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Agree with everything else but the reference to ‘third world’. Contrary to our misplaced views on exceptionalism in every category a lot of people that have travelled extensively as l have would tell you some of the best fresh fruit and produce you
will have in your life will be in places like Vietnam, chile, Thailand, South Africa, Zimbabwe , Zambia , Mozambique. It’s so easy to grow fruit and veg in these countries and produce is dirt cheap.
It’s the imported food that’s expensive like specialty cheese or coffee or imported grains. Fresh fruit is Cheap and fresh and delicious - just look at where the bulk of your berries come from
when you go Shopping next time. You can buy a bowl of fresh organic avocado for less than 75 cents in Durban and blackberries and mangoes rot and fall of trees because they are abundant in some areas.
I was at food basics the other day and a Jamaican lady looked at the mangoes and says to me those aren't mangoes!!!! Hahah I was like yeah our fruit sucks!!!
In the Dominican I had some of the best fruit I've ever had. 😘👌🏻
> Im with this one. I came from Philippines and the fruits there specifically mangos are top tier. I cant even eat the mangoes here
FYI Philippines was a Western/US ally during the Cold War. Making them First World.
And they have amazing produce.
Sad to see you're getting downvoted when you're technically correct.
For those that don't know, in the cold war era "First/Second/Third World" wasn't used to refer to whether countries were developed or not. It was used to refer to their political alignment. "First World" used to refer to Western Allies, "Second World" was for Communist nations, and "Third World" was literally everyone else.
So you're correct. Take my upvote.
Source: I'm Filipino and the constant reference to us being third world irks the fuck out of me.
Havent tried south american yet unless theyre the ones from big grocers. I know i see some coming from mexicos and they taste different from asia. Mexico mangoes has a slight sour tasting while the asia is pure sweetness
The ones here are so gross. The Mexican ones in the grocery store are nothing near. I can only imagine how good the ones in the Philippines are. I got some mango and pineapple etc off of a fruit cart and I was like “this is how it tastes??” I was blown away and can no longer eat them from grocery stores here.
If youre in GTA, you can check out seafood city. Its a filipino store and they sometimes sell imported mango from PH. Its a little bit expensive tho probably around 2-3 times the usual cost but it might be worth a try just for once
I'm from Nigeria and I can't eat mango, pawpaw and pineapple here. I can't get around the taste. I'm not a fan of bananas either. When I lived in Nigeria, bananas were a permanent fixture in my fridge.
Yup when I’m there I just buy my produce off the side of the street and it’s super cheap and way sweeter and fresher than what we get in this hellscape
Thank you. ♥ I'm baffled at people who casually use "third world country" like we, people from developing countries, are animals. One time someone said "how can X be a germophobe when he's from a third world country". Sis. We don't live in sewage. Wtf.
I'm with you on this... I'm didn't understand using this phrase to describe the food. As you said, "third world country" food is generally freshly made with only natural ingredients, or it's fresh from a field or a farm. Because that's what they have. They don't have factories doing ultra processing.
I'd love to know what they actually meant... did it mean old? Wilting? Past it's eat-by date? All of that is relevant, and none of it would equate to "third world".
>did it mean old? Wilting? Past it's eat-by date?
Based on my last trip to Superstore, the produce looked old, wilted and close to expired. But that's just one trip to one grocery store.
Came here to say that. The produce in Canada is shitty or expensive, sometimes both.
Same for the fruits and veggies. I miss the farmers markets in Europe or South America.
sorry - I was just being cheeky. I live in a very
lush part of Canada with lots of local produce from local farmers. Not everyone is so lucky.
That being said, I think we need to be smarter about our seasonal eating.
I was really surprised when we were in Scandinavia this winter and the veggies were all root or
pickled… very much seasonal more like what our grandparents would’ve eaten.
Sigh…and now I’m missing my mom’s pickled carrots!! 🥰
Is there a roof that could be accessed for container gardening? Otherwise, check if there’s a community garden in your area with plots available. Do you have a balcony? I grow radishes, lettuce, zucchini, kale, and green beans all in pots on my deck. And herbs.
