Ontario shoppers blame Loblaw’s Galen Weston for price of olive oil
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There’s Justinflation and now, there’s apparently Galenflation.
Ontario grocery shoppers are blaming Loblaw president Galen Weston for the exorbitant price of oil – olive oil, that is.
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“Oil prices are through the roof. EVOO was $23 3 months ago,” read a post on Reddit’s Ontario thread. “Thanks Galen.”
The photo shows shelves different brands and types of olive oil, ranging from organic to extra light to extra virgin.
The prices also range from $14.99 for a one-litre bottle of Bertolli oils to a club size tin (so, three litres) of President’s Choice cold-extracted EVOO for $38.99.
It’s unclear which oil the Redditor was referring to; perhaps the no name club size that is now priced at $34.99?
Canadians have yet to see grocery prices ease, although lower commodity prices will eventually feed through the supply chain to retail prices. Eventually. One day. But not today.
One thing is certain, Canadian shoppers are tired of it, whether it’s a jug of oil or a pack of chicken.
“Yeah … Loblaws totally f***ing over Canadians,” one person commented. “Absolutely ridiculous. This is totally profiteering enabled by their market position.”
Another joked, “I like to call it the galenflation. It’s an extra markup and inflation on top of existing inflation.”
One person wrote, “Loblaws is trying to rebrand their no name products as premium instead of lower cost alternatives to brand names. There has been a huge spike in prices for no name products.”
Another frustrated shopper replied, “Gotta recoup that price freeze.”
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The poster confirmed that the photo was taken at a No Frills location, fuming that it’s “literally a discount grocery store,” making it all the more baffling.
“Stop shopping there,” one person advised. “That’s literally the only thing we can do as a collective to beat them.”
There were some helpful Redditors, with some extolling the virtues of Costco while one person provided a tip on cheaper oil.
“1L of EVOO is $6.99 at Freshco this week if you have one nearby (or can price match).”
Last month, Weston along with the higher-ups at Metro Inc. and Empire Co. Ltd. — which operates chains including Sobeys, Safeway and FreshCo — appeared in front of a parliamentary committee that is studying inflated grocery prices.
They denied profiteering and blamed the prices on inflation and supply chain disruptions.
A survey recently found that Canadians are pretty even when it comes to what they believe is to blame for food inflation: grocery chains’ price gouging and inflation and monetary/fiscal policies.
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