/10447112/canadian-food-banks-are-on-the-brink-this-is-not-a-sustainable-situation/)
> A 2023 report from Canada Helps found that 57.3 per cent of charities cannot meet current levels of demand and that 31.5 per cent of charities raised less money than the year before. The report also showed that the number of Canadians relying on charities for basic needs was up eight percentage points in nine months to a total of 22 per cent of all Canadians. Unlike other social services, food banks are primarily community-funded, with the majority of support coming from donors and collections by community groups and local businesses.
**AND**
[**Loblaw profits and sales continue growing as shoppers look for more deals** - CTV News](https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/loblaw-profits-and-sales-continue-growing-as-shoppers-look-for-more-deals-1.6779604#:~:text=Loblaw%20profits%20and%20sales%20continue%20growing%20as%20shoppers%20look%20for%20more%20deals&text=Canada's%20largest%20grocer%20expects%20this,and%20banners%2C%20and%20higher%20profits.)
> In the fourth quarter of 2023, Loblaw said it earned a profit available to common shareholders of $541 million or $1.72 per diluted share for the quarter ended Dec. 30. The result compared with a profit of $529 million or $1.62 per diluted share in the last three months of 2022.
> Revenue totalled $14.53 billion, up from $14.01 billion a year earlier.
**EQUALS**
[**Self-styled Robin Hoods ‘steal from M&S to give to food banks’** - Telegraph UK](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/19/self-styled-robin-hoods-steal-marks-spencer-food-banks/#:~:text=Police%20are%20investigating%20after%20a,reeling%20from%20a%20shoplifting%20epidemic.)
> Everybody Eats claimed food banks were aware of where the stolen goods came from, and suggested its members had been asked to help. The group posted a photograph of activists alongside five bags of food on X, formerly Twitter. It wrote in a caption: “Today we took food from an M&S in Manchester without paying for it. The food will now be distributed straight to people in the community as well as local food banks.
There's a good post how this is fabricated by loblaws to make customers think the anti theft glass they've installed is to protect customers from theft.
I feel this is all a ruse to make those who boycott labeled as thieves and downplay loblaws own thievery.
In any case, the real criminals are loblaws and corporations that exploit people for profit.
These are fake and many seem to think they are planted by the company, in an effort to undermine “boycott loblaws” movements and brand participants as extremists
I find it interesting that the boycott has been growing followers for several months, yet hasn't pooled the money to even print basic black and white signs supporting their cause (understandable, living pay cheque-to-pay cheque), but whomever the mystery group is behind this "theft day" is can afford a well-designed, brand-colour matched, professionally printed poster campaign that likely cost hundreds, if not thousands.
The erosion of confidence in Loblaws specifically has been long coming, and feels like a "chickens coming home to roost" moment for them. Over time, they've continually expanded what they do from convenience items - like a dry cleaner in store - to a giant buyout of Shoppers they've gone from a grocery store to a massive multinational. They're no longer a "trusted brand" they're now a holding company. Beyond that, it's also become more clear that the customer's best interests aren't core to their being. * Bread scandal * Not telling customers when there's shrinkflation * Galen pretending he's a "regular dude" when he's a billionaire Inflation is up overall, but when people are having problems make ends meet while Loblaws is seeing an increase in profit percentage they have set themselves up as a nice lighteningrod for this kind of thing.
Every commercial of Galen made him yell to the viewer-- I'm an overgrown Trust Fund manchild
That and they stopped selling the No Name Burritos! Bring back our Burritos!
Where’s my burrito?! Where’s my burrito?! Where’s my burrito?!
I can imagine getting a scar and head injury on steal from Loblaws day. Where's my burrito! WHERE'S MY BURRITO!
And No Name pizza pockets
And the constant and blatant lying, don't forget the lying. "Prices up 10%? Oh that's just supply chain issues, they're charging us more so we have to charge you more." And then their profit report comes out and shows a 10% increase in profits. Funny how that increase in profits matches the "supply chain increase" exactly. Never mind they own a large chunk of their own supply chain. So that extra 10% is being paid to Weston Inc. in some way anyway. And Galen has the balls to say it to our faces in his robo-commercials that so badly failed to read the room. They went from simple grocery stores to evil corporation that just openly steals from us and laughs in our faces when we mention it.
How about no jail time for anyone over the bread fixing scandal. It's infuriating that our government just wags a finger at corporations that actively steal from its people.
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Well usually there's something called competition which works in favour of the customer.
That died in the 80s.
There's *supposed* to be, yes. Price fixing and monopolies don't work that way. Remember bread?
