An economics professor with Sudbury’s Laurentian University says a grocery store chain’s choice to lock up certain cheeses and instructing customers to ask a cashier for assistance is an indication of a broader problem.
Louis-Philippe Rochon says the issue points to a much bigger societal issue than simply trying to deter theft.
The signage, spotted at a Vancouver No Frills store owned by Loblaw, shows the locked up 250g wedges of President’s Choice Splendido Parmigiano-Reggiano and President’s Choice Splendido Grana Padano, priced at $9.99 each.
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“As much as [theft] is a problem for the supermarkets, I think it points to a bigger issue in society, which is the fact that the prices of groceries have gone up by 10 per cent on average or more… People can’t afford to eat… People have to resort to stealing to feed their families,” said Rochon.
The Greater Sudbury Police Service does not have specific numbers on people stealing from grocery stores but notes an overall rise in reported thefts over the past five years. Sarah Kaelas, a spokesperson with the police service, reports the number of thefts under $5,000 was 609 in 2019, but that figure rose to 834 last year.
However, Rochon believes the focus should be on the root causes of these crimes rather than on the acts themselves.
“This is a reflection of deep inequalities and food insecurity. We should not concentrate on shoplifting and theft. These are symptoms. What we should be concentrating on is what causes those.”
He believes rising production costs and supermarkets’ reactions are exacerbating the problem.
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Supermarkets have increased the price of the goods in order to compensate. But there’s also a little bit of greed going on in the supermarkets. The packages have gotten much smaller," said Rochon.
Rochon suggests the government should consider price controls to address these challenges. He says it is easier for the government to introduce such a policy now than it was 30 years ago.
Then the people who are in that situation and don’t have to be are irresponsible. I understand some people are in that situation and can’t avoid it. But there’s a lot of people who live paycheck to paycheck because they buy cigarettes and beer and smartphones and other things that they don’t need but that they want. I’m not against buying the things you want to have in life. What I am against is not having any kind of fallback in case of an emergency because emergencies do happen.
No one:
You: SCREW THE POORS AND THEIR SMARTPHONES
I live on government assistance due to disability so i dont make much and yet i am perfectly capable of saving money every single month. I promise it is doable.
No one:
You: I LIVE ON GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE DUE TO DISABILITY SO I FONT MAKE MUCH AND YET I AM PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF SAVING MONEY EVERY SINGLE MONTH. I PROMISE IT IS DOABLE.
Yep. It’s absolutely poor people’s fault for not being able to save up anything for food and other monthly expenses when the prices of basic items have risen 10%, 20% or more over the last handful of years, because tHeY hAvE a SmArTpHonE!
https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/topics-start/food-price
Gold has kept up. So in gold terms its the same as it was. Inflation is not items getting more expensive its the value of your fiat decreasing. The US dollar haams only existed completely depegged from gold for 53 years and yet has lost almost all its purchasing power in that time frame.
Very helpful advice for anyone who can’t afford food presently and had in the past lived within their means. Saving up beer money for a month could get you, what, 1 gram of gold at best?
Instead of your plan, poor families should have put any extra savings into S&P500 index funds every year, forgoing a smartphone, any celebrations, gestures of good will, and occasional comforts of life (and not to mention any unexpected big expenses) to feed market forces. They’d be in a great spot today for sure.