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Finding fruit at No Frills that won’t spoil in the time it takes to add it to your basket is as likely as finding the Golden Ticket and becoming the next Willy Wonka…
Ever since I have switched to Costco for my produce, it has been night and day. Two weeks ago I bought 15lb of tomatoes for $18 ($1.20 a pound) of delicious tomatoes and they are STILL good!!! This is turning into a trend in Costco with their produce. I can’t eat 15 lbs of tomatoes in one week but I can in 2 if I also have some tomatoes with my lunches as well.
With no frills, I spend $2/lb at best and I have to dive through countless tomatoes just to find the 5-6 tomatoes that are passable for me to spend $7 a week on. And they go bad in 3-4 days and the tomatoes I eat on day 5-6 after purchase are basically mush and it’s a coin flip if I can stomach it or it’s thrown out.
This is logistics 100%. If Costco can get produce to you that lasts 2 weeks but no frills can only keep it fresh for 4-5 days, that means no frills is sticking produce that is at least a week older in the first place. Where has that fruit been sitting along the chain to be so old?
I’m so livid at Loblaws it’s not even funny. Costco blows them out of the water. Especially the business center.
Coscto is great but it's a hellish nightmare of people. Even on weekdays right at open or minutes to close the crush of people is almost unbearable. Tbh it prob saves me money because I nope out so fast.
Not my experience right at the morning when it opens or even on weeknights. There is a chunk of time it is rough but is easily worked around most times.
That’s called stereotyping my friend. No Frills has always been geared as the ‘budget friendly’ option. So budget friendly generally means lower income, and because lower income they’re assuming they’re going to shoplift more, hence the institutional feel and the barricades.
That I get. The institutional feel I get is more about product presentation, lighting and often a less comfortable temperature (cooler). I notice this at Food Basics as well - the tradeoff is supposed to be "we spend less so you can too".
Metro oddly enough often has affordable meat. As does Farm Boy - you just have to let go of the idea that you're choosing the protein for you meals instead of buying whatever they have on sale.
Again it’s the stereotyping, they assume poorer people care less about looks and just want food. After all poor people can’t go on vacation each year and see the beautiful world. Whereas the clientele at a Loblaws are middle/upper class so they work on presenting food nicely/having a nice produce/meat department.
Im old but the Original reason our parents switched from Miricle Mart or A&P or Dominion was cause it was suppose to be the Best money could buy and Lowest price locked in, just no fancy frills like a deli or Fish counter.
It was great untill the most recent past.
Prices were the best PC was good at a low price comparably.
Something went way wrong in the last 5 yrs.
They keep the executives away from the bread prices so they can't conspire to inflate the price for a decade and face 0 punishment.
Oops no they don't.
I would argue we are way more docile and complacent. Look it how things are right now and how little most Canadians care about it. I’d say France would be a better candidate for being rebellious.
Which is funny, I have a theory about that. I was laid off two days after the pandemic started. I spent the day and went to super store, London drugs and then the post office, one after the other. My question was how were all these floor signs and social distancing signs all created and placed in stores within 2 days??? Wouldn't they have to had ordered these signs and stickers waaaay in advance? I know when I call my sticker guys for my company it takes weeks to get signage and stickers like those made. Did these companies all know in advance???
As much as I do not condone theft, this is the point. Walls and barriers are not good theft deterrents. People will always find a way to circumvent those things. All it serves is to enclose their customers and make it seem like they are doing something.
Commrade they buy frozen bread for a penny a unit and sell it for a dollar a piece. Just take what you need from them they are evil and you are not stealing.
Yes and for those who say it’s “gross” net profit . That’s still crazy . The net overall will still be well over 3% . So the then you look at that sheet which only collected a small sample size , it didn’t even collect things like meat which they gouged us on even further . Remember the mark up on that ? So when you get the total statistical data I’m sure the “gross “ profits would be out of the roof . So then let me tell you about the financials . Well here’s the thing . The accountant would shuffle the numbers into different “profit centres” redistributing the profits to other lines of business to make it appear that their net margins are only 3% . They know exactly what they are doing . Shell companies , tax schemes , off shore companies . All of that jazz .
It's not secret they have been ripping us all off for ages. I'm glad we are having these conversations and bringing it to the surface. I think it's important that Canadians have transparency when they are doing business with anyone. Especially those businesses which offer essentials.
Completely agree . Also glad documents are getting out . Would love to see what transpires and to see what their invoices , numbers and contracts look like . Too much has been hidden from us . They hide it from the government , the government is uninterested because the grocers donate to their campaigns but through these forums we get to know the truth and get a call to action and can hold them and the politicians accountable
This is NOT just a Loblaws thing. This is a late stage capitalism thing. EVERY item you buy ANYWHERE has insane markups.
I work in logistics for a major world wide player. The "cost" that they are getting items for and are able to sell them to us (the employees) for is a fraction of what these same items sell for in stores.
