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I went to buy 8 different grocery items at a store that will remain nameless. After checking out the prices on all 8 items I turned around with my empty bag and walked out. Maybe the Grocery Executives testifying today can explain it. Soon we will all be eating Kraft Dinner at this rate. Oh wait maybe not they will raise the price to $5 a box. If has gone too far. I saw no issue like this South of the border last week in their grocery store.

The price of groceries are definitely increasing and it’s making it hard on families. I don’t see how comparing costs to the States make any sense. Their prices are always lower. It wouldn’t make groceries any cheaper for you to buy in the States as compared to Brandon when you factor in your time, gas, exchange, value of the dollar, etc.

Factoring in everything you just mentioned and yes my groceries were indeed cheaper. I bought in bulk and the 30 per cent exchange rate on my money is nothing compared to the 40 to 50 per cent in price hikes we have here in our Grocery stores. Not to mention I filled my car up with gas that was considerably cheaper than the pump price here. As far as time goes it’s my own time and I considered it as an outing no different than driving in to Winnipeg to go to Cosco. Also the variety of products in the USA store is far superior to ours. I will continue to do this until the gouging subsides.

I don’t know if it’s gouging. The cost of everything has risen rapidly notably transportation, energy and production inputs. Various outside factors such as avian flu and producers leaving the industry are causing reduced production in many products as well. It’s very difficult for everyone especially those on low or fixed incomes and there are no quick solutions .

It’s going to get worse before it gets better. Anything you can learn to do yourself rather than relying on grocery stores and other big box stores will benefit you enormously in the years to come.

It's tough, but it's not any single factor. I was listening to a podcast yesterday about this and the grocery margins are actually lower now than pre-pandemic. Groceries are a high-volume, low-margin industry. Profit margins are actually lower single-digits, which I didn't realize. The record profits they're making is from strong growth in non-food, mostly cosmetics and pharmacy. Plus the high volume, because people eat out less etc.  
 
The price has increased incrementally every step of the production and distribution chain. I remember years ago reading that even if the cost of wheat doubled, that would only add 10 cents or so to the average loaf of bread. That's how little of the cost is actually from the grain.  
 
And I agree with above don't compare us to the US. Their agriculture, especially grain production and it's related products (which i:ncludes dairy, eggs, meat and sugar production via corn), is *heavily* subsidized, to a ridiculous amount. To the point that it actually impacts commodity prices worldwide. It's a very deep and surprising rabbit hole. Plus they rely essentially on slave labour via undocumented workers to labour in the fields for fruit and veg production.  
 
Edited by Abbysmum, 2023-03-08 12:39:24

I’m sorry but the bottom line for me is I have to do what I can to survive. I get X amount of dollars on my small seniors pension cheque every month and I can tell you exactly where it goes to the last cent. You won’t know what I’m talking about until you try to live off just a CPP and OAS cheque. So I will continue to look for where my few dollars can supply me with the best chance at survival and I know I’m not alone in this category. I don’t care about any other factors that people have mentioned here.

That’s fair except that when you are putting gas in your vehicle and driving much distance then savings at the grocery counter don’t compute.  
Also it’s important to remember that American retailers and Costco don’t support local charities or kids sports where as local businesses and retailers are usually major and generous contributors in their communities and the first people that organizations turn to when fundraising.

Based on the profits that large supermarkets are making I would say it's gouging. loblaws Q4 profits of 530 million dollars up 10% from previous Q3 earnings.

Loblaws is claiming that margins are actually down since pre-pandemic, in the low single-digits. They claim what's up is volume (more people buying groceries vs eating up) and larger increases in pharmacy and things like cosmetics. Those are higher margins too.  
 
It sounds a little bit like the gasoline argument. At the retailer level, the margin on gasoline is very low, pennies per litre. It gets made up for in volume and supplemented by customers buying other things like smokes, snacks and stuff. Most of the cost of the price per litre is baked into the supply chain and/or taxes.  
 
Loblaws is arguing that increased costs are baked into *their* supply chain, and that margins aren't the problem. I don't know if I 100% believe them, but it's possible. Even very small percentages (margins) multiplied by very large numbers (overall sales) can result in some pretty big numbers. Ultimately the larger issue might actually be the fact that they control such a large market share, which allows them to rack up huge profits even with low margins due to volume.