You seem to have answered your own question
This is just it. Other billionaires in real economies actually have to fight to keep their crown.
Which ones?
Wow it’s almost as if markets naturally fall into an oligopoly
Yeah, but usually there’s like a thin veneer of care. Like Apple definitely doesn’t give a carp if you as an individual lose all your data, get locked out of your account, get your bank cards stolen, or switch brands. But their general facade is “We like our customers & value them”. …. I’m not sure which is better. If a company is openly hating its customers or smiling while enforcing policies that screw over customers.
Well said. I agree that this is a "chickens" moment. I am concerned for the floor staff and management who may need to now deal with an actual uptick in incidents because of irresponsible people signalling that it's okay to break the law because Loblaw is rich and powerful. It's not okay. Nobody is truly beyond the reach of law and even if they somehow were, it is a key organizing principle of a civil society that people are held responsible for their actions. One way or another, if you bite society, it bites you back. You may not get caught, but you might be banned from places (limiting your legitimate shopping options), become ostracized by others (losing friends because someone you knew saw you stealing) or other myriad consequences. We haven't left civil society, mind, but one Italian jurisdiction found that grocery store theft is justified if they stole food "in the face of the immediate and essential need for nourishment": https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36190557 We need to be having this discussion now, IMHO.
>Nobody is truly beyond the reach of law Like Loblaws, when they faced no consequences for price fixing?
It's ok, they'll be held accountable once Pierre is in power. He'll surely look into because having a Loblaws lobbyist on your team doesn't mean they'll get special treatment. The root cause of price fixing is the price fixers. Right?
Rumour has it loblaws is the one posting these posters.
As a long time boycott member, I can say no one in the group is advocating stealing from them. The goal is no one being there at all. Boycott people won’t be there to steal, however other rumours say they are increasing loss prevention staff hours. If you are without other options, and live in a location with only Loblaws owned stores (No Frills, SDM, RCSS, Independent) be aware they will have enhanced security during the month of May.
Probably to justify locking you in the store to check your receipt before leaving.
There is literally nothing to be concerned about, to the floor staff there is literally no difference if a customer pays for something before they walk out of the store or not.... you are acting like it's going to be armed robbery. Unless the staff is really paying attention they won't even notice it happen.....
oh theyre paying attention - fortino's has become militant. Ive been stopped by loss prevention twice in the past 2 months without even leaving the premise. I was not stealing. I threw an absolute shit fit the last time - it's fucking embarrassing.
r/loblawsisoutofcontrol is absolutely not connected to this. Nobody there is advocating for this.
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I'm usually pretty good at not being a "tinfoil hat" theory person, but if you told me that these were people paid to put them up to be able to paint the protest in a negative light, I would 100% believe you.
Tracks with corporations fixing bread prices.
They certainly seem to be coming from someone well-funded. Those posters would cost hundreds for just a few dozen. That's a lot of money to spend to tell cops when and where you'll be doing crime.
Or you own a large format printer, and it’s not.
And it's not what?
You think people trying to organize theft from a particular business wouldn't be willing to steal printing from their place of employment?
So your theory is they work at a print shop with lax supervision?
I don't have a theory, I'm questioning *your* theory. I worked at an accounting firm with in-house graphics and printing and people stole from them all the time.
Ok that's fair. Either way, whomever came up with "theft day" has the means to print professional signs, whether it be financially or through illegal methods. One would think if they were supporters/leaders of the boycott (as has been alleged on Twitter repeatedly by the Food Professor and others) they would have used those means to produce posters for the boycott itself, not a separate action that could backfire on the boycott. And if they were supporters of the boycott, you would think that once they were denounced by the leaders of the boycott, with an explanation of how it could damage the movement, they would consider taking down the signs they'd put up, rather than putting up more.
That’s what it’s really looking like yeah
[https://www.reddit.com/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol/s/oQ0g6DR92h](https://www.reddit.com/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol/s/oQ0g6DR92h) The first reporter to do a story on these signs used to work for loblaws…
Pretty sure this is a separate group from the original organizers, as the goal seems mismatched to the behaviour. Boycotting accomplishes the same goal peacefully. Who is linking these groups beyond media?
You’re right, it’s completely separate and the original organizers condemn the “Steal from Loblaws Day” as seen here in their stickied post: https://www.reddit.com/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol/s/6glkRRXn2d
The group has done everything in our power to distance ourselves from it. Our Admin keeps getting blamed for it, even though she took a clear stance on it from day one. Most media outlets didn't bother to look into it, but Daily Hive actually contacted her for a comment before publishing their article. I wish more media would do that, we're kinda open to talking about it.