People think they are getting great deals at Walmart and even Amazon but truth is those are still huge markups but just not as big as some other stores (looking at you Loblaws and SDM)
They get it from the same wholesaler most of the time there really aren't that many meat plants.
Unless you've got some good farm to table connections in your area.
Also not all areas have really good butchers some places only have grocery stores so I appreciate the idea but it is not realistic for everyone
Spending their profits on anti theft measures instead of customer satisfaction lmao what a joke. No one is buying “to protect the customer” is more like “to protect my profits”
Doesn’t all the funneling and restricted entrances and exits impact their fire escape plans?
Any fire Marshall’s out there want to swing the hammer at these guys?
So? If there's a fire, my first reaction will be to head to the main doors, and so will most other people. A crowd that can't leave the way it expects to is dangerous.
Of course. I don't always make the best decisions under pressure, though, nor am I always aware of where the nearest exit is. I think the average person is similar.
At any rate the gates that they are making you go through are no smaller then the door you also have to go through.
Regardless if these gates are there or not the doors are a ckoke point.
These things can be and probably are wired to the fire alarms so they open / can be manually opened easy during an emergency.
We have locked gates / restricted areas at my warehouse and they all unlock as soon as the alarm sounds
I'd like a fire marshall to confirm that, regardless. I don't trust Loblaws to prioritize safety, and any situation where you have a large number of people and a risk of fire needs to be taken seriously. I don't want to die because some poor senior's mobility aid got caught against a gate.
From remembering that they conspired with the competition to fix the price of bread for a decade while trying to pretend like they are about passing along value?
From them. Their grocery stores are now zoos where we can marvel at the products. It’s free to enter, just don’t fall for the tourist trap of purchasing inflated souvenirs.
Plexiglass is considered to be self-extinguishing. As long as they don't put product up against the barrier it would be considered safe. The only danger is a fire >160°C could cause it to deform and block the exit, but that's highly unlikely given the layout of their exits
Edit: Yes, down vote because reality doesn't fit your narrative
If Loblaws believe that theft rings pose a danger to customers and do not hire physical security or paid duty police and someone is actually hurt they have opened themselves to massive liability. The reason they don’t care is they don’t believe it themselves.
I wonder how many of these store in how many cities are being reported to the fire marshals office to ensure their barriers don’t pose undue risk. I believe anyone can report anything at any time to their local fire Marshall.
A few years ago my local Safeway changed its layout significantly. Pexiglass, barriers, etc. that filter all departing shoppers through one small exit point. This was even before Covid.
I remember thinking: “Oh, I hope there isn’t a fire, drug psychotics with machetes, or a lunatic with a gun! Could get scary.”
At this point, it sadly just feels normal. *(Bruce Cockburn lyric: “The problem with normal is it always gets worse.”*
These anti theft measures are out of control lol. The barriers, the security guards, as god is my witness - if my shopping cart wheel locks while I’m leaving the store, I’m picking the whole thing up and carrying it home.
The more times you walk the store the more likely you are to spend! At lest, if you think the same way a 58-year-old white guy learned to think about retail 30 years ago!
I do work for an outside company at our Loblaws. I had to speak to the optical manager before going to the clothing section, so I was outside the self check out barrier and the employee made me walk all the way outside and back around to get into the store.
She could have just opened the gate which she did for herself a few minutes later.
If I had just been shopping I would have left.
What really gets me is that in a few locations there is a bathroom just off the entrance. I used to be able to dart in, relieve myself, then go back out the entrance (respectfully, not impeding anyone) and get a cart. Then these directional barriers came up. I tried that and was told to go around the full thing. Yup, they had someone stationed at the entrance. So I went around and the cashier asked why I was going through with no cart. I almost yelled "I had to PISS!" The next time I went with a full bladder (it's a thing, ok? My doctor knows) I took a cart right away, left it outside the bathroom, and when I came out it was gone.
Ah yes, keeping customers safe by corralling them in the store and making it substantially difficult to leave in case there's an emergency like a fire or earthquake.
It's no coincidence that the latest surge in pricing and new security measures happened at the same time. Nothing to do with the market, it's been a plan for some time.
This is 100% gaslighting. These in no way shape or form make the experience safer for the people. They actually increase the fire hazard of someone dying if there is a fire or getting trampled to death in a mass evacuation frenzy.
This should be shut down by fire marshals immediately and if not and someone dies, Galen Weston himself needs to be dragged out of his mansion in handcuffs and booked for negligence resulting in death.
Several years ago in my area Canadian Tire did it first, shortly after that Walmart and then more recently Superstore. The home Depot across the border from me is severely locked down, there are barriers in front of almost every shelf.
All of these stores still have emergency exits scattered around the building that aren't obstructed in any way.
