The problem with Loblaws
This chain is such a sad story to me.
Years ago I did 80% of my grocery shopping with them.
I lived in the inner burbs (north of the Beaches area).
At the time, they were the market leader in what they did (food) in so many ways.
The first major chain to have organics.
The first major chain to carry 'Green' products.
They built stores that had some ambiance to them, relative to their competitors (anyone remember how drab Dominion or IGA/FOOD City used to look in the early 90's?)
They were first to bring back the butcher counter.
The seafood counter.
etc. etc.
*****
Now they've spoiled what they achieved by at best stagnating (not further improving their stores)
At worst they've down right ruined the shopping experience by polluting their stores full of crap that has no remote connection to grocery shopping.
They've added furniture, electronics, clothes etc)
They seem to want to be Walmart.
*** note to Loblaws, this would be fine if this were your NO Frills division, the one meant to go after customers with no taste or who live on a budget)
The Loblaws division was about feeling good about where you shopped.
It was about supporting the most attractive retailer (among big chains) and the one that treated its staff best and was a leader in all things GREEN.
It was guilt-free shopping in a nice store.
Now the RCSS stores are where the union is all but busted and the wages crap (and a manager at local Loblaws I stopped by at metioned that this year he got his first pay hike in 7 years, a whopping 2%)
The staff are grumpy and it shows.
PC Organics no longer adds new products in any meaningful way.
PC Green, 10 years on doesn't have a facial tissue or a dish soap.
The markets look more blah.
The food selection is down.
And my business is gone to Whole Foods.
Shame how they completely misread their customer base.
No one I know ever shopped at Loblaws cause it was cheaper (which seems to be their sole focus these days)
They shopped their because of the stores, the product mix, the innovation.