What's gone up is Weston's net worth.

I am sympathetic to everyone who's struggling. We are all doing our best with limited resources, my household i:ncluded. When pasta was jumping 10-20 cents every time I went to the store, my heart felt so heavy. That's such a staple for so many people, including mine.  
 
Contrary to popular belief, most non-retired people can't just magically produce more income either. Lots of people don't have the time, energy or ability to get a second or third job. Parents are literally skipping meals just to make sure their kids get enough. I'm watching people burning out just trying to get by.  
 
The reality is, however, is unless we all starting caring about those "other factors", nothing will change. Nothing will improve for anyone in any generation or walk or life. I realize that's hard to prioritize when you're struggling to survive, but working towards a most just society means striving for a community where no one has to struggle to survive. It means, as a bare minimum, understanding the underlying issues so you can make informed choices.  
 
Sometimes that means you'll make the same choice anyway. That's the reality. But understanding the factors that drove you to that choice is the first step to having the ability to make different choices when you are able. Or to empower someone else to make a different choice. Or at the very least, not to deprive someone else of the ability to make their own choices.

That’s true. There was always going to be a cost for the convenience that so many want and I think that the status quo is that cost.  
There are savings to be found buying things like meat directly from smaller processors etc but unfortunately the shipping habits of most people have killed off most of the small or independent stores. It’s a trap that we have fallen into over the last 70 years which has provided a monopoly to a few large chains. And now we don’t like it!

Rising food prices are a multi-faceted problem, and in fairness they've risen significantly in the US and other countries as well.  
 
What never helps the situation in Canada, as others have mentioned, is the general lack of competition across many sectors, including grocery and how they have crept into all kinds of related businesses to maximize profits.  
 
And then look at what one of the big grocers actually does (without me naming them).  
 
They own multiple different grocery/retail banners, and have their own brands.  
 
Their parent company also owns a real estate business, that, not surprisingly, owns some of the retail buildings housing their stores - among a roughly ~10 billion dollar portfolio of commercial and residential real estate.  
 
They have 3 million credit card holders using their card.  
 
And 18 million points members, who represent a vast source of data they can mine to their financial advantage. Plus, the cost of awarding all those points is baked into their prices.  
 
So, they own the real estate some of their many many stores occupy, they profit off the stores, they profit off their own product brands, some of their customers shop in their stores using their credit cards, and they profit off that too...and they run their points program, allowing them to leverage vast amounts of data to keep those customers coming into their stores. While it appears you're getting good deals with points, the data is the big value to the company - the points are just a way to get the data and keep people coming in so they can collect that data. They now know everything you buy, when, where, etc....and you don't control that, and the cost of the points is all baked into the prices you pay. And they can target their marketing to you and what you buy and where, and when to help further maximize their profits.  
 
Oh, and what do they pay their employees?  
 
Edited by JosephC, 2023-03-08 15:13:30

JosephC hit the nail on the head. You can mention all the factors you want .Who is really going to fix it ? Me the struggling senior? Sorry again but I’m not supporting Mr Grocery Mogul so he can buy his wife a new yacht too. That’s why I’m curious to see how the big boy grocery chain CEO’s testify in Ottawa this week. It’s bad enough so many are struggling with this issue but then to find out how the grocery company’s have made record profits this year is a slap in the face.

The lack of competition in the grocery market is definitely an issue. Basically 2 major brands own all the larger grocery stores across Canada

I'm not defending anyone with this cause I think they are all crooks, but the answer probably isn't super cut and dry.  
 
Would competition help? Maybe. People are still only going to spend x amount of money, be it spread over 2 stores or 3 stores. Profits might go down slightly at one of the big 2, but it's just transferring to the third company. It does not mean we get lower prices. Not in the slightest.  
 
Loblaw's, if you so choose to believe them, say they have not increased margin on food since inflation started ramping up. They are still passing on cost increases from trucking, production, importing and whatever else of course, but not increasing margin. That alone would have them showing higher gross profits. If I sold something for $1 but now I'm selling it for $2, my gross profit goes up.  
 
Just saying.  
 