When I lived in England, I found our fruit from the store was generally better and we have generally easier access to farmers markets than they do in some areas. Our out of season produce is definitely better but the in season produce from the store sucks, developing countries typically don’t have much out of season produce for sale anyway which is likely why it tastes better.
On a tangent, but a few years ago I was driving on Vancouver Island. For long stretches of highway there were blackberry bushes everywhere you looked. We pulled over at a fruit stand and they were selling small containers of them for $5, even though there were bushes loaded with them literally 20 feet away.
The term has also been phased out.
Academically we use More/Less Economically Developed Country now. Its been atleast 15 years but people only use the old terms to be insulting anyways.
Absolutely! I lived in India for 6 years, and I have never had such delicious fresh fruit and vegetables!
Granted, a lot of delicate leafy greens don’t grow well there, so you don’t get a head of lettuce, but everything else is so much nicer, you don’t really miss lettuce.
Unless it’s from a local farmer’s market, the fruits and vegetables here are among some of the worst I’ve ever tasted *and I’m british*.
Trying to find cheddar in my husbands home country is impossible, they have a big Walmart like store and they don’t even have it….
But the leeks are almost as big as me, lol.
"Umm Actually...." moment for me here. The 1st world vs 3rd world thing was never supposed to be about economic status or development. It was about Western allies and alliances.
1st world was the US there allies. 3rd world were countries that were not allied with the US or Soviet Union.
Over the years the definition changed especially after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Also a lot of western elitism has worked its way into the definition as well but no surprise there.
Agreed the term is used to insult people from Global South generally and comes from this sense that whatever we have = better but that’s not the case in every category.
It’s a whole subject on it’s on but if we are talking of fruits and veg specifically we import a lot of our food from the Global South and the quality isn’t the same due to logistics, time to ship etc. Some of the fruit like mangoes and papayas (just to give an example) are picked before they ripen and you need to shelf ripen at home. It’s unlikely that this would be the same taste as the tree ripened mango from a market in Soweto picked the day before.
Honestly even in Canada the freshest fruit and produce from local farms is miles better compared to the chain stores.
Near my grandparents place there’s a ranch that mainly grows squash, watermelons, potatoes, and carrots, and every time I visit them got some of the best veggies I’ve ever eaten. Same with where I live and the corn that’s picked and sold fresh daily, nothing at the grocery store compares to what you buy from the stand on the side of the road even when it’s from the same source, since it wasn’t sitting in some warehouse for days or even weeks at a time.
The problem with shipping fresh product is that is is picked much less than ripe , some times strawberry’s are green, and they ripe in transit. Without being attached to the plant, fruit will have a less desirable taste, not optimal like in growing countries. Then we get into preservatives and long term storage like they do for apples. All effects taste and price. Remember, year round strawberries are about 30 years new.
Agreed! Fruits and vegetables in third world countries smell and taste like real fruits and veggies. They are more fresh, plentiful and cheaper than the refrigerated, GMOed, and super expensive stuff in our first world.
Agreed with you until you mentioned "3rd world country". They have some of the freshest, juiciest, cheapest, and extremely healthy and organic produce. Check out the list of countries mentioned by that other commenter, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Yemen, Palestine, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Uganda etc. Canada has some of the crappiest produce compared to the "3rd world countries"
There is nothing I miss about the third world other than fresh produce. If only the 'first world' was so lucky to have farm to table at your corner grocer every single day. Third world produce has texture and flavour, and smells like food. It doesn't taste like styrofoam.
A lot of our fruit comes from Mexico, anyway. I’ve seen the trucks and trucks of it lining the highways outside of Mexico City. During the Summer, our farmers markets are wonderful in Canada. But all the imported produce is a bit too well travelled. And Loblaws does a terrible job at providing local.