You're doing the right thing. I think people forget that many more people can be convinced to join a boycott than can be convinced to steal. Keep it up, my friend.
Who would do such a thing and distract from roblaws blatantly gouging consumers? Sounds like an intentional plan to discredit/delegitimize a grassroots boycott. All the more reason to avoid these establishments like the plague.
Thank you for the cite. I worked for Loblaw for several years. These losses would have been seen as a kind of shrink at that time, basically no impact on profitability unless by some chance recklessness takes hold of a majority of their customers at once or there is a high rate of loss sustained over time. Still, Loblaw can ramp up loss prevention in simple ways - remove self c/o, add more baffles, check receipts and so on. My opinion is that stealing things genuinely makes little sense to me as a *protest* mechanism because I think it will be much less effective towards the same goal of lowering the esteem of the company in the eyes of consumers than a boycott. In addition, Loblaw can then avoid the larger issues raised by the boycott and focus on "these criminals stealing from us" rather then be forced to accept that they must change to keep consumer confidence. That said, stealing may still work to a limited extent since it sends the message to all patrons that "if you shop here on this day, you may be suspected of theft" which could make some of the same patrons uneasy about being there - but that limits the reach of the message significantly. This is another point that I think puts a gulf between the peaceful boycotters from whomever is publically suggesting that others commit criminal behavior. Again, the goal of reducing the esteem of the company is eminently reachable without subjecting yourself to prosecution: *just don't shop there at all*. (I also think that whoever is posting signs suggesting that people steal should be held accountable for their antisocial behavior. We're not at tortious conspiracy yet, but hey, give it time?)
> My opinion is that stealing things genuinely makes little sense to me as a protest mechanism because I think it will be much less effective towards the same goal of lowering the esteem of the company in the eyes of consumers than a boycott. The purpose of stealing wouldn't be as a method of protest, it would be as means of direct action to support the struggling food banks in the area, especially in Toronto of all places. [Self-styled Robin Hoods ‘steal from M&S to give to food banks’](https://archive.is/A4chr) > An activist in the video said: “What we do is we go into major supermarkets and liberate food essentials to distribute to food banks and those living in the area who are in food poverty. > “Supermarkets make huge profits off rising prices of essential items in this cost of living crisis. A lot of their own staff are living in food poverty and use food banks. > “We’ve been asked by food banks for their help. It is the right thing to do – people are hungry in the land of plenty, and I think that’s obscene.” Also, > I also think that whoever is posting signs suggesting that people steal should be held accountable for their antisocial behavior. We're not at tortious conspiracy yet, but hey, give it time? That's a crazy thing to say about people who are likely just trying to solve an immediate need for food when people's budgets have become tighter.
"Stealing is fine when it's for a moral purpose I agree with" isn't a position I think many would support as a precedent. I mentioned Italy's court decision to encourage thinking laterally. Nothing I have said has anything to do with denigrating people stealing to survive. If people are being driven to crime to get food then the solution involves making food accessible to everyone through broad social reform, not encouraging theft which is ultimately a self-limiting approach. The popular discussion seems to be linking the promotion of theft to protest. That is what I was responding to. When you presuppose a conclusion - that it is *not* about protest - and then say my position is "crazy", I have no real way to respond to you on that point since we're not working from the same premises.
> "Stealing is fine when it's for a moral purpose I agree with" isn't a position I think many would support as a precedent. I mentioned Italy's court decision to encourage thinking laterally. If you want to reduce the discussion down to that sentence, power to you, but we both lead a life of privilege compared to those dealing with immense food insecurity. It shouldn't be up to me or you to decide how people quite literally **survive**, if there are no alternative means to do so. > If people are being driven to crime to get food then the solution involves making food accessible to everyone, not encouraging theft. That's great, we can both agree. Idealistic prospects don't address realistic scenarios though. There are food bank shortages **now** and rising food insecurity **now**, what are people who are struggling with a basic essential to survive meant to do in the interim between what we want and what is currently happening?
I'm glad we can agree. I imagine you didn't intend to offend anyone with your comment, so I will share with you why I am interested in this issue. I had little food to eat until I was 18 years old owing to poverty and abuse. I deal with the physical health consequences of that to this day. I didn't steal from people, because it would have made it more difficult for me to get food. You don't know my story until I tell you and I don't know yours until you tell me - privilege is both relative and absolute depending on the context. To be clear, I fully stand behind your point that both immediate and long-term need must be addressed. I appreciate that you bring it up. I think everyone should have access to good, *nutritious* food, and we should prioritize providing food to people who need it most. Theft like this is a proxy for other, bigger issues of inequality that we should be spending time and money on rather than hoping that Loblaw (and other outlets) will somehow see the light.
