Loblaw has announced that in their Real Canadian Superstore locations in every province west of Quebec, they will be holding a “No Tax” event to run from Friday April 24^th to Thursday April 30^th. The sale pertains to non-food items such as toys, clothing, patio furniture, etc.

UFCW 247 and other UFCW Locals in Canada have reached out to Loblaw expressing great concern over not just the timing of the sale, but the event in general.

“We are still in a state of Emergency in British Columbia and we feel that asking the public to come out and shop for non-essential items places not just our members, but the general public at a higher level of risk with increased traffic at the stores” said Local 247 President Suzanne Hodge.  

There has been concern over the methods used to limit shoppers in many of our Retail Food chains and we have asked them all, Loblaw included, for more information and clarity on how many customers is too many, and what the formula is to determine how many shoppers are allowed in a store at the same time.

“Some of the companies are physically tracking and monitoring the number of shoppers, and some aren’t. We need to know the limits in these stores so we can ensure itès being enforced and ease the anxiety our members face,” commented Local 247 Secretary Treasurer Dan Goodman. “We are calling on Loblaw to cancel or postpone the sale.”

We would ask all consumers to remember the following safety guidelines and help do their part: 

1. One customer per cart
   Stores are limiting how many people go in and out, bringing extra people makes it harder to physically distance in the stores, and it means others must wait longer to get in. 
    
2. Shop for your friends, family and neighbours
   To keep numbers in stores low, shop for your friends, family and neighbours.
    
3. Don’t ‘hang out’ at the grocery stores every day
   Plan ahead, get what you need and come back in a week or two.
    
4. Follow all Physical Distancing rules
   Keep 2 meters between yourself, other customers, and employees, look on the ground for lines while you are waiting in line.
    
5. Be Kind
   Demanding and bullying will not make items appear out of a backroom when there are none. If it’s not on the shelf, it’s not in stock.