Canadians aren’t too happy with the quality of discounted groceries at No Frills.
In a recent post on Reddit, user herec0mesthesun_ shared a photo of piles of products that were 30 to 50% off at the discount supermarket chain.
“Maybe they would not have so much waste if they sold these at reasonable prices 🙄” reads the caption.
“Even the 50% off in produce isn’t worth it because they’re either moldy, slimy or just rotten and stinky. 🤢” they added.
Earlier this year, Loblaw came under fire after it scrapped its 50% discount on expiring items.
The grocery giant — which owns No Frills, the Real Canadian Superstore, Valu-Mart, and Zehrs — announced in January that it would reduce its 50% offer to 30% at stores nationwide.
It was immediately met with uproar from Canadians as they struggled with the soaring cost of living.
The backlash actually worked as, days later, the company decided to bring back the discount.
“We’ve listened to the feedback from our customers and colleagues and are reverting (where it existed before) to the 50% off discounts,” the grocery giant told Daily Hive in an email in January.
Now, shoppers seem to think the discount isn’t enough, claiming that many of the products are not only nearing expiry but have gone completely bad.
“My favourite part was picking up the cucumbers from this discount rack just to have them liquefy in my hand. 🥰” reads one reaction to the No Frills Reddit post.
“Even at 50% off, the prices are too high,” commented another.
“They’d rather sell garbage than lower prices,” another user said.
One shopper says at least those products are marked down.
“The rotten stuff in my city is sold for full price. They just try to shift it in the bins so it isn’t noticeable. Sometimes they don’t even bother doing that,” reads the comment.
Another person reminded customers of Loblaw’s new policy that promises customers if the grocer’s produce isn’t fresh, “it’s free.”
The “Fresh Promise” policy applies to any fresh produce item purchased in-store or online at Loblaws, Independent, Valu-mart, and Zehrs locations.
Loblaw says that produce customers aren’t satisfied with will be replaced with an identical item or, at its discretion, “a comparable item” within seven days.
It’s not clear if this applies to already discounted items. Daily Hive has contacted the grocer for comment and clarification.
This isn’t the first time shoppers have complained about “rotten” food at Loblaw-owned stores. Recently, more customers have been sharing photos of mouldy and expired food being sold by the grocery giant.