Business
The grocery price freeze is over — so brace yourself for even bigger food bills soon
The holiday price freeze put in place by some of Canada’s biggest grocery chains has hit its expiry date, so shoppers should brace themselves for news that could be hard to swallow: get ready for your food bill to go up. By a lot. Again.
Loblaws made headlines last fall when it announced it would freeze prices on hundreds of its in-house No Name brand through the holiday season. The grocery chain pitched the plan as a salvo for cost-conscious shoppers hit hard by high inflation, but people in the industry quickly panned it as little more than a publicity stunt, since grocery chains typically implement similar price freezes over that period, refusing to accept any price hikes from their suppliers during the critical shopping season.
- Have a question about the rising cost of food or personal stories to share? Email: ask@cbc.ca or join us live in the comments now.
Loblaws pledged in October that No Name-branded grocery staples wouldn’t see price increases until the end of January at least. It’s now February, and the chain told CBC News in a statement this week that it plans to keep prices where they are “wherever possible” but warned that many prices may well go up in the coming weeks.
“Once the price freeze ends, customers can expect some prices may increase, but as mentioned originally, we will continue to hold most of our No Name prices flat,” spokesperson Catherine Thomas said. “The cost to stock our shelves has gone up, month after month.”
Montreal-based chain Metro sang a similar tune at its annual general meeting last month, with CEO Eric La Flèche telling reporters that the chain had received more than 27,000 requests from its suppliers last year to raise prices by more than 10 per cent. That’s more than three times the normal level.
“There are cost increases coming, and we expect that some of these cost increases will be reflected at retail,” he told reporters at a media briefing on Jan. 24. “We are going to do our best to make sure that price increases are gradual and progressive to protect prices as much as possible [but] unfortunately, inflation is continuing.”
Frito-Lay hiking prices in Canada by 10%
Snack giant Frito-Lay is among those upping the pressure. The U.S. company, which is owned by Pepsi, has raised the prices on its products in Canada by 10 per cent, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers.
Spokesperson Gary Sands told CBC News in a statement that though he doesn’t speak for major chains like Metro, Loblaws and Halifax-based Sobey’s, the nearly 7,000 small businesses the group represents are in no position to swallow that cost increase.
“If you are an independent grocer on very tight margins, around two per cent, and you get handed double-digit increases in any product, you have no choice but to pass it on,” he said.
Shoppers like Palaash Tiwari know all too well that prices keep going up. Shopping for food in Toronto on Wednesday, Tiwari told CBC News that he’s made major changes to his diet in recent months, like buying less and cheaper types of meat, trying to save money where he can. He’s also basically stopped going out to restaurants because of the prohibitive cost.
“People have to make choices on what they want to consume,” he said. “People need to find their own alternative.”
Major grocery chains say shoppers should expect even higher prices for food in the coming weeks. Shoppers on the streets of Toronto told CBC News what that might mean for their food budget.
Why fresh produce is so pricey
Of course, not every type of food is going up at the same pace.
Statistics Canada data released this week shows that a slew of grocery items have seen double-digit price increases, beyond what is normal during winter months. The retail price of tomatoes has gone from $4.57 a kilogram in October to $6.99 in December — an eye-watering increase of more than 52 per cent in just two months.
Celery and grapes are almost as bad, with price increases of 49 and 46 per cent, respectively, in only two months. And foods like apples, broccoli and iceberg lettuce aren’t far behind.
Most of the biggest increases right now are in fresh fruits and vegetables, and there’s a very good reason for that, according to Mike von Massow, a food economist at the University of Guelph.
“If you look out your window there’s snow on the ground [so] we’re not producing … fruits and vegetables to a significant degree.”
Almost all the fresh produce Canadians consume in the winter comes through the U.S. either directly or indirectly, so that makes them subject to higher costs all along the supply chain. The transport costs alone are significant, but this year has seen major price hikes for things like tomatoes and lettuce because of what’s happening in the Salinas Valley in California.
Much of the North American lettuce crop comes from the region, which was hit by a virus in November that took a bite out of supply. Record-setting drought in the area in the fall was then followed by flooding last month, which played havoc on the supply of all kinds of water-intensive crops like celery, broccoli and grapes.