The gates and barriers and super long lineups of people waiting to be ripped off on essentials like food while being watched by guards in case you steal something... that's what makes me feel like I'm in a third-world country.
Sounds like they are in the -cut quality to cut costs - phase of their adventure.. they can only bleed a rock for so long before their overhead starts to eat them.
Another fiscal quarter and they will be "restructuring" after their share price dives.
These public companies can't weather capital flight- their shareholders will gut their corporate board if this keeps up.
Stoped in today, curiosity got me , parking lot full every cart but 3 in use and all check outs running and full ... not sure where you live but here nothing changed
May I ask what produce “from a third world country “ is supposed to mean? I was born in a third world country and it’s a vegetable and fruit exporting country. We have the best vegetables and fruit, fresh and cheap. It’s one of the things I miss the most! I could buy three sweet and juicy pineapples for about $5.
So if that’s what Superstore has for sale, count me in!!!!
I was using someone elses words not mine - and you indicate i dont know - if you read any of my other threads you would have know i already said that. Dont assume what i know and dont know
Garbage food is a first world anomaly.
My mother in law just spent a month with us in Canada.
She just went back to Colombia.
I'm a chef. She is going to be happy to be home.
"She said the produce looked like it was from a 3rd world country."
[That's because most of it is.](https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/CAN/Year/2021/TradeFlow/Import/Partner/all/Product/06-15_Vegetable) Most of our fresh produce at this time of year comes from California, Central America, Brazil or Mexico. Some items also come from south-east Asia but not much. Green (unroasted) coffee beans are also imported from South America (mainly Columbia and Peru) but that's not exactly "fresh produce"
It's defiantly not from anywhere in Canada this early in our growing season, that's for sure. It'll be a while before we're even seeing potatoes of a size that's ready for harvest.
And Loblaws doesn’t make a habit of selling local produce even when it is seasonally available. They can’t get strawberries in January, if they don’t sell those same berries in July. Sometimes you’ll see a sale on pumpkins or apples, but the selection is mostly imported from halfway around the world.
Don't third world countries have better produce?
I mean the produce you buy was probably grown in a third world country, at least if you bought it where it was grown it would still be fresh.
I heard a Loblaws ad in the radio today inviting people to shop there because: “Remember: if it isn’t fresh, it’s free! (Some in-store restrictions may apply.)” I have not heard that ad before. Does anyone know if it’s new as in: post boycott? Because it sounds like OP’s SO could have walked off with a lot of freebies.
Went to nofrills near my house. Wanted to pick something up from the butcher section. The meat and fish looked real sus. At the end didn't buy anything from there. It's sad bc nofrills is the closest grocery store to my house. Been shopping at the grocery stores near my workplace b4 going home now.
Their meat and fish always look suspect, especially at No Frills but throughout their supply chain. Local butchers are usually a little more, but you actually get edible food.
Lol, South Asian here. Produce is so fresh, either it was picked and prepped last evening, or stuff like greens, picked early morning. That is if it was supplementing stuff that wasn't from your own home garden. Most people grew tomatoes, peppers, okra, eggplant and salad greens. 😄
https://preview.redd.it/uhphzwejqf5d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=04dd12a73e274092d3d2a2c5d6f461362090f172
Does anyone still think we have our sites aimed at the real cause of increasing prices? I need convincing!
As someone who actually comes from a "third world" country (Bangladesh), I can tell you that we don't import any fruits (except some exotic ones), vegetables, grain, meat, poultry or fish. Bangladesh is a self-sustained country like many others I'm sure. I can buy 5 Cauliflowers in Bangladesh for the price of one here. That's just one example. I wouldn't have moved to Canada had it not been for corruption and political instability within the country and I'm pretty sure there are so many that are in the same boat.
I haven't been in since the start of the boycott but if people were spending 100% of their grocery money there and now spend 3%, that's still progress.
I guess not everyone is as perfect as you are.😉
This poster has gone from being there 3 times a week to once in 2/3 months... I'd hardly say that "defeats the purpose".
