The not-so-Great Canadian Corporate Greed thread

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by theman23

Which Save-On do you go to? I've got four within driving distance to where I live (off Royal Ave in New West), and none are that busy. Superstore is essentially on the same level as Walmart at this point. Also maybe it's because I'm lucky, but pretty much everything I buy ends up being on sale all the time so the prices aren't bad.

Actually, more recently I've started going to City Ave Market. For a small chain, they manage to have some great selection of vegetarian products. Prices are very strong and their produce is generally pretty good. If only they had better meat selection...

You and me both, I like City Ave Market. I tend to default to Safeway because it’s closer to me but I’m always impressed by the quality at City Ave.

[harls]

I have the funny feeling theman23 is lying about his location.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by harls

I have the funny feeling theman23 is lying about his location.

Perhaps that poster moved, and didn't update their profile info?

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Wigs

I recall popular Western NY based (now 100+ stores incl NYC, DC/VA/MD, North Carolina) grocer, Wegmans did this during the Great Recession in 2008.

They froze prices on a few dozen most common grocery essential purchases like bread, milk, eggs, butter, cereal etc. They had price freezes on many items until 2013. Like Loblaws they put a focus on their in house brands.

The strategy worked as they knew people don't like price shocks, and by ensuring customers would continue patronizing them for essentials, many would also probably still spend money where they make large markups like the large selection of prepared grab-n-go foods.

If I could pick two chains to enter Canada it would be Wegmans, and the Germany based store Lidl (a nicer Aldi) that is growing across the USA (150+ stores). Since the 1990s Lidl has taken the UK by storm so I'm sure Canucks would like it too.

[/spoiler]

Sorry I wasn't saying Loblaw's should eat the cost of milk going up I was saying the farmers should. I think supermarkets aren't allowed to have below a minimum price.

Agree on Lidl it's great.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

You and me both, I like City Ave Market. I tend to default to Safeway because it’s closer to me but I’m always impressed by the quality at City Ave.

The Guildford Walmart has its produce and some meat managed or vended by Al Premium, this company supplies 14 walmart stores in Canada, two in BC (Guildford and Richmond) and then 12 stores in Ontario. They also have a ton of frozen seafood I've never seen outside of an asian store.

They opened a new seafood and meat section, they have live fish and you can buy meat by the piece or weight at a counter like an old school grocery store. The chicken was really cheap last week, a 4 pack of chicken leg and back was under $10, the same at Superstore was easily double.

[urbandreamer]

Originally Posted by Wigs

urbandreamer, did you drive around the core of Hamilton and see the new developments?

I missed my exit and got off at Aberdeen. I didn't explore downtown, only seeing it from Sam Lawrence Park. I was really tired by this point and napped for two hours in my RV. On the way to Walmart I explored the cute 1930s-1960s bungalows around Brucedale. Kinda stupid, but in 2007 I almost bought a bungalow here for $75k. Like wtf did I back out ugh.

[MolsonExport]

Take the money and run.

Shell sold millions of carbon credits for carbon that was never captured, report finds

Shell sold millions of carbon credits for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that never happened, allowing the company to turn a profit on its fledgling carbon capture and storage project, according to a new report by Greenpeace Canada. Under an agreement with the Alberta government, Shell was awarded two tonnes' worth of emissions reduction credits for each tonne of carbon it actually captured and stored underground at its Quest plant, near Edmonton. This took place between 2015 and 2021 through a subsidy program for carbon, capture, utilisation and storage projects (CCUS), which are championed by the oil and gas sector as a way to cut its greenhouse gas emissions.

During this period, Shell was able to sell 5.7 million tonnes of what Greenpeace describes as "phantom" credits, making more than $200 million for the company. These credits were sold to other oilsands companies on the Alberta carbon market, Greenpeace alleged. Shell has received $777 million from the federal and provincial governments and $406 million in revenue from carbon offsets, according to company records cited by Greenpeace.

Pierre-Olivier Pineau, a professor and researcher in energy policy at HEC Montreal, said the Greenpeace report illustrates "a key underlying problem" for carbon capture and storage, that "the economic environment isn't yet there to make them sound business."

"It has to rely on subsidies, which become problematic because the government ends up subsidizing polluters," he said, adding that it also shows the need for a higher price on carbon.

"CCUS can only be correctly incentivized through a [higher] penalty on carbon emission," he said.

[MolsonExport]

More banks behaving badly (BBB)

Customer who filed complaint against TD Bank refuses to sign gag order to get compensation

Guanghu Cui was poring over his TD Bank statements in March, preparing to pay taxes for his small immigration consulting firm in Oakville, Ont., when he noticed a $1.50 fee for sending an e-transfer. It was surprising, because when he'd opened his business account three years ago, his financial adviser told him the plan included five free transactions a month and he'd never exceeded that number. Cui complained and eventually TD said it would reimburse him for the fees and compensate him for his "frustration and inconvenience." But when the paperwork arrived for Cui to sign, it included a condition saying he must "keep it confidential." While he could speak about the dispute, he would not be allowed to tell anyone that TD had offered compensation.