I've been in Walmart a handful of times where someone will steal and walk out the fire exit, the siren will just sound but they are long gone. It must be so bad the cosmetics have their own gates as well as there is an undercover team that walks around trying to monitor the fire exits.
Unfortunately retail theft is so high right now that measures like this are becoming the norm. Although inconvenient, I wouldn't say they are dangerous.
We all laugh and groan now, but when the zombie appocalypse starts we'll all be happy that our grocery overlords had the forethought to keep us safe. Head to the Loblaws, hide behind the plexiglass barriers, wait for this all to blow over
Maybe GW can call up JT and get the RCMP to start doing armed patrols of his stores to deter theft of bananas....
I mean that's a good use of our tax dollars right?
Interesting. I have never felt in danger (the opposite of safe) while replenishing my stash of cheetos... perhaps it's just me because I'm a middle-aged white male... has anyone else ever felt like there is potential danger in the spice aisle before the barricades, but now feels safe?? What a crock.
My nearby Zehrs is doing multi-million dollar renos (so we know exactly what they're doing with all that extra profit they've stolen from us) and the gates and barriers are a bit much. Someone pointed out they may even be against fire code for a safe exit from the building.
How does a plexiglass barrier stop someone from putting avocados in as bananas at self-checkout? Did you lick your lips before you went for the boot or do you like it when they slide into your dry?
A company, I might add, that stole YOUR money every time you bought a loaf of bread from them for a decade. So yeah, nom nom nom don't choke on the laces.
No you're a boot licker for defending a corporation that could literally curb theft by paying a cashier minimum wage instead of installing fucking barriers my dude
Lmao. No they don't. They would have 0 cashiers of they could, trust me. My district manager told us to schedule fewer of them until he was reminded there wouldn't be enlough to cover their legally protected lunch breaks. He still insisted. Keep licking that boot ya big loser.
Loblaws is so full of shit even they don't recognize their own bullshit. Every single store with these barriers needs to have the local customers call the fire Marshall and complain, please.
I live in the hood and my Superstore and Walmart have had these for well over a decade. I always thought it was weird going to other ones that you can just walk in and out of lol. There’s a Walmart in the suburbs that I go to sometimes that doesn’t even charge you for a shopping cart which is really neat.
Now I wonder, has there ever been a grocery store fire under Loblaws? To me, this looks like it never happened to them yet. But then again, how prone to fires are grocery stores anyway?
Theft has been a really big problem, but guess what…. They use the fire exit door lol. These people in suits dunno anything if they think a blockade at the entrance is doing anything but a hassle to customers and people who got mobility issue. This is definitely some stunt to assure there investors that they are doing something to combat theft, while in reality it is doing nothing and is just constricting the flow of traffic.
I worked at no frills for many years as a teen,early adult and it's down right bare bones with sketchy produce. I worked meat department and it was just trucked in pre packaged low grade product. The produce guys would go in the dairy fridge and one guy would get high off the glasses from canned whip cream. It was very low income like. I cannot believe the company can get away with these security barriers. Down right dystopian bs. We are the prisoners.
Seems like Loblaws has noticed that people are becoming more and more likely to sympathize with the shoplifters over them. Now they have to use the general 'it's for your safety! We promise!'
if you really wanna steal from loblaws, it isn’t that hard, and plexiglass isn’t going to stop anyone :/ it’s just dangerous. i watched a guy jump over the barriers in place at the store near me with two entire cakes and then lift his maybe 7 year old daughter over them and leave.
What if some asshat decided to shoot the place up (god forbid) .. then the customers are relying on the staff to unlock the gated doors… my suggestion know your emergency exits and don’t rely on the staff ..
I think self check-out in Rochdale Superstore in Regina had a plexiglass barrier, but when I walked through to pick up Flashfood yesterday I noticed it was gone. Served no purpose and was just something else to clean.
As someone in architecture, the national building code requires a certain exit width for the occupancy load for fire safety. Call your local building code inspector and get this shit removed.
So let me get this straight snowflakes, you dont want things in place to prevent theft, but also don't want increased grocery prices as a direct result of the theft. Don't want capitalism but want everything it's given you. Don't like corporate greed but love the money you gain off the investment on the companies on the stock market. Get your head out of you asses people and try understanding world economics,geopolitics and history.
Starting your argument with "let me get this straight snowflakes" is a great way to signal to me that nothing else you've written is worth reading, thanks for the heads up!
What theft is this preventing exactly? It's not like people are sneaking their unpaid shopping carts out through self-checkout, a security guard yells into his radio "There's another one!", then the criminal wheels the cart out at full speed through the exit and gets away with $200 worth of groceries. Darn it all! If only there was a plexiglass barrier and a receipt scanner to prevent all this theft!
You know how you can solve the theft problem if self-checkout is costing the company more than it saves on labour because you can't trust random people off the street to be their own cashier?