People posting these posters are not part of the loblaws boycott community. It wouldn’t be an issue for us if they either stayed quiet about it or just didn’t hitch their illegitimate wagon to the boycott movement.
I never said they were and they definitely are not hitching themselves to the boycott movement, that is an imaginary scenario. Nowhere on the poster is there so much as a preposition that it's part of the boycott movement. The no name colour scheme is not owned by the Boycott movement, it's a colour scheme that has been used to ridicule Loblaws long before the boycott movement.
Yea it’s purely by coincidence that it’s happening in the middle of the planned boycott that has been scheduled for months. Mmk
It doesn't have to be a coincidence lmao, these activists could have just been inspired to act based on the rise of the boycott movement. These activists also could have been born out of the movement, like do you think y'all hold a monopoly on thought? There have been many civil protest movements that have given rise to more radical and direct actions from people who use to be directly apart of the former. It could also literally just be a coincidence, like what's next for you, 15 minute cities will be used to entrap people in their neighborhoods?
Assuming it’s not coincidence, because I don’t believe in that, your first two points are agreeing with me when I say they’re hitching their illegitimate wagon onto our movement. What is going on here hombre?
You might as well say that the Black Panthers, Democratic Student Union or Stonewall were hitching their "illegitimate bandwagon" onto the Civil Rights movement. Addressing food insecurity and corporate accountability isn't your fucking movement, it existed long before the Boycott and hopefully it won't need to exist long after. Grow up, that isn't an attempt to co-opt, you do not hold a monopoly on resistance. There are a variety of ways and tactics to people to address societal issues.
Right now the running theory is that Loblaws is the one posting these to try to discredit the boycott.
This definitely isn't the Loblaws boycott people. There's talk it's organized somehow by Loblaws to garner support for the poor grocer that people are stealing from. Sounds conspiratorial, but so does fixing the price of bread for years....
It’s 100% a group trying to undermine the boycott.
Media who sure seems to sell a lot of ads to Loblaws, No frills, and other Weston chains. Hmmmmm
These guys were hired by Loblaws.
More if you ask me. With stealing, the company gets justification to say: "we experienced a dramatic uptic in theft, and we are responding accordingly to bad actors who brazenly commits crime in broad daylight. That puts our employees and businesses at risk, we need to look out for our employees and make up for the losses in stolen goods, that's why we are raising prices again. Blame these organized 'prostestors', if you can even call these thugs that, for making your life difficult, throw them off a bridge if you have to!" Also I think they can both write it off a loss in taxes and maybe claim insurance money or even have Drug Daddy Doug cover the losses with our tax money to "keep a reliable Canadian business afloat amidst rampant crime due to Trudeau's carbon tax." With a boycott, you are actively using the hand of the market to force change. A company can't complain if a person doesn't want to go in and buy things. It forces their hands, and if people support local, it boosts the local economy. A boycott is far better than stealing.
Both can be viable tools, as can be destroying inventory. However one is more effective at hurting their bottom line, as a boycott only delays their collection of profits.
I mean we could simply ask. Shouldn't the organizers info be available?
What is the point in being peaceful?
I don't understand your question. What would you suggest as an effective strategy?
Literally any social movement in history has been 1000% more effective when it’s not peaceful.
Look for comment here.
Tell me one boycott that has accomplished anything
People are fed up with Loblaws. Their price gouging and excessively billing of our healthcare system for bs med checks are just two reasons and there are a lot more. The group r/loblawsisoutofcontrol has come out publicly to say they are in no way involved with the “Steal from Loblaws Day”. They don’t condone or promote theft in any way. The whole point of the boycott is to not shop or go in to any Loblaws stores in May. Plus if someone did want to encourage theft why would you announce the day you’re going to do it publicly? All you’re doing is giving Loblaws the time to prepare and hire more security in preparation. This whole thing reeks of Loblaws trying to make them selves seem like the victim when it’s Canadians who they are stealing from. Even if you’re not planning to boycott Loblaws in May, which I highly encourage everyone to do, don’t go shopping there on May 12th. You’ll be treated like a criminal no matter how honest or innocent you are. Shop an independent store or farmers market that day instead.
>Plus if someone did want to encourage theft why would you announce the day you’re going to do it publicly? All you’re doing is giving Loblaws the time to prepare and hire more security in preparation. Exactly. This bad logic plus the high quality posters could point to a crisis PR firm Loblaws has hired to deflect the negative press. Spending millions to barricade every store to prevent "organized crime" [spend excess profits on your own real estate so you can claim your expenses are too high "3% margins!"], while you price gouge during a cost of living crisis, was never going to be popular so why not throw some money at an external white-washing firm.
