A pensioner from Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts is angry at the big grocery chains that only offer certain discounts to customers with smartphones.
• Also read: Loyalty programs: Discounts perceived as “discriminatory” by customers in grocery stores
“I’m not a techie. I still have a flip phone and will not switch devices and double or triple the cost of my package to have the free Friday item at Metro,” says Max Roujeon.
The 76-year-old retiree is referring to the Quebec supermarket chain’s “Free Fridays” campaign. Moi loyalty program members can then benefit from a free item if they have the Metro app on their phone.
- Listen to the column by Florence Lamoureux, research journalist QUB radio :
Super-C stores, also owned by Metro, encourage customers to present the application at checkout to “receive a variety of exclusive discount coupons.”
At IGA, the application supplied with the Scene+ program is “a gateway to exclusive offers”.
“It frustrates me. It’s restrictive and discriminatory. It’s easy to get their plastic cards, even I can do it. But it’s not possible with the other foundries,” says Mr. Roujeon.
According to NETendances’ latest Digital Portrait of Quebec Households, this “Gugussserie” excludes at least one in five Quebec adults.
In fact, according to the report published in January 2023, 83% of adults own a smartphone, the same as those who own a computer.
- Listen to the interview with Sylvie De Bellefeuille, lawyer and budget consultant at Option Consommateurs, on Marie Montpetit’s show QUB radio :
Not just seniors
It’s not just a few seniors who are left out with this corporate policy.
“Disadvantaged people may not have the means for a smart mobile device if they needed these discounts even more,” says the FADOQ network, whose mission is to represent people aged 50 and over.
Whether they’re the less fortunate or the eldest, “It’s a shame that a company decides to change the way they operate by leaving out a portion of their clientele.”
“The transition to digitization is inevitable, but we must not leave anyone behind,” warns the Réseau FADOQ.
Grocers insist on free loyalty programs and mobile apps. “We have to find a way to reach people in the best possible way,” said Michel Rochette, President of the Retail Council of Canada (RCCC) for Quebec.
The CCCD is aware that there is a “digital divide” and “therefore circulars are still used and useful”.
The message to those who don’t own a smartphone is clear: you’re left with the retailer’s promotional flyer.
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