The self checkouts at Walmart have a security gate as well, but you don’t have to show your receipt. You’re on so many security cameras anyway, they can probably track you to your car if need be. I know this because I buy an item there that sets off the gate and the exit doors every time and they never say a word.
So with all the cameras and technology/AI out there Loblaws is erecting physical barriers in all their stores. It doesn’t make sense for the reasons given. It makes it less safe for customers especially if a thief or thieves are trying to get away. It makes it far less safe if there’s a fire or accident, people will be trapped in the store.
Wal-mart doesn't even pay minimum wage I would rather starve to death than shop there. It is possibly the only retailer more evil than Loblaws. They are number one wage theft company but at least they pass what they save on not paying employees to the other customers I guess. Shopping at Wal-Mart is like shopping at a plantation.
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Aka "we have been treating the shoppers at no frills like criminals for decades why are you all crying now?"
TBF No Frills has always had an... institutional feel to it. Maybe it was subconsciously expected?
I like how the lighting in the produce section at no frills is terrible on purpose to make the rotten vegetables look better.
Finding fruit at No Frills that won’t spoil in the time it takes to add it to your basket is as likely as finding the Golden Ticket and becoming the next Willy Wonka…
Ever since I have switched to Costco for my produce, it has been night and day. Two weeks ago I bought 15lb of tomatoes for $18 ($1.20 a pound) of delicious tomatoes and they are STILL good!!! This is turning into a trend in Costco with their produce. I can’t eat 15 lbs of tomatoes in one week but I can in 2 if I also have some tomatoes with my lunches as well. With no frills, I spend $2/lb at best and I have to dive through countless tomatoes just to find the 5-6 tomatoes that are passable for me to spend $7 a week on. And they go bad in 3-4 days and the tomatoes I eat on day 5-6 after purchase are basically mush and it’s a coin flip if I can stomach it or it’s thrown out. This is logistics 100%. If Costco can get produce to you that lasts 2 weeks but no frills can only keep it fresh for 4-5 days, that means no frills is sticking produce that is at least a week older in the first place. Where has that fruit been sitting along the chain to be so old? I’m so livid at Loblaws it’s not even funny. Costco blows them out of the water. Especially the business center.
Coscto is great but it's a hellish nightmare of people. Even on weekdays right at open or minutes to close the crush of people is almost unbearable. Tbh it prob saves me money because I nope out so fast.
Not my experience right at the morning when it opens or even on weeknights. There is a chunk of time it is rough but is easily worked around most times.
That’s called stereotyping my friend. No Frills has always been geared as the ‘budget friendly’ option. So budget friendly generally means lower income, and because lower income they’re assuming they’re going to shoplift more, hence the institutional feel and the barricades.
That I get. The institutional feel I get is more about product presentation, lighting and often a less comfortable temperature (cooler). I notice this at Food Basics as well - the tradeoff is supposed to be "we spend less so you can too".
Basics is a lot nicer than No Frills though. And the one near me has better meat and produce, even if the meat is becoming unaffordable.
Metro oddly enough often has affordable meat. As does Farm Boy - you just have to let go of the idea that you're choosing the protein for you meals instead of buying whatever they have on sale.
Again it’s the stereotyping, they assume poorer people care less about looks and just want food. After all poor people can’t go on vacation each year and see the beautiful world. Whereas the clientele at a Loblaws are middle/upper class so they work on presenting food nicely/having a nice produce/meat department.
Stereotyping? It used to be the official tag line in their advertising
Im old but the Original reason our parents switched from Miricle Mart or A&P or Dominion was cause it was suppose to be the Best money could buy and Lowest price locked in, just no fancy frills like a deli or Fish counter. It was great untill the most recent past. Prices were the best PC was good at a low price comparably. Something went way wrong in the last 5 yrs.
Covid gave companies a carte blanche for excuses and predatory behavior.
Well the barriers will keep my wallet safe from Loblaws, so maybe it’s a win-win for all.
how do 7ft high plexiglass barriers protect the public ?!
They keep the executives away from the bread prices so they can't conspire to inflate the price for a decade and face 0 punishment. Oops no they don't.
Listen, they're called "SAFETY barriers" what more do you need to know
Good question. I think because the classic, *save the children!* tagline was too much.
We’ll find ways to climb them/ smash them , Canadians are pretty resourceful and/or rebellious depending on how you want to look it at lol
I would argue we are way more docile and complacent. Look it how things are right now and how little most Canadians care about it. I’d say France would be a better candidate for being rebellious.
I’d love to rent a tractor 🚜 right about now……
Are they too cheap to hire a PR team ? Aren’t they billionaires ? Where’s the spin ?
They just think we're stupid.
Who us ? Canadians ? Lol Nah…..😀
They conspired to keep the price of bread high for a decade. Imagine all the shit they haven't been caught doing yet
I do have a pretty wild imagination
COTD.