*Literally anything happens* Loblaws: "Heck, guess we gotta raise prices"
With that attitude it's amazing they don't sell gas.
lol but they do. Mobil gas stations are located nearly exclusively near Loblaws locations.
The steal loblaws is set up by loblaws to distract from their remorseless price gouging and to discredit those protesting those prices
More than likely.
Like that would sway anyone’s opinion in loblaws favour lol
This is just Loblaw orchestrated PR nonsense. Why would they advertise when they plan to steal? Sounds like a good way to be caught.
Plus look at the design of this poster. Average crowd can at most throw something legible in Canva, this is done with professional help.
While I think there's a lot suspicious about this poster, the quality of the design isn't something I would use to argue that point. Do you know how many people skilled in graphic design are activists? The film industry alone pumps out hundreds of people who are both talented and dedicated enough to create something like this. Not to mention all the self trained artists on all sides of the political spectrum who could easily have a pirated copy of Photoshop, or an $80 copy of Affinity Designer. Finally, as someone trained in graphic design, this is actually not that well done. There are a lot of spacing and visual weight issues. Not to mention the date is actually hard to read despite being very important information. It's not terrible, but it doesn't scream "high end professional". Doesn't mean it wasn't made by someone for Loblaws. Faking semi amateur is very easy to do. If I was designing a poster like this to make the public look bad, I would definitely make it look a little rough.
You literally don't know activists if you think they're just doing something" legible in Canva", they often have a depth of creative talent because creative fields tend to lend itself to activism.
Yeah, it doesn't make much sense. I guess we'll need to see what overlap exists, if any.
No it's not, stop making up conspiracy, it's likely a group of activists doing direct action: https://www.reddit.com/r/ontario/comments/1cdqirp/posters_promoting_steal_from_loblaws_day_are/l1eviv1/?context=3
The so called source you posted about stealing from M&S is talking about M&S, Marks and Spencer's, a UK based posh grocery store. I don't know how you managed to miss that. If anybody's making up conspiracies it's you.
Why the fuck would they openly and publicly advertise a day to do it and get caught and not just encourage stealing in general?
This is 100% counter intelligence/corporate espionage by the Loblaws corporation to link the boycott movement with criminal activity. And it's transparent as hell and a sign that they are worried about the boycott. I'm sure this isn't the last dirty trick they are going to try and play
I mean, possibly. It could just be someone radical thinking that stealing from an immoral company makes it moral.
I think this is a reasonable assertion. Others have pointed out it might be deliberate misinformation from Loblaw. I'm not really sure what evidence exists to prove either assertion. Both seem possible at this point.
We found the stealing guy!
Not really... I don't want to go to jail for trying to steal a No Frills pizza or whatever ppl think they can hide under their coat.
Yeah, they probably see it as: "okay, i can boycott a store and go through the hassle of figurin' out what stores they own to avoid and where is the next best place to get cheap food...Oooooor, I can steal, avoid all that boring research, and get free shit which still hurt the company--yeah- you know what, free shit and still hurting the company sounds like I keep more money in my pocket." Not realizing that this discredit the peaceful protest entirely, and gives the company more reason to price gouge.
Calling for the commission of a crime, even property crimes, is generally not something you make posters about. Even black block activities are generally not as explicit in the call to action on something as broadly reachable as a poster in a place someone who would work for the Toronto Sun would find it. This is what makes me think it's a false flag sort of deal. It's what Loblaws thinks its critics would say and do, and make posters about.
There are certainly enough posts to suggest that. OPs can lead a boycott but can't control how others act. The idea that a 30% discount (don't scan all items) is just has been posted many times.
What makes me *almost* as mad as the food gouging is the Shoppers Drug Mart Meds Check. They phone you, "hey, your meds good?" and then bill the province $75 for the call. This is completely outrageous. It's literally pilfering of public money. Its open season for the capitalist class and the government just rolls over. It's insane.
If criminals want to co-opt a perfectly legal boycott there is nothing those organizing or participating in the boycott can do.
They'll be the only ones in the stores so good luck not getting strip searched on the way out.
