So engrossed have we been recently in the grassroots uprising against high food prices, and Loblaw’s in particular, that we may have missed an important story. Loblaw’s has been offering deals on pro-ducts consumers want most…
A heritage ad for Kraft Dinner – Canada’s Brand name for Kraft
Macaroni & Cheese. An perennial Canuck favourite. Nearly
eight months’ worth of boxes were sold in a single month.
This all started back in February, and I’m ashamed to admit, I took no notice of it then. But – perhaps as a response to consumers’ rage against high grocery prices – the country’s largest super-market chain started feature-pricing a few key staples everyone needed…
True savings?
“The Hit of the Month campaign really has been a hit! Each month we’ve featured three or four pro-ducts that customers want at unbeatable prices,” said Mary MacIsaac, Loblaw’s Senior Vice President, Marketing and Brands, in a news release earlier this week. “This campaign was designed to bring more value to customers across all our banners and divisions. The response has been nothing short of incredible.”
Loblaw’s claims, based on its sales figures and the differential between the regular and discounted prices of the featured products, that its customers saved, “more than $45 million dollars collectively.”
What they did
The marketing department simply chose 3 or 4 basic products every month that they thought most shoppers would have on their weekly lists. Items included, “favourites and pantry staples like crack-ers, rice, flour, cooking oil, soap, nuts, and chocolate bars.”
Certain iconic brands and products were featured,to great response: “The biggest seller across the country was Kraft Dinner, with nearly eight months’ worth of boxes sold in a single month.”
The discount program continues through the summer and on into fall. Maybe indefinitely. “We can’t wait to see what the next six months hold,” MacIssack enthuses.
Did nobody notice?
I’m sure somebody noticed the monthly discounts on staples and other popular products. Most likely, many somebodys. And those were, I suspect, average folks who don’t join boycotts or rant on social media threads. They just get on with their lives, and enjoy a little budget break when they can get it.
But the social media world and the mainstream news were too focused on the Loblaw’s boycott and associated issues to give the story it’s due.
My take
As I said, at the outset of this post: Mea culpa. No responsible journalist would intentionally ignore a story such as the one we’re catching up on today. That would be patently unethical. But even jour-nalists are, alas, only human.
I, for one, will try to do better in the future…
~ Maggie J.