A local Toronto grocery store is calling attention to its low prices in an effort to encourage residents to shop local and ditch big box grocery chains.
Located at 1164 Queen St. E, Raise the Root is a local independent grocer who recently shared a post on its Instagram page comparing its prices to Loblaws.
The price comparison included a number of organic products from the produce section and majority of the items listed were lower than what can be found at Loblaws. Some products such as its onions and romaine lettuce are significantly cheaper.
At Raise the Root, onions cost $2 for a two pound bag, meanwhile at Loblaws, it would cost $5 a bag.
The post has garnered attention and support from members of the community with many applauding the unique idea and the quality of the store’s products.
“Crazy how a locally owned grocer can blow away Loblaws pricing. You’d think with Loblaws buying power and volumes they would be able to offer cheaper prices, but I guess it’s all going into their pockets!!” one user commented.
“Love this. People really need to get behind their local small business and support them. Keep it up!!!” another user said.
This comes following a recent announcement from Loblaws stating it’s reducing its discounts on soon-to-expire food in order to keep up with other competitors.
Instead of offering discounts of up to 50 per cent on perishable items, the supermarket chain is now offering discounts ranging from 30 to 50 per cent.
Now Toronto reached out to Loblaws for comment but did not hear back by publication deadline.
Competitors such as Metro Inc. say it’s been offering the discount of up to 30 per cent for a while now.
“For over 20 years we have offered a closeout discount program with up to 30% off at both Metro and Food Basics for products that are close to expiry,” Communications Manager Stephanie Bonk said in a statement to Now Toronto on Thursday.
This discount program is available at both Metro and Food Basics (subsidiary of Metro) locations and on services such as the Too Good to Go app and One More Bite.
READ MORE: Canadian families will be spending $700 more on food in 2024: report
Last month, Canada’s annual Food Price report for 2024 found that food prices will increase by 2.5 per cent to 4.5 per cent this year, with the most significant increases ranging from five percent to seven per cent in the categories of bakery, meat, and vegetables.
In addition, researchers said a family of four will spend nearly $16,300 on food in 2024, an increase of up to $701.79 from the previous year.