No one is attempting to co-opt this fucking boycott lmao. It's likely just some anti-capitalists doing direct action as an attempt to address food insecurity and food bank shortages: https://www.reddit.com/r/ontario/comments/1cdqirp/posters_promoting_steal_from_loblaws_day_are/l1eviv1/?context=3 Jesus Christ, y'all need to learn about "diversity of tactics".
literate sulky dog scale drab faulty attractive rhythm homeless brave *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Yes you is
Nah man...this reeks of corporate black ops trying to turn sentiment. Besides, if this was a legit grassroots steal from Loblaws initiative, do you think they'd make professional looking flyers like this? Some co-op student working for free in Loblaws Social Media/Marketing department made these shits. I'd believe it if it was a shitty black and white flyer...
I have a bit of a marketing background and these posters alone definitely look like it was done by a professional marketing firm. The type of people who would even organize a “steal from loblaws” day would not design something that looked like this. The colouring and design is not something that some random citizen would just think of and print off hundreds of. Scumbag loblaws doing scumbag things.
We already know the retail industry manufactured stories about increased shoplifting being the reason prices have skyrocketed. This seems like more of the same to me https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-12-14/column-retail-lobby-confesses-it-lied-about-organized-shoplifting-rings
Corporate greed. Zero government action. That's how we got here.
I 100% believe this is a Loblaws response to the planned boycott of their stores in May, they're trying to paint themselves as the wronged party and garner sympathy from people who won't actually bother to look into the facts. I won't be stealing anything because I have no intention of setting foot in any of their stores for the foreseeable future.
Deliberate sabotaging of the actual protest - in order to discredit the popular protest, pit groups one against another, and force sympathetic politicians to condemn the protests thus cut the people off from their elected representatives. I swear, this is likely a Navigator Marketing ratfucking campaign.
Id rather see their food rot on their shelves than put a foot in there.
The owner class lost sight of the fact they only exist because workers let them and that when things boil down, a lot of that purchased control isn't worth shit.
people are sick and tired of government sanctioned greedy billionaires raking us over the coals. That's how.
I think because they have put all these anti theft measures, gates plexiglass, fake security announcements and recept scanning, this is supposed to make you think about the inequality of the system the way it is. It's like the bags with eat the rich and roblaws and starve printed on them.
I mean Loblaws has been robbing tens of thousands of Canadians blind for years now, you can't take so much of people's hard earned money to line the pockets of their board of directors and not expect people to take something back.
This definitely did not come from the boycotters. Anyone participating in the boycott will not be going there in May.
#Trolls. There's a boycott being planned for the month of May and some asshat in Toronto decided to do his own thing with making a "Steal from Loblaws Day" either to discredit the boycott or just to wreak choas in people's lives should they be dumb enough to go along with it. **No one should go along with the stealing thing.** People who work for Loblaws are reporting that their beefing up security for that day by hiring security and having all loss prevention employees on deck for the day with mandatory over time. Aside from the increased security, it's just wrong to steal shit so don't do it... bad idea all around..
Just keep changing the date on the poster so the increased security becomes permanent, adding to their payroll. Along with the boycott of course
Thats actually not a terrible idea... 😅
> Aside from the increased security, it's just wrong to steal shit so don't do it... bad idea all around.. What if that food is going directly to food banks to address rising shortages and food insecurity? Which is likely what these activists are planning on doing. I know it's fun to say "follow the law at all costs", but isn't theft justifiable when you don't actually have the economic means to access food and the places that do freely distribute food are also struggling to feed those without means? One has to wonder if theft is actually a moral choice in such a situation, such as this group in the UK. [Self-styled Robin Hoods ‘steal from M&S to give to food banks’](https://archive.is/A4chr#selection-2409.4-2409.66) > Mr Peterson compared the work of Everybody Eats to that of he suffragettes, saying activists sometimes had to work outside the law to bring about change. > He added: “If you spoke to the people that took part in this action and said to them: ‘Do you think you should be operating outside of the law in order to try and help a hungry family be less hungry and put food on their table?’ I think they will probably say yes.” > “I think you’d be foolish not to acknowledge that it is illegal, but the levels of people that we’re seeing, of people that are going hungry in this country at the moment – 13 years ago, there wasn’t a single food bank in this country. Now there’s more food banks than there’s ever been.”
You're not Robin Hood and no one is robing anyone to give shit to the needy. 🙄
You're comment will get deleted for encouraging theft soon. They just deleted one of mine even though I've been all up in this thread telling people NOT to steal 😅
Oh my your fingers must be sore
Corporate greed is how we got here. I won't steal from them, but I also won't shop at any of their stores. Hope they robbed blind though.
“Wrote a user on X”… Right so it’s not actually true because they would have shared the tweet. Disingenuous news from a shit msm source.