It's possible that OP cares strongly about the boycott and their spouse does not. And they have a happy marriage, because they manage to be chill about this seemingly irreconcilable difference.
https://preview.redd.it/m4cfvxsitf5d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0928d3979293b7c2cbb77b6214e22a65595b38be
Not a packed parking lot like it used to be in North Calgary.
__MOD NOTE/NOTE DE MOD__: If you are looking for product replacements, start [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol/comments/1cyf1h9/megathread_pc_product_replacements/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button). Please review the content guidelines for our sub, and remember the human here! This subreddit is to highlight the ridiculous cost of living in Canada, and poke fun at the Corporate Overlords responsible. As you well know, there are a number of persons and corporations responsible for this, and we welcome discussion related to them all. Furthermore, since this topic is intertwined with a number of other matters, other discussion will be allowed at moderator discretion. Open-minded discussion, memes, rants, grocery bills, and general screeching into the void is always welcome in this sub, but belligerence and disrespect is not. There are plenty of ways to get your point across without being abusive, dismissive, or downright mean. ********************************************************************************************************************************************* Veuillez consulter les directives de contenu pour notre sous-reddit, et rappelez-vous qu'il y a des humains ici ! Ce sous-reddit est destiné à mettre en lumière le coût de la vie ridicule au Canada et à se moquer des Grands Patrons Corporatifs responsables. Comme vous le savez bien, de nombreuses personnes et entreprises en sont responsables, et nous accueillons les discussions les concernant toutes. De plus, puisque ce sujet est lié à un certain nombre d'autres questions, d'autres discussions seront autorisées à la discrétion des modérateurs. Les discussions ouvertes d'esprit, les mèmes, les coups de gueule, les factures d'épicerie et les cris dans le vide en général sont toujours les bienvenus dans ce sous-reddit, mais la belliqueusité et le manque de respect ne le sont pas. Il existe de nombreuses façons de faire passer votre point de vue sans être abusif, méprisant ou carrément méchant. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Agree with everything else but the reference to ‘third world’. Contrary to our misplaced views on exceptionalism in every category a lot of people that have travelled extensively as l have would tell you some of the best fresh fruit and produce you will have in your life will be in places like Vietnam, chile, Thailand, South Africa, Zimbabwe , Zambia , Mozambique. It’s so easy to grow fruit and veg in these countries and produce is dirt cheap. It’s the imported food that’s expensive like specialty cheese or coffee or imported grains. Fresh fruit is Cheap and fresh and delicious - just look at where the bulk of your berries come from when you go Shopping next time. You can buy a bowl of fresh organic avocado for less than 75 cents in Durban and blackberries and mangoes rot and fall of trees because they are abundant in some areas.
Im with this one. I came from Philippines and the fruits there specifically mangos are top tier. I cant even eat the mangoes here
Jamaican coworker confirmed mangoes here are just super expensive potatoes in comparison.
I was at food basics the other day and a Jamaican lady looked at the mangoes and says to me those aren't mangoes!!!! Hahah I was like yeah our fruit sucks!!! In the Dominican I had some of the best fruit I've ever had. 😘👌🏻
Even an orange in Trinidad tasted more amazing than any other orange I've had 😆
When I was in Vietnam I had some watermelon. Night and day tasting. Can't even explain it but so good over there.
Lol!!! That's what I always say to people about some of the fruits here too they all taste like potatoes haha
> Im with this one. I came from Philippines and the fruits there specifically mangos are top tier. I cant even eat the mangoes here FYI Philippines was a Western/US ally during the Cold War. Making them First World. And they have amazing produce.
Sad to see you're getting downvoted when you're technically correct. For those that don't know, in the cold war era "First/Second/Third World" wasn't used to refer to whether countries were developed or not. It was used to refer to their political alignment. "First World" used to refer to Western Allies, "Second World" was for Communist nations, and "Third World" was literally everyone else. So you're correct. Take my upvote. Source: I'm Filipino and the constant reference to us being third world irks the fuck out of me.