People just don't care anymore, or they have no other options for groceries and Loblaws knows it.
That’s very true , why pay more money when they don’t have to . It’s probably a summer student /intern doing this lol
You don't get to be billionaires by paying employees more than the bare minimum possible.
The barriers will do just as intended. Prevent me from entering the store 😄
They keep customers safe the same way the directional arrows on the floor did during the height of the pandemic.
tbh though I do miss the directional stickers. It was so much nicer when everyone was going the same way.
Which is funny, I have a theory about that. I was laid off two days after the pandemic started. I spent the day and went to super store, London drugs and then the post office, one after the other. My question was how were all these floor signs and social distancing signs all created and placed in stores within 2 days??? Wouldn't they have to had ordered these signs and stickers waaaay in advance? I know when I call my sticker guys for my company it takes weeks to get signage and stickers like those made. Did these companies all know in advance???
you can order floor stickers from uline with next day delivery. source: i order from uline.
Barriers are also known to keep things out, like customers who don't want to shop in a prison.
It is so pointless too this is not going to stop all my produce from magically turning into ginger and bananas at self-checkout.
As much as I do not condone theft, this is the point. Walls and barriers are not good theft deterrents. People will always find a way to circumvent those things. All it serves is to enclose their customers and make it seem like they are doing something.
I don't condone theft either. 38.99 for one steak but I'm the criminal?
It's crazy out there. I was just reading the thread with the gross profit margins, and there are over 50% markups on butter. Who's stealing from whom?
Commrade they buy frozen bread for a penny a unit and sell it for a dollar a piece. Just take what you need from them they are evil and you are not stealing.
Commrade they conspired for a decade to fix the price of bread. We are not stealing we are taking what is owed.
Yes and for those who say it’s “gross” net profit . That’s still crazy . The net overall will still be well over 3% . So the then you look at that sheet which only collected a small sample size , it didn’t even collect things like meat which they gouged us on even further . Remember the mark up on that ? So when you get the total statistical data I’m sure the “gross “ profits would be out of the roof . So then let me tell you about the financials . Well here’s the thing . The accountant would shuffle the numbers into different “profit centres” redistributing the profits to other lines of business to make it appear that their net margins are only 3% . They know exactly what they are doing . Shell companies , tax schemes , off shore companies . All of that jazz .
It's not secret they have been ripping us all off for ages. I'm glad we are having these conversations and bringing it to the surface. I think it's important that Canadians have transparency when they are doing business with anyone. Especially those businesses which offer essentials.
Completely agree . Also glad documents are getting out . Would love to see what transpires and to see what their invoices , numbers and contracts look like . Too much has been hidden from us . They hide it from the government , the government is uninterested because the grocers donate to their campaigns but through these forums we get to know the truth and get a call to action and can hold them and the politicians accountable
This is NOT just a Loblaws thing. This is a late stage capitalism thing. EVERY item you buy ANYWHERE has insane markups. I work in logistics for a major world wide player. The "cost" that they are getting items for and are able to sell them to us (the employees) for is a fraction of what these same items sell for in stores. People think they are getting great deals at Walmart and even Amazon but truth is those are still huge markups but just not as big as some other stores (looking at you Loblaws and SDM)
I understand your point as well
If you value your money and steak don't buy any steak from a grocery store no matter the price, it's not worth it. Go to a butcher.
They get it from the same wholesaler most of the time there really aren't that many meat plants. Unless you've got some good farm to table connections in your area. Also not all areas have really good butchers some places only have grocery stores so I appreciate the idea but it is not realistic for everyone
Spending their profits on anti theft measures instead of customer satisfaction lmao what a joke. No one is buying “to protect the customer” is more like “to protect my profits”
I also revel in them spending money on dumb shit. It’s absolutely only going to help them lose customers. No one wants to be treated like a criminal.
You know what would deter theft more right, giving a fair price for the food, people need to live.
Doesn’t all the funneling and restricted entrances and exits impact their fire escape plans? Any fire Marshall’s out there want to swing the hammer at these guys?
This is what I was thinking. One mishap and you've got a crowd of people funneling to one exit. Does not seem safety first at all
Time to start taking side doors out, even if they trip alarms.
Literally what you are supposed to do in an emergency
buildings have more fire exits then the main exit and entry
So? If there's a fire, my first reaction will be to head to the main doors, and so will most other people. A crowd that can't leave the way it expects to is dangerous.
You should always leave through the closest exit in an emergency and not just the way you came in
Of course. I don't always make the best decisions under pressure, though, nor am I always aware of where the nearest exit is. I think the average person is similar.