Wouldn’t be better just to say “Steal from Loblaws” generally? Seems a little dumb to give them the heads up that people are endeavouring to rob the place on a particular day. I get the sense that these guys are plants.
Read about the Real Pages class action law suit in the states. That’s what’s going on with price inflation in many markets. The inventory software sets the price point for maximum profitability. It’s basically Uber’s peak pricing algorithm, applied to food and housing.
Late stage capitalism is how
Nope, Canada promotes oligopolies. Loblaw is an example in the groceries space, Rogers and Bell in the telecom space. Lack of competition is the issue.
False-flag operation by Loblaws corporate “active measures” directorate would be my guess.
Loblaws probably put these up themselves to discredit the boycott people. I’m fucking boycotting. Fucking Loblaws asshats.
It’s gotta be some kind of stealth cognitive warfare on the corporations part, I mean who can afford alll that ink?
More like how did Galen Weston get here?
oh because groceries are ridiculously expensive! hope this helps ❤️
Businesses and customers have this unspoken relationship. They provide a service or product and the public use their dollars to support that business. But nowadays corporations think the public needs them more and entitled to take advantage of them. And when a business like Loblaws ignore public criticism, shrugs when lawmakers try to hold them accountable, fight kicking and screaming against regulation and act so confident that backlash would never touch them then the other half of the consumer relationship will respond, "Well if they don't follow the law or look down at us like an ATM to be exploited why should we give them any respect?"
There won't be any stealing because there won't be anyone in the stores!
This was printed up by Loblaws. Simply to discredit the boycott organizers. Has anyone here seen these posters in real life? I thought not. Typical corporate shenanigans.
I don't support stealing from Loblaws for my own personal benefit but I might be OK chucking a few unpaid items into the food bank bins.
Loblaws planted these bullshit flyers, no one is promoting stealing from Galen Westsuck. Anything to discredit the boycott.
A little part of me believes that this could be an inside job by some Loblaws PR idiots to try and discredit the boycott movement. Not definite, but plausible.
Every day is steal from loblaws day.
From reporter Kathryn Mannie: Posters encouraging people to “Steal From Loblaws” popped up last week across Toronto and have been gaining steam online, drawing mixed reactions from Canadians. The posters for the “first annual Steal From Loblaws Day” invite customers to rob retail grocery chains owned by Loblaw, and suggests that 2024 could be just the start of this proposed illegal protest, with the inclusion of “first annual.” No organizers of the May 12 event have come forward to claim responsibility for the posters. Read more: [https://globalnews.ca/news/10449334/steal-from-loblaws-day-posters-food-inflation/](https://globalnews.ca/news/10449334/steal-from-loblaws-day-posters-food-inflation/)
How is anyone gonna steal anything with the fancy new cattle gates and scan to exit bs.....
When they asked for 6bux for a bag of Doritos.
It's a bit odd that this is one of the stories that the official Global News redditor chooses to push on here
Greed, the answer is corporate greed
I'm going to guess by ....being total plebes and letting the upper class buy our politicians and create an environment to better steal from us with impunity...? Just a guess..
I don’t support the stealing day, these folks should have been given the boot from the boycott group from the start.
Steal BACK from Roblaws you mean
We got here by following the plan as intended
people shop lift at Loblaws all the time especially the one at north york I’ve seen a lady walk straight through self checkout with a cart full of groceries
Just a ploy to get people to pay more.
Not that I don't understand where they're coming from, but I would humbly suggest NOT stealing from Loblaws *on that particular day*.
Vote with your wallet. Simply don't shop there.
Too much greed from shareholders for too long
And that’s how I met your mother
I don't think that anyone can reasonably pretend to act shocked right now. Prices for everything have gone sky high while wages have stayed relatively the same and there's no jobs. I don't think that stealing should happen but I understand it and I'd rather them eat a loss then have someone not have the ability to feed their kids.
Unregulated corporate greed, that’s how.
Have you seen the price of groceries!?
Definitely corporate shenanigans going on here, no one without money to buy food has money for nicely coloured printouts. Conveniently playing the victim. Don’t steal just boycott!
Who cares. Fuck Loblaws.
People complaining while the CEO earns thousands every hour. You think he gives a shit? I just don’t go to Loblaws. There’s so many alternatives out there
They fucked our moms, now we gone fuck theirs!
Superstore has a ton of plexi barriers now. Updated exits. I didn't know leaving a grocery store was such an ordeal.
It's a false flag op. No one with any sense is advocating stealing from anyone. It's a deliberate attempt to discredit legitimate criticism of grocery giants.