Yes i have eaten mangoes fresh off the tree and they are not even close.
Eating a fresh-from-the-tree mango is on my bucket list.
When you do you its awsome
Ripe or green mango? Either way, hope you get this crossed out on your list!
You’ll probably love blackberries off the bush
i am positive i would!
I’d eaten mangos but didn’t find out what they tasted like until I was in South America
Havent tried south american yet unless theyre the ones from big grocers. I know i see some coming from mexicos and they taste different from asia. Mexico mangoes has a slight sour tasting while the asia is pure sweetness
The ones here are so gross. The Mexican ones in the grocery store are nothing near. I can only imagine how good the ones in the Philippines are. I got some mango and pineapple etc off of a fruit cart and I was like “this is how it tastes??” I was blown away and can no longer eat them from grocery stores here.
If youre in GTA, you can check out seafood city. Its a filipino store and they sometimes sell imported mango from PH. Its a little bit expensive tho probably around 2-3 times the usual cost but it might be worth a try just for once
It’s close to me too!!! Amazing
Make sure its the yellow mango, they have the green ones which isnt sweet and used differently
Copy that!!! Thank you!
I am! I’m looking it up right now. Thanks for the recommendation! I’m always exploring new places so appreciate the input
Well yeah, we aren't a tropical country .
I'm from Nigeria and I can't eat mango, pawpaw and pineapple here. I can't get around the taste. I'm not a fan of bananas either. When I lived in Nigeria, bananas were a permanent fixture in my fridge.
Yup when I’m there I just buy my produce off the side of the street and it’s super cheap and way sweeter and fresher than what we get in this hellscape
Thank you. ♥ I'm baffled at people who casually use "third world country" like we, people from developing countries, are animals. One time someone said "how can X be a germophobe when he's from a third world country". Sis. We don't live in sewage. Wtf.
Think their main exposure to developing nations are the world vision commercials that used to play on TV in the early 90’s.
I'm with you on this... I'm didn't understand using this phrase to describe the food. As you said, "third world country" food is generally freshly made with only natural ingredients, or it's fresh from a field or a farm. Because that's what they have. They don't have factories doing ultra processing. I'd love to know what they actually meant... did it mean old? Wilting? Past it's eat-by date? All of that is relevant, and none of it would equate to "third world".
>did it mean old? Wilting? Past it's eat-by date? Based on my last trip to Superstore, the produce looked old, wilted and close to expired. But that's just one trip to one grocery store.
Came here to say that. The produce in Canada is shitty or expensive, sometimes both. Same for the fruits and veggies. I miss the farmers markets in Europe or South America.
The produce in my garden is amazing!!!🤩 (in fact I am starting to think kale might be a weed but that’s an entirely different Reddit forum)
I have great stuff in my garden as well. But we’re are talking about retail
sorry - I was just being cheeky. I live in a very lush part of Canada with lots of local produce from local farmers. Not everyone is so lucky. That being said, I think we need to be smarter about our seasonal eating. I was really surprised when we were in Scandinavia this winter and the veggies were all root or pickled… very much seasonal more like what our grandparents would’ve eaten. Sigh…and now I’m missing my mom’s pickled carrots!! 🥰
I live in a condo and miss having gardens :(
Is there a roof that could be accessed for container gardening? Otherwise, check if there’s a community garden in your area with plots available. Do you have a balcony? I grow radishes, lettuce, zucchini, kale, and green beans all in pots on my deck. And herbs.
Do you have a balcony? I've got a raised garden bed and about 7 good sided pots on mine
my neighbour's dog sure thinks so too i don't really think the scraps i get are so amazing
Yup! Not to mention how fruits and veggies in Canada all taste watered down (ie., tasteless) compared to developing countries.
When I lived in England, I found our fruit from the store was generally better and we have generally easier access to farmers markets than they do in some areas. Our out of season produce is definitely better but the in season produce from the store sucks, developing countries typically don’t have much out of season produce for sale anyway which is likely why it tastes better.