Cui emailed TD to say he wouldn't take the offer if the bank didn't drop the gag order. "I was told the offer is final and there's no room for negotiation… take it or leave it," said Cui. "That is just unfair. And that is unethical."

The contracts, typically signed by two parties, were initially created to protect trade secrets or intellectual property but have evolved into a common tool to silence people who have been wronged: financially, professionally or, in the case of sexual assault victims, physically and mentally. Can't Buy My Silence, a group that campaigns for legal changes related to misuse of nondisclosure agreements, estimates that 95 per cent of civil suit settlements in Canada now include one. Those cases range from lawsuits over bad investment advice to insurance claims, real estate disputes, building construction defects, sexual harassment cases and more.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

I missed my exit and got off at Aberdeen. I didn't explore downtown, only seeing it from Sam Lawrence Park. I was really tired by this point and napped for two hours in my RV. On the way to Walmart I explored the cute 1930s-1960s bungalows around Brucedale. Kinda stupid, but in 2007 I almost bought a bungalow here for $75k. Like wtf did I back out ugh.

I'm not familiar with Brucedale.
Brucedale Ave on "the mountain"?

Little bungalow like this? Looks like a flipper reno and asking $750,000 (does have a pool and basement suite though)
https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/2...lton-inch-park

Aberdeen Ave, and side streets (Durand neighbourhood), has some of the nicest old money houses in the city
https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/2...venue-hamilton

[cranes]

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/maximum-payout...7-86-1.6886594
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86

...Compensation was estimated to be between $50 to $150, though the exact amount per person was to be determined based on the total number of claims filed. As it turned out, more than 900,000 valid claims were received, which meant payments were brought down to just $7.86. Those who requested a cheque are receiving $2 less, after the deduction of a processing fee.
...
Many claimants took to social media after receiving their payment, with some calling the payments "a joke."...

https://twitter.com/winstonkng/statu...94913223495902

Winston Ng ☀️@winstonkng C$7.86 - That's how much our medical lab data @lifelabs is worth in #Canada

https://twitter.com/KimPigSquash/sta...55855247388693

Kim Goldberg @KimPigSquash I'm going to get a whopping $7.86 in the class action payout for LifeLabs customers whose data was hacked a few years ago. How shall I spend my bounty? ������

[MolsonExport]

Volunteer your time to restock shelves and help customers at Shoppers Dog Fart. Help make Galen Rich(er)!

Shoppers Drug Mart 'volunteer' job posting was an error: Loblaw


You can't make this shit up.

The job posting on LinkedIn listed duties such as assisting customers, restocking shelves, and organizing inventory — all for zero compensation.

"Your role as a volunteer is crucial in ensuring that our customers have a positive and seamless shopping experience," read the listing, which was taken down from LinkedIn on Thursday.

Gunn, the long-time customer, said he saw the listing as a continuation of a trend where customers are being asked to do "more and more free labour for companies." "From bringing your own bags, to packing your bags, to using self checkout, and now having the nerve to ask customers to volunteer literally stacking the shelves. And I thought there had to be a line drawn somewhere." Gunn says he's drawing that line by switching to a different pharmacy.

I want your time, sweat, and money! I want it all!!

[lio45]

[urbandreamer]

As it turned out, I mostly boycotted Loblaws in May, shopping at No Frills/Maxi & SDM five times. In the US, Aldi was overall the cheapest option, although I found myself at Hannaford's and Stop & Shop more often due to better selection.

I noticed olive oil is much cheaper in the US for some reason, although junk food and Fortune 500 brands like Cheez-its and Campbell Soup more expensive. Thus I suggest it's corporate America and the Dairy cartel dictating prices to Galen & co.

On the topic of grocery stores, why is IGA Quebec so much more sophisticated in its product selection compared to Sobeys/IGA/Coop in ROC? eg in Lachute, a town of 14k, has better selection than anything in KWC, population 600k!

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

As it turned out, I mostly boycotted Loblaws in May, shopping at No Frills/Maxi & SDM five times. In the US, Aldi was overall the cheapest option, although I found myself at Hannaford's and Stop & Shop more often due to better selection.

I noticed olive oil is much cheaper in the US for some reason, although junk food and Fortune 500 brands like Cheez-its and Campbell Soup more expensive. Thus I suggest it's corporate America and the Dairy cartel dictating prices to Galen & co.

On the topic of grocery stores, why is IGA Quebec so much more sophisticated in its product selection compared to Sobeys/IGA/Coop in ROC? eg in Lachute, a town of 14k, has better selection than anything in KWC, population 600k!

And you'll find the same differences between Metro stores in Quebec and Ontario. Consumers and store owners/operators seem to have more concern about product selection and availability in Quebec. There are also much more sophisticated tastes in food that is made at home. It's not that everyone in Quebec is that way but many more are compared to Ontarians. In Ontario and in other ROC provinces it just seems to be about profit and that the company should just throw out what they think consumers should buy. You must have noticed in the Quebec grocery store the emphasis on regional products and of course Quebec ones. I will normally buy things at one of the IGA stores in Rouyn-Noranda when I'm there because the products are so much more interesting. Cheeses and beers are a must but often also fruit, bakery products and store-made desserts.