Gone are the days of 50% off products at Provigo. Parent company Loblaw confirmed this on Monday Newspaper The message from expert Sylvain Charlebois: We will no longer see ugly fruits and vegetables or half-priced baked goods on the shelves.
“More than 19% of consumers searched for these offers,” observes Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytical Sciences Laboratory at Dalhousie University.
“We send people to apply. We protect our margins by waiving the 50% to force them to pay more at the meat counter and at the fruit and vegetable counters,” he analyzes. “It’s weird timing. “That happens after the holidays,” he believes.
At Provigo we will no longer see little pink 50% labels. The discount is now 30%. Photo Francis Halin
Fruits, vegetables, breads, juices… In recent years, many Quebecers have become accustomed to finding certain items at half price at the end of the aisles in order to reduce their grocery bill.
“It makes no sense to put in 50% and take away 30%. This makes me think about portions. They reduced them and raised the price,” Michel Robert, an 80-year-old retiree, denounced the Journal as he left a supermarket on Montreal's south shore.
For Lise Levac, also a customer, this news doesn't bode well for Quebecers' wallets.
“It's a bad idea. I always feel like I'm losing something at the grocery store,” she shared.
“Low impact”
In response to a question from Le Journal on Monday, Loblaw said that about fifty Provigo stores in Quebec would be affected, but downplayed the significance of the decision. Remember that the company is currently converting its Provigo into Maxi.
“It has little impact in Quebec, while this policy change only applies to the remainder of Provigo. In the Maxi Banner's 155 discount stores, discounts have long been at 30%, explained spokeswoman Geneviève Poirier.
New apps
We do not offer a 50% discount for Metro. “Our discount program for short-term consumption products offers a 30% discount on both Metro and Super C,” said Marie-Claude Bacon, vice president of communications.
In recent years, apps like FlashFood (Provigo, Maxi) and FoodHero (IGA and Metro) have started offering products close to expiration (or products frozen close to it) at 30%, 50%, or sometimes even 60% off.
However, not everyone sits on the phone looking for bargains.
Can you share information about this story?
Write to us or call us directly at 1 800-63SCOOP.