Edited by Mater, 2023-03-08 16:23:03

You should check out Food Rescue at 719 rosser ave. They get in quite a variety of food and sell it for a quarter of the price of retail. Their goal to to keep perfectly good food from being sent to the dump.  
Many items are a one time only but they consistently have bread, bagels, etc for 1 dollar a loaf! Friday is their "bread day"  
The product is decent and the staff and volunteers are helpful.  
They are open Thurs and Friday 3-6pm,  
Saturday 10-4, and Sunday is currently 12-4pm. Well worth checking ou(!

i completely understand your situation as my mom is in the same boat. We preplan everything and stock up when possible when we find good deals. Reebee is a great site for flyers to be able to price compare online and with them loading on the mon and tues each week under upcoming you can go back and forth for items last week and upcoming in advance so you can still take advantage of a sale before the new prices are in store if need be. we always price compare its the only way she could even try to get through. Good luck and keep in mind ss usually has the best deals in house so it pays to go in and wander sometimes.

There are far more lobbyist and internal price setting amongst local top chain business within small cities ie Brandon, Dauphin as compared to Wpg. To ad to the lack of freemarket's from wholesaler's is the excuse for pandemics and what the supposed pandemic did to small business ie local farmer's markets type. to blame this on supply and demand and cost of bla bla bla is ridiculous. Its more like they charge you that because they can.  
 
check the news and what "world disasters" are effecting nations. its a war on food and control of such. And with all other pieces in place they now are at the forefront and making huge moves in the supply chain and we will see that filter down.

would be a sliver above minimum wage with no staff discount at most. Interesting what will happen come October when minimum wage increases but these chain stores don't compensate their employees accordingly. Considering the difficulty finding and retaining decent staff what will happen when the staff leaves? Word around the water cooler is the employees at one of the large grocery stores in town is considering a mass walkout if that happens. No staff= no store= no profits= no members= no board of directors. Interesting.

But still am only able to budget $300 a month for groceries for myself. And that also i:ncludes all my medications and over the counter meds. It's hard as companies are only giving out minimum wage and as a person who has to stick to a stick diet Innis very hard.  
 
Especially with the rising cost of rent in this town as it is becoming more expensive than Winnipeg.

A jar of cheese whiz is $13.79 at a certain large grocery store in Brandon. Wonder who’s gonna pay that?

of the biggest problems, that I see, is the lack of choice in the stores. They only seem to sell the main market brands, which are always higher priced or if own brand then priced almost the same, maybe a few cents cheaper.  
They do not seem to want to offer the secondary market product which is invariably a lot cheaper. Maybe not as good but certainly just as filling and nutritious.  
To give you an idea of Uk prices, have a search on here https://www.tesco.com  
Basic foodstuffs are quite a bit cheaper, although I think the meat is probably fairly comparable. But a jar of strawberry jam, 454g for 39p (that is about 65 cents Canadian). I imagine that is probably not as tasty as a $5 Smuckers, but spread on bread are we going to complain.

That we can name a business on here if we are giving them a thumbs up, but not if we are stating anything otherwise? I don’t get it! I would like to know the grocer charging that much for cheese whiz so I don’t waste my time going there to buy some! Just my thoughts.

A site that earns it income primarily from local advertising would be foolish to be perceived as publishing opinions or material that may be harmful to local businesses.  
 
Edited by Farmergeorge, 2023-03-12 15:08:43

That makes sense! I was waiting for a reply from you, farmer!

It's SAFE to say that you could check the major store's online prices if you cared that much. SO, BE a bit more proactive if you're truly curious. :-P On top of that the other major stores all have their 900g jars on sale and even the 450 ones(but it's like... $5-6 for the small and then $6-7 for the non-premium($13) one :-P  
 
For the big stores if you have the data you can check their sites for pricing at:  
CO-OP: https://shop.crs  
Walmart: https://walmart.ca  
SuperStore: https://www.realcanadiansuperstore.ca/  
Sobeys/Safeway: https://voila.ca/

exactly and having looked through the posts earlier I happened to find this, so for those who Don"t fully understand the intricacies enjoy  
 
 
https://youtu.be/0IOsNYnmeSg

It is sad how the government doesn’t help older people especially widows for pensions! People don’t realize or understand the situation. Most widows do live paycheque to paycheque and their spouse never had a pension plan at work. There never used to be such a thing . I don’t understand why the government waste money useless things when they should be helping out the true Canadians like the women who were homemakers raising children now turning into homeless population. How much is Rent ? These women maybe get $1,100.00 per month if that they get from government is a Sad Complete Joke.