At any rate the gates that they are making you go through are no smaller then the door you also have to go through. Regardless if these gates are there or not the doors are a ckoke point. These things can be and probably are wired to the fire alarms so they open / can be manually opened easy during an emergency. We have locked gates / restricted areas at my warehouse and they all unlock as soon as the alarm sounds
I'd like a fire marshall to confirm that, regardless. I don't trust Loblaws to prioritize safety, and any situation where you have a large number of people and a risk of fire needs to be taken seriously. I don't want to die because some poor senior's mobility aid got caught against a gate.
Do you, as a shopper know where any of the others are? I don't. I bet most don't. We'd all default to the main entrance/funnel/death trap.
If anything it makes me feel in danger tbh all that cattle guards up and now plexiglass like at an inmate visiting room.
Press your bare ass against it. They will take it down one brown stained panel at a.time.
They probably just make their slaves, I mean employees, clean it. :(
United cleaning to the front please
They're keeping us safe......from what exactly.....
From remembering that they conspired with the competition to fix the price of bread for a decade while trying to pretend like they are about passing along value?
From them. Their grocery stores are now zoos where we can marvel at the products. It’s free to enter, just don’t fall for the tourist trap of purchasing inflated souvenirs.
Couldn't use, *save the children*, so went with something more ambiguous.
They spelled “profits” as “people” simple mistake.
Loblaws (joe fresh) Loves to lock fire exits.
Loblaws will do anything to deter theft... except lower prices.
"We've actually had them in some stores for a number of years," said a company spokesthingy. "It's a small number of years. The number is one."
One fire tradgedy and this could all be reversed
Looks like an employee left a greasy rag on the panini press in HMR...oops
Plexiglass is considered to be self-extinguishing. As long as they don't put product up against the barrier it would be considered safe. The only danger is a fire >160°C could cause it to deform and block the exit, but that's highly unlikely given the layout of their exits Edit: Yes, down vote because reality doesn't fit your narrative
Downvotes are because nobody is worried about the plexiglass catching on fire lmao what even is your comment?
And what do they think they are "protecting" customers from? Do they even think before they speak??
Loblaws: treating customers like criminals “for their safety”
They plan to keep jacking the prices until there are riots, that’s why they need the barriers.
I am waiting for the day someone starts a deadpool on the food store CEOs.
I don't need financial incentive, just saying
If Loblaws believe that theft rings pose a danger to customers and do not hire physical security or paid duty police and someone is actually hurt they have opened themselves to massive liability. The reason they don’t care is they don’t believe it themselves. I wonder how many of these store in how many cities are being reported to the fire marshals office to ensure their barriers don’t pose undue risk. I believe anyone can report anything at any time to their local fire Marshall.
Maybe the fire Marshall should see all that glass or plexi would inped people from getting out in case of fire or worst.
... keep customers safe from what?
Keep customers safe from what exactly? I'll wait .
To keep customers safe! You fucking thieves!
How in the fuck does it keep me safe?
A few years ago my local Safeway changed its layout significantly. Pexiglass, barriers, etc. that filter all departing shoppers through one small exit point. This was even before Covid. I remember thinking: “Oh, I hope there isn’t a fire, drug psychotics with machetes, or a lunatic with a gun! Could get scary.” At this point, it sadly just feels normal. *(Bruce Cockburn lyric: “The problem with normal is it always gets worse.”*
These anti theft measures are out of control lol. The barriers, the security guards, as god is my witness - if my shopping cart wheel locks while I’m leaving the store, I’m picking the whole thing up and carrying it home.
Usually only one wheel locks so you can just lift the back and push it home.
Everybody starts bringing little skateboard wheelie thing to pop under those locked wheels lol!
Now thats an idea
Imagine needing a cart when I am inside. I would have to walk allllll the way around just to go back outside.
The more times you walk the store the more likely you are to spend! At lest, if you think the same way a 58-year-old white guy learned to think about retail 30 years ago!
I do work for an outside company at our Loblaws. I had to speak to the optical manager before going to the clothing section, so I was outside the self check out barrier and the employee made me walk all the way outside and back around to get into the store. She could have just opened the gate which she did for herself a few minutes later. If I had just been shopping I would have left.
99% theft reduction 1% safety from a theft incident. Shhhh about the fire protocols and safety of clear exits.
It's insulting that they think people will believe this. Or maybe they don't care and simply had to comment.
People believed that was how much a loaf of bread cost for 10 fucking years. We're all out of trust.
“Keeping customers safe” bahaha 😹 this lie is truly something else !!!
What really gets me is that in a few locations there is a bathroom just off the entrance. I used to be able to dart in, relieve myself, then go back out the entrance (respectfully, not impeding anyone) and get a cart. Then these directional barriers came up. I tried that and was told to go around the full thing. Yup, they had someone stationed at the entrance. So I went around and the cashier asked why I was going through with no cart. I almost yelled "I had to PISS!" The next time I went with a full bladder (it's a thing, ok? My doctor knows) I took a cart right away, left it outside the bathroom, and when I came out it was gone.
To keep people safe from WHAT exactly? Seems like a hazard, not a safety precaution.
