I’ve been pretty hard on Loblaw’s over the past year, in reference to the mega chain’s refusal to lower food prices amid reports of a string of increasingly profitable fiscal quarters. But I feel it’s only fair to report good Loblaw’s news, too…
A Flashfood Fridge at Loblaw’s: Not a really big selection…
Therefore… Allow me to relate the substance of a new Loblaw’s news release reporting the purported savings afforded consumers over the past year – indeed, the past 5 years – by the little-publicised Flashfood smart phone app.
Sounds like a lot…
The company announced, in a news release dated January 22 of this year, that, “Savvy Loblaw shop-pers coast-to-coast have saved more than $50 million in 2024 on groceries – and over $238 million in the past 5 years! – simply by shopping on the Flashfood app.”
The what?
No, I can’t remember hearing about it before, either. But apparently it’s been out there since before the COVID Crisis! Anyway…
The Flashfood app is a smart phone accessory that tunes the user in to special ‘clearance’ deals at their closest Loblaw’s (or affiliated) store. You download and install it like any other app. But you also have to ‘register’ your participation – which, to me, indicates the store wants to track you, your shopping habits and your food shopping budget.
How it works
“With the Flashfood app, shoppers save up to 50 percent off everyday essentials that are nearing their best-by date or where the store has excess inventory, including meats, dairy, seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables, prepared foods, and more,” The news release expalins. “Purchases are made directly through the app and customers simply pick up their order from the Flashfood Zone located inside their participating Loblaw’s grocery store”
The reality is, the ‘Flashfood Zone’ in may participating Lobaw’s outlets appears to consist of a shelf or two of aging produce and packaged goods, and a single fridge for meats and other perishables. But that’s another issue for another day.
The supermarket, nevertheless claims that, “Since initiating their partnership with Flashfood in 2019, Loblaw has diverted nearly 86 million pounds of potential food waste from landfill through the pro-gram – a major milestone, as Loblaw aims to send zero food to landfill by 2030.”
My take
But all that doesn’t mean Loblaw’s has lowered the prices of any food product it offers. Nor made any other effort to combat the food insecurity crisis every country in the Western world is currently facing – including the so-called wealthiest.
And I doubt we’ll hear anything further, down the road, about that lofty goal of zero-landfillling by 2030. It sounds like too much for humans to accomplish. And in my experience, folks like Loblaw’s, who make such commitments and miss them, are highly unlikely to make a big deal – with news re-leases, and so on – to announce their failures.
Grabbing the bargains – my way
I like to shop Loblaw’s clearance meat cooler… Clearance items always sport big orange ‘50% Off’ and ‘Enjoy Tonight!’ stickers, and may show up anywhere in the meat department. As we’ve explained before more than once in this space, that means the items have come to or are nearing their ‘Best Before’ date. They’re not ‘Expired’, or in any other way unwholesame, much less dangerous, to consume.
I’ve successfully frozen such items for up to a month without any ill effects, or noticeable deterior-ation in their quality or wholesomeness. But shopping the Big Bargains like those is a hit-or-miss gamble. And you have to be flexible – and creative – to take advantage of such opportunities when they present themselves.
Nevertheless, I’ve found all it takes is a ‘weather eye’ for the stickers, and a little extra effort to en-joy real savings in the meat department – even at Loblaw’s. Without registering for yet another app that’s gobbling up your personal information every time you buy something…
~ Maggie J.