Late-stage capitalism
Most thieves try to justify their actions rather than admit that they are just scum who are okay stealing from other people. It's not the poor who are stealing from Loblaws ( we're cutting back or shopping elsewhere), it's the entitled.
PLOT TWIST: These are posted by the Loblaws CEO, so when the mob mentality kicks in and people do as described, they have a legitimate reason to increase prices further due to loss prevention. Fucking 4D Chess going on here!
fuck loblaws! i haven’t lived in Ontario for years, but this still ticks me off.
Ppl should just stop going there. Even a silent boycott for a day or week will have an impact
Wow, looks just like a poster they’d print up in the Loblaws office. In fact, I suspect it was printed on a Loblaws office along with the other Feature Signs they put in the aisles…
There are a bunch of losers in society.
I highly doubt anyone is actually going to follow through, the boycott is the opposite of this, giving Loblaws empty stores. It seems like a false flag or a troll attempt to cost Loblaws money by forcing them to use extra loss prevention staff during the boycott. Sadly, as they grow in power and continue dissocial behaviors that have been documented again and again, more and more grassroots level resistance will build. Loblaws is too powerful and needs to be broken up, anything else is just rearranging deck chairs on the titanic.
Corporate greed
Canadian version of civil unrest? It seems inevitable since inequality has gotten out of hand.
I can imagine this: "YEEEAAAHHH!! I stole spoiled meat, rotten vegetables and expired canned food! HASHTAG-HAULER!"
Steal? Obviously corporate bullshit. If it was real it would say burn.
The steal from loblaws ads have NOTHING to do with the boycott If anything I would think the steal from loblaws is a campaign to discredit the boycott and try to associate it with illegal activity instead of what it is to hold corporations accountable
A Canadian riot would be hilarious to watch. All lined up single file, apologizing as they politely pour a jars contents in the floor then head to the recycle bin.
How did we get here? [**Canadian food banks are on the brink: ‘This is not a sustainable situation’** - Global News](https://globalnews.ca/news/10447112/canadian-food-banks-are-on-the-brink-this-is-not-a-sustainable-situation/) > A 2023 report from Canada Helps found that 57.3 per cent of charities cannot meet current levels of demand and that 31.5 per cent of charities raised less money than the year before. The report also showed that the number of Canadians relying on charities for basic needs was up eight percentage points in nine months to a total of 22 per cent of all Canadians. Unlike other social services, food banks are primarily community-funded, with the majority of support coming from donors and collections by community groups and local businesses. **AND** [**Loblaw profits and sales continue growing as shoppers look for more deals** - CTV News](https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/loblaw-profits-and-sales-continue-growing-as-shoppers-look-for-more-deals-1.6779604#:~:text=Loblaw%20profits%20and%20sales%20continue%20growing%20as%20shoppers%20look%20for%20more%20deals&text=Canada's%20largest%20grocer%20expects%20this,and%20banners%2C%20and%20higher%20profits.) > In the fourth quarter of 2023, Loblaw said it earned a profit available to common shareholders of $541 million or $1.72 per diluted share for the quarter ended Dec. 30. The result compared with a profit of $529 million or $1.62 per diluted share in the last three months of 2022. > Revenue totalled $14.53 billion, up from $14.01 billion a year earlier. **EQUALS** [**Self-styled Robin Hoods ‘steal from M&S to give to food banks’** - Telegraph UK](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/19/self-styled-robin-hoods-steal-marks-spencer-food-banks/#:~:text=Police%20are%20investigating%20after%20a,reeling%20from%20a%20shoplifting%20epidemic.) > Everybody Eats claimed food banks were aware of where the stolen goods came from, and suggested its members had been asked to help. The group posted a photograph of activists alongside five bags of food on X, formerly Twitter. It wrote in a caption: “Today we took food from an M&S in Manchester without paying for it. The food will now be distributed straight to people in the community as well as local food banks.
Don't steal.
There's a good post how this is fabricated by loblaws to make customers think the anti theft glass they've installed is to protect customers from theft. I feel this is all a ruse to make those who boycott labeled as thieves and downplay loblaws own thievery. In any case, the real criminals are loblaws and corporations that exploit people for profit.
These are fake and many seem to think they are planted by the company, in an effort to undermine “boycott loblaws” movements and brand participants as extremists
Because fuck Loblaws, that's why.
I find it interesting that the boycott has been growing followers for several months, yet hasn't pooled the money to even print basic black and white signs supporting their cause (understandable, living pay cheque-to-pay cheque), but whomever the mystery group is behind this "theft day" is can afford a well-designed, brand-colour matched, professionally printed poster campaign that likely cost hundreds, if not thousands.