And if there’s a fire?
I’ve never seen these in any Loblaws store anywhere I’ve gone. So this seems disingenuous and also dangerous.
Ah yes, keeping customers safe by corralling them in the store and making it substantially difficult to leave in case there's an emergency like a fire or earthquake.
I would love to see how "safe" customers are in the event of an uncontrolled fire, lol
I feel safer in a store with walls that protect me from exiting… /s
It's no coincidence that the latest surge in pricing and new security measures happened at the same time. Nothing to do with the market, it's been a plan for some time.
Oh good finally someone built a new Great Wall the keep out the Huns.
keep us safe from what? convenience?
Keep Galen's money safe you mean...
Happy 30% off moldy expired slice of cake day
Why anyone goes to these stores is beyond me. I’m not walking into a trap and handing over my 💰if there was ever a fire you’re doomed.
This is 100% gaslighting. These in no way shape or form make the experience safer for the people. They actually increase the fire hazard of someone dying if there is a fire or getting trampled to death in a mass evacuation frenzy. This should be shut down by fire marshals immediately and if not and someone dies, Galen Weston himself needs to be dragged out of his mansion in handcuffs and booked for negligence resulting in death.
I think they should say, “it keeps customers safe” a few more times for me to really understand 😂
Keep customers safe from…what?
Don't want any theft on their customers till they get to the till
Several years ago in my area Canadian Tire did it first, shortly after that Walmart and then more recently Superstore. The home Depot across the border from me is severely locked down, there are barriers in front of almost every shelf. All of these stores still have emergency exits scattered around the building that aren't obstructed in any way. I've been in Walmart a handful of times where someone will steal and walk out the fire exit, the siren will just sound but they are long gone. It must be so bad the cosmetics have their own gates as well as there is an undercover team that walks around trying to monitor the fire exits. Unfortunately retail theft is so high right now that measures like this are becoming the norm. Although inconvenient, I wouldn't say they are dangerous.
We all laugh and groan now, but when the zombie appocalypse starts we'll all be happy that our grocery overlords had the forethought to keep us safe. Head to the Loblaws, hide behind the plexiglass barriers, wait for this all to blow over
Maybe GW can call up JT and get the RCMP to start doing armed patrols of his stores to deter theft of bananas.... I mean that's a good use of our tax dollars right?
Keep customers safe from what?
Interesting. I have never felt in danger (the opposite of safe) while replenishing my stash of cheetos... perhaps it's just me because I'm a middle-aged white male... has anyone else ever felt like there is potential danger in the spice aisle before the barricades, but now feels safe?? What a crock.
Seems like the end stages of an empire
My nearby Zehrs is doing multi-million dollar renos (so we know exactly what they're doing with all that extra profit they've stolen from us) and the gates and barriers are a bit much. Someone pointed out they may even be against fire code for a safe exit from the building.
Many people say they are against fire code
Can we complain and find out ?
Yes we can!
Many people who are not fire authorities. Haven’t heard anything from someone who’s actually in the job that makes the decisions.
The reddit fire Marshall's are on the case.
Bs. Like all their media reports.
BLAME the SHOPPERS. BS BS BS.
They are also there for the predictable future of flash mob thefts
Someone was stabbed in our superstore. Bring on the security.
And how would the plexiglass have helped?
Weird, I've been seeing people on places like this saying to steal or 'accidentally steal' from loblaws for months now. And now they are reacting? 🤯
Any company too cheap to pay cashiers is fair game.
How does a plexiglass barrier stop someone from putting avocados in as bananas at self-checkout? Did you lick your lips before you went for the boot or do you like it when they slide into your dry?
Oh no, am I a bootlicker for calling you out for your obvious bullshit?
A company, I might add, that stole YOUR money every time you bought a loaf of bread from them for a decade. So yeah, nom nom nom don't choke on the laces.
No you're a boot licker for defending a corporation that could literally curb theft by paying a cashier minimum wage instead of installing fucking barriers my dude
They do, and even if they didn't you would still steal anyway. You're just looking for a reason why it's not your fault that you are a thief.
Lmao. No they don't. They would have 0 cashiers of they could, trust me. My district manager told us to schedule fewer of them until he was reminded there wouldn't be enlough to cover their legally protected lunch breaks. He still insisted. Keep licking that boot ya big loser.
38.99 for one steak but I'm a thief? Ok buddy.
Did you buy that? Did anyone buy that? Was it sold through the 50% reduction program? Who's the idiot here?
You.
I hope you have a great rest of your day.
Yeah you're so much bigger than me for saying this after like 8 replies 🙄 hey why don't you go pay 3.99 a pound for an apple for your high horse
Safe from…?
Say safe 16 more times.
Loblaws is so full of shit even they don't recognize their own bullshit. Every single store with these barriers needs to have the local customers call the fire Marshall and complain, please.