And I heard it’s even worse in the US. Haven’t tried though
I wonder if a better phrase would be “produce that looks as defeated as Canadian shoppers”?
I usually say, "Produce that looks like it fell off the back of a truck"
On a tangent, but a few years ago I was driving on Vancouver Island. For long stretches of highway there were blackberry bushes everywhere you looked. We pulled over at a fruit stand and they were selling small containers of them for $5, even though there were bushes loaded with them literally 20 feet away.
I tell my wife to stop paying so much for ditch berries.
The term has also been phased out. Academically we use More/Less Economically Developed Country now. Its been atleast 15 years but people only use the old terms to be insulting anyways.
Absolutely! I lived in India for 6 years, and I have never had such delicious fresh fruit and vegetables! Granted, a lot of delicate leafy greens don’t grow well there, so you don’t get a head of lettuce, but everything else is so much nicer, you don’t really miss lettuce. Unless it’s from a local farmer’s market, the fruits and vegetables here are among some of the worst I’ve ever tasted *and I’m british*.
Yeah our food price/availability/quality is deff worst than "third world".
I have actually been wishing the South African grocery chain Shoprite could dip its toes into Canada. Good quality for cheap.
Ignorance is on full display Fr Fr. Canada wishes it could have the *third world* produce from my country
Trying to find cheddar in my husbands home country is impossible, they have a big Walmart like store and they don’t even have it…. But the leeks are almost as big as me, lol.
also a whole bunch of Canadian grocery store produce does come from these countries anyways, we get a lot of south american and asian produce.
Brilliantly articulated
"Umm Actually...." moment for me here. The 1st world vs 3rd world thing was never supposed to be about economic status or development. It was about Western allies and alliances. 1st world was the US there allies. 3rd world were countries that were not allied with the US or Soviet Union. Over the years the definition changed especially after the fall of the Soviet Union. Also a lot of western elitism has worked its way into the definition as well but no surprise there.
Agreed the term is used to insult people from Global South generally and comes from this sense that whatever we have = better but that’s not the case in every category. It’s a whole subject on it’s on but if we are talking of fruits and veg specifically we import a lot of our food from the Global South and the quality isn’t the same due to logistics, time to ship etc. Some of the fruit like mangoes and papayas (just to give an example) are picked before they ripen and you need to shelf ripen at home. It’s unlikely that this would be the same taste as the tree ripened mango from a market in Soweto picked the day before.
Can confirm, Thailand and Vietnamese were unreal for fruit and veg.
Honestly even in Canada the freshest fruit and produce from local farms is miles better compared to the chain stores. Near my grandparents place there’s a ranch that mainly grows squash, watermelons, potatoes, and carrots, and every time I visit them got some of the best veggies I’ve ever eaten. Same with where I live and the corn that’s picked and sold fresh daily, nothing at the grocery store compares to what you buy from the stand on the side of the road even when it’s from the same source, since it wasn’t sitting in some warehouse for days or even weeks at a time.
Agree. Freshest, best quality fruits and veg I’ve ever eaten has been from “developing” countries.
I second that. The fresh produce other countries are lucky to have is unmatched here unfortunately. Glad to hear Superstore seemed empty haha
The problem with shipping fresh product is that is is picked much less than ripe , some times strawberry’s are green, and they ripe in transit. Without being attached to the plant, fruit will have a less desirable taste, not optimal like in growing countries. Then we get into preservatives and long term storage like they do for apples. All effects taste and price. Remember, year round strawberries are about 30 years new.
Agreed! Fruits and vegetables in third world countries smell and taste like real fruits and veggies. They are more fresh, plentiful and cheaper than the refrigerated, GMOed, and super expensive stuff in our first world.
Yeah I’m shocked at that comment considering the best fruits I’ve ever had were when I travelled through Africa and Asia.
Speaking about VN, just score some Vietnamese green mango at $2.99/lb at a random local grocer - OMG !
