If you’ve been shopping for your medication vitamins and have noticed a difference in prices between Shoppers Drug Mart and other stores, you’re not alone.
Recent posts in the Loblaws Out Of Control Reddit group have some customers calling out Loblaw-owned Shoppers for selling items like emergency contraceptives and Jamieson brand vitamins at much higher prices than Walmart.
One post shows Contingency One (a generic emergency contraceptive) at Shoppers selling for $36.15. At Walmart, the same contraceptive brand costs $14.23.
The individual who posted said both photos were taken on May 26 at nearby stores in Scarborough, Ontario.
Plan B is over 100% more expensive at Shoppers Drug Mart vs Walmart Pharmacy.
byu/HornyPhrog inloblawsisoutofcontrol
A quick check for Contingency One at other stores indicates Shoppers Drug Mart still has significantly higher pricing.
For example, at Rexall, the emergency contraceptive pills are $26.99. BC-based London Drugs doesn’t show results for Contingency One on its website but carries brand-name contraceptive pills Plan B for $34.99.
Folks in the comments expressed their disappointment in the stark price differences.
“Seems to be the case for pretty much everything at shoppers. I went to a Shoppers to buy Nyquil last year and it was almost 30 dollars,” said one Redditor.
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byu/HornyPhrog from discussion
inloblawsisoutofcontrol
“Plan A to Z is to not go to Shoppers…,” joked another.
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byu/HornyPhrog from discussion
inloblawsisoutofcontrol
One fed-up consumer called Shoppers’ pricing “blatant price gouging.”
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byu/HornyPhrog from discussion
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In March, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canadians will soon have access to free contraceptives (including emergency birth control).
British Columbia was the first province in Canada to provide free prescription contraception in April.
Another post in the popular Reddit group highlighted the difference in prices for vitamins at Shoppers and Walmart.
At Shoppers, a bottle of Jamieson brand Vitamin A is $12.49. At Walmart, the same bottle is on sale for $6.37 but sells at $8.77 regular price.
Double the cost
byu/Turbulent-Branch4006 inloblawsisoutofcontrol
“Shoppers seem to be almost double the cost of the competition with this brand,” noted the poster.
We did a few other searches to compare vitamin prices at Shoppers and Walmart, and here’s what we found.
A 90-capsule bottle of Jamieson biotin is $38.49 at Shoppers versus $21.57 at Walmart.
Shoppers Drug Mart | Walmart
Jamieson Vitamin D3 (180 tablets) is $16.99 at Shoppers versus $9.48 at Walmart.
Shoppers Drug Mart | Walmart
Jamieson Vitamin C (1oo tablets) is $24.49 at Shoppers versus $14.97 at Walmart.
Shoppers Drug Mart | Walmart
Have you noticed similar price differences when purchasing your vitamins and medications at different stores like Shoppers or Walmart? Let us know in the comments.
Daily Hive has reached out to Loblaw for further comment.