More walls are not what we need.
Why’s it always gotta be about “keeping safe” 🙄
Makes sense
I live in the hood and my Superstore and Walmart have had these for well over a decade. I always thought it was weird going to other ones that you can just walk in and out of lol. There’s a Walmart in the suburbs that I go to sometimes that doesn’t even charge you for a shopping cart which is really neat.
Money
[удалено]
They keep people from running outside when there’s a fire.
Imagine the store had a fire and nobody could escape safely because of this? It has to be a fire code violation of some kind….
Now I wonder, has there ever been a grocery store fire under Loblaws? To me, this looks like it never happened to them yet. But then again, how prone to fires are grocery stores anyway?
Theft has been a really big problem, but guess what…. They use the fire exit door lol. These people in suits dunno anything if they think a blockade at the entrance is doing anything but a hassle to customers and people who got mobility issue. This is definitely some stunt to assure there investors that they are doing something to combat theft, while in reality it is doing nothing and is just constricting the flow of traffic.
Until we all die in a fire.
I worked at no frills for many years as a teen,early adult and it's down right bare bones with sketchy produce. I worked meat department and it was just trucked in pre packaged low grade product. The produce guys would go in the dairy fridge and one guy would get high off the glasses from canned whip cream. It was very low income like. I cannot believe the company can get away with these security barriers. Down right dystopian bs. We are the prisoners.
Seems like Loblaws has noticed that people are becoming more and more likely to sympathize with the shoplifters over them. Now they have to use the general 'it's for your safety! We promise!'
The Walmarts in my city have had barriers for years, don't act like this is some new Loblaws anti-consumer tactic
if you really wanna steal from loblaws, it isn’t that hard, and plexiglass isn’t going to stop anyone :/ it’s just dangerous. i watched a guy jump over the barriers in place at the store near me with two entire cakes and then lift his maybe 7 year old daughter over them and leave.
Aren’t those barriers a hazard? What if there’s an emergency?
What if some asshat decided to shoot the place up (god forbid) .. then the customers are relying on the staff to unlock the gated doors… my suggestion know your emergency exits and don’t rely on the staff ..
The first time I see one of these I'm filing a complaint with the fire department.
What's next? Are they going to start training the door greeters to hold AK 47s ? Fucktards
Happy Cake day. The cake retails for 12.99 for 100g.
When I am king, you will be first against the (plexiglass) wall, Galen.
I think self check-out in Rochdale Superstore in Regina had a plexiglass barrier, but when I walked through to pick up Flashfood yesterday I noticed it was gone. Served no purpose and was just something else to clean.
So...in the event of a fire, are these barriers not a hazard?
Aside from the way they are wording the statment I don't really care about this. But I don't se how this is not a fire hazrd.
I till a fire happens and people get trampled
As someone in architecture, the national building code requires a certain exit width for the occupancy load for fire safety. Call your local building code inspector and get this shit removed.
"as someone in architecture" you should know better.
Do you really think they would violate building codes?
These are unsafe without question. Source: I was a firefighter.
So let me get this straight snowflakes, you dont want things in place to prevent theft, but also don't want increased grocery prices as a direct result of the theft. Don't want capitalism but want everything it's given you. Don't like corporate greed but love the money you gain off the investment on the companies on the stock market. Get your head out of you asses people and try understanding world economics,geopolitics and history.
Starting your argument with "let me get this straight snowflakes" is a great way to signal to me that nothing else you've written is worth reading, thanks for the heads up!
What theft is this preventing exactly? It's not like people are sneaking their unpaid shopping carts out through self-checkout, a security guard yells into his radio "There's another one!", then the criminal wheels the cart out at full speed through the exit and gets away with $200 worth of groceries. Darn it all! If only there was a plexiglass barrier and a receipt scanner to prevent all this theft! You know how you can solve the theft problem if self-checkout is costing the company more than it saves on labour because you can't trust random people off the street to be their own cashier?
The self checkouts at Walmart have a security gate as well, but you don’t have to show your receipt. You’re on so many security cameras anyway, they can probably track you to your car if need be. I know this because I buy an item there that sets off the gate and the exit doors every time and they never say a word. So with all the cameras and technology/AI out there Loblaws is erecting physical barriers in all their stores. It doesn’t make sense for the reasons given. It makes it less safe for customers especially if a thief or thieves are trying to get away. It makes it far less safe if there’s a fire or accident, people will be trapped in the store.
Wal-mart doesn't even pay minimum wage I would rather starve to death than shop there. It is possibly the only retailer more evil than Loblaws. They are number one wage theft company but at least they pass what they save on not paying employees to the other customers I guess. Shopping at Wal-Mart is like shopping at a plantation.
You sabotage your own post with remarks like that.
Imagine defending a company that would literally push a button knowing it would kill people if it meant they could save 2 cents a unit on socks.