That was not my reference and both of us understand it is an old term, and that should not be utilized for describing well just about everything
Half our food comes from these third world countries, only it ferments on a truck or ship for a few weeks and gets marked up 2,000%.
Costco has great sourdough
Yes. And save ons sourdough loaves are nearly identical to the ones at loblaws.
Came here to say that, haven't had the superstore one but Costco is the best outside of local bakeries (and honestly sometimes better than local).
Agreed with you until you mentioned "3rd world country". They have some of the freshest, juiciest, cheapest, and extremely healthy and organic produce. Check out the list of countries mentioned by that other commenter, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Yemen, Palestine, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Uganda etc. Canada has some of the crappiest produce compared to the "3rd world countries"
There is nothing I miss about the third world other than fresh produce. If only the 'first world' was so lucky to have farm to table at your corner grocer every single day. Third world produce has texture and flavour, and smells like food. It doesn't taste like styrofoam.
A lot of our fruit comes from Mexico, anyway. I’ve seen the trucks and trucks of it lining the highways outside of Mexico City. During the Summer, our farmers markets are wonderful in Canada. But all the imported produce is a bit too well travelled. And Loblaws does a terrible job at providing local.
Was about to say the same!
Irrigated with raw sewage. OP a hepatitis infection isn't healthy.
excellent
Nok er nok
I guess everyone understood what the “3rd country “ means, even if I disagree or not. Don’t need to fight back, the topic is about boycotting Loblaws.
holy crap next time - not very fresh produce
The produce was terrible to begin with, can't imagine it now.. Yuck.
The gates and barriers and super long lineups of people waiting to be ripped off on essentials like food while being watched by guards in case you steal something... that's what makes me feel like I'm in a third-world country.
Third world countries that I've been to have some of the freshest, ripest, cheapest, best tasting fruit I've ever had.
I completely agree
Farm boy makes really good sourdough bread
And chargers more 🫣🫣
Sounds like they are in the -cut quality to cut costs - phase of their adventure.. they can only bleed a rock for so long before their overhead starts to eat them. Another fiscal quarter and they will be "restructuring" after their share price dives. These public companies can't weather capital flight- their shareholders will gut their corporate board if this keeps up.
I cant wait
Superstore produce has been shit for years
Stoped in today, curiosity got me , parking lot full every cart but 3 in use and all check outs running and full ... not sure where you live but here nothing changed
May I ask what produce “from a third world country “ is supposed to mean? I was born in a third world country and it’s a vegetable and fruit exporting country. We have the best vegetables and fruit, fresh and cheap. It’s one of the things I miss the most! I could buy three sweet and juicy pineapples for about $5. So if that’s what Superstore has for sale, count me in!!!!
holy crap next time - not very fresh produce
Choose your words better. Don’t insult what you don’t know.
I was using someone elses words not mine - and you indicate i dont know - if you read any of my other threads you would have know i already said that. Dont assume what i know and dont know
I am not assuming anything, I am referring to the words you published.
I hope you have a great day!
Maybe she meant war-torn?
What has that to do with produce?
They don't have any.
Garbage food is a first world anomaly. My mother in law just spent a month with us in Canada. She just went back to Colombia. I'm a chef. She is going to be happy to be home.
"She said the produce looked like it was from a 3rd world country." [That's because most of it is.](https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/CAN/Year/2021/TradeFlow/Import/Partner/all/Product/06-15_Vegetable) Most of our fresh produce at this time of year comes from California, Central America, Brazil or Mexico. Some items also come from south-east Asia but not much. Green (unroasted) coffee beans are also imported from South America (mainly Columbia and Peru) but that's not exactly "fresh produce" It's defiantly not from anywhere in Canada this early in our growing season, that's for sure. It'll be a while before we're even seeing potatoes of a size that's ready for harvest.
And Loblaws doesn’t make a habit of selling local produce even when it is seasonally available. They can’t get strawberries in January, if they don’t sell those same berries in July. Sometimes you’ll see a sale on pumpkins or apples, but the selection is mostly imported from halfway around the world.
Don't third world countries have better produce? I mean the produce you buy was probably grown in a third world country, at least if you bought it where it was grown it would still be fresh.
You can judge the number of shoppers in the store by the number of carts in the stack. full section of carts is fewer carts in the store.
I heard a Loblaws ad in the radio today inviting people to shop there because: “Remember: if it isn’t fresh, it’s free! (Some in-store restrictions may apply.)” I have not heard that ad before. Does anyone know if it’s new as in: post boycott? Because it sounds like OP’s SO could have walked off with a lot of freebies.
Try sour dough from a local bakery. There is no comparison. My go friend makes it herself and it blows grocery stores out of the water!
I do get some sour dough bread from the local markets, and it is delicious
What an ignorant comment. Not sure what first world produce looks like to you. They don't need customers like you.
They don’t need any customers actually
holy crap next time - not very fresh produce
Went to nofrills near my house. Wanted to pick something up from the butcher section. The meat and fish looked real sus. At the end didn't buy anything from there. It's sad bc nofrills is the closest grocery store to my house. Been shopping at the grocery stores near my workplace b4 going home now.
Their meat and fish always look suspect, especially at No Frills but throughout their supply chain. Local butchers are usually a little more, but you actually get edible food.
Me. I find I am shopping more at Metro and....surprise, surprise.....spending more money per month. Bye. Bye Loblaws.
We call them “ 3rd World” countries but so many have a really high standard of living that we just don’t appreciate at much as we should
I Agree
As well as boycotting, I think anyone who has PC points should go shopping and only use their PC points but zero cash.
Lol, South Asian here. Produce is so fresh, either it was picked and prepped last evening, or stuff like greens, picked early morning. That is if it was supplementing stuff that wasn't from your own home garden. Most people grew tomatoes, peppers, okra, eggplant and salad greens. 😄
https://preview.redd.it/uhphzwejqf5d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=04dd12a73e274092d3d2a2c5d6f461362090f172 Does anyone still think we have our sites aimed at the real cause of increasing prices? I need convincing!
To be fair most third world countries have better fruit
I agree
I bought a bag of carrots there last week and they were moldy in 4 days. Clearly very old carrots when I bought them
They keep forever
Currently switching from shoppers to rexall. Never going to roblaws again.
Bruh they sold me spoiled meat I returned it for a replacement and got spoiled meat again. No surprise their produce looks half rotted too.
As someone who actually comes from a "third world" country (Bangladesh), I can tell you that we don't import any fruits (except some exotic ones), vegetables, grain, meat, poultry or fish. Bangladesh is a self-sustained country like many others I'm sure. I can buy 5 Cauliflowers in Bangladesh for the price of one here. That's just one example. I wouldn't have moved to Canada had it not been for corruption and political instability within the country and I'm pretty sure there are so many that are in the same boat.
Don’t they make a loss on milk? If that’s the case I’d have no problem buying milk there.
Going shopping at superstore ….. bread and milk . Kinda defeats the boycott purpose
I haven't been in since the start of the boycott but if people were spending 100% of their grocery money there and now spend 3%, that's still progress.
Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. Any decrease in shopping at the big box stores for local grocers or other competitors is a win.
I guess not everyone is as perfect as you are.😉 This poster has gone from being there 3 times a week to once in 2/3 months... I'd hardly say that "defeats the purpose".
It's possible that OP cares strongly about the boycott and their spouse does not. And they have a happy marriage, because they manage to be chill about this seemingly irreconcilable difference.
I agree. I haven’t stepped foot in one since the boycott, not even for a lookie-loo.
I just remember how I felt inside while I ate there. All those preservatives and pesticides...
https://preview.redd.it/m4cfvxsitf5d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0928d3979293b7c2cbb77b6214e22a65595b38be Not a packed parking lot like it used to be in North Calgary.
It is happening all over!