“What’s happening now is almost this perfect storm of issues which are creating upward pressure on almost everything,” von Massow said.
Relief in the spring?
It may be hard to see while perusing the aisles of the local grocery store, but von Massow can see relief coming just over the horizon for some of those relentless price increases.
“We’ll probably start seeing some relief in the spring as we get to the Canadian production season,” he said. “We won’t be as susceptible to imports which are being punished by the exchange rate and other things.”
Until then, shoppers like Ethena Dennie in Toronto will keep doing what they’ve been doing, shopping around for bargains, and replacing their usual staples with cheaper alternatives where possible.
“One lettuce is so expensive,” she told CBC News outside her local grocery store on Wednesday. “The doctor didn’t tell me to eat lettuce so I don’t have to buy it, so I just left it.
“The price is going up [but] my pay is not going up. It’s just staying at the same level.”
When job seekers complain about being ghosted—a form of silent rejection where candidates hear nothing after submitting an application or having been interviewed—I wonder if they’re unaware of the changes in social norms and mannerisms. Do they not know that social norms and the workplace are intertwined? Since the advent of social media, manners, courtesy, and empathy have significantly diminished.
If there’s one thing job seekers can be certain about, they’ll be ghosted multiple times throughout their job search. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say ghosting candidates has become a norm. It’s worth pointing out that companies don’t ghost candidates; the company’s employees ghost candidates. When the recruiter or hiring manager is of a generation that finds ghosting an acceptable way to terminate a relationship, romantic or otherwise, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when they ghost candidates.
Bad News: You can’t change or control other people’s behaviour.
Good News: You can take proactive steps to minimize—as with all human interactions, there are no guarantees—the chances of being ghosted.
Build a strong relationship. Focus on being likeable.
Understandably, hiring managers—recruiters less so since they won’t be working with the candidate—look to hire candidates they can envision getting along with; hence, most job seekers would significantly boost their chance of job search success by focusing more on being likable.
By likable, I mean being pleasant, respectful, and expressing genuine interest in the company and the role. I’ve yet to meet a hiring manager who hires candidates they don’t like. As I’ve mentioned in previous columns, likeability supersedes your skills and experience. Most job seekers don’t focus enough on being likeable.
The stronger the relationship (read: bond) you establish with the recruiter or hiring manager, the more likely they won’t ghost you. From your first interaction, focus on creating a rapport beyond just transactional communication.
Personalizing your correspondence can make a significant difference. Use the hiring manager’s name instead of a generic ‘To Whom It May Concern.’ Find commonalities such as place of birth, hobbies, schools attended, associations you belong to, favourite restaurants, and people you know.
Avoid appearing confrontational.
Anyone reading this can relate to the number one reason why people ghost: to avoid confrontation. Today, many people feel entitled, resulting in job seekers being frustrated and angry. You only need to scroll through LinkedIn posts and comments to see that bashing employers has become an unproductive trend. Hence, it’s likely that a candidate will become confrontational if told they don’t get the job.
Smile throughout your interview! Avoid appearing desperate! My best interviews have been those in which I was nonchalant; I was indifferent to whether or not I got the job. In addition to being a turn-off, showing signs of desperation will raise questions about how you’ll react if told you don’t get hired.
Lastly, tell your interviewer how much you enjoyed talking with them and that you look forward to hearing back.
- “I really enjoyed our conversation, Khloe. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I look forward to hearing your hiring decision.”
- “Either way, please call or email me to let me know about my application status.”
You’re more likely to receive a response by asking explicitly for communication.
Earn your interviewer’s respect.
People tend not to ghost someone they respect.
Respect must be earned, starting with one of life’s golden rules: Treat others how you want to be treated. In other words, give respect to get respect.
Throughout your job search, be professional and courteous. Respond promptly to emails and calls and thank people for their time. Approaching recruiters and hiring managers politely and professionally improves your chances of being treated similarly.
Ask for advice, not feedback.
Asking for advice encourages communication. As your interviewer is wrapping up the interview, mention that you’d welcome their advice. “Given your extensive background in project management, any advice you may have for me wanting to advance my career would be greatly appreciated.”
Why ask for advice and not feedback? The first problem with asking for feedback is it puts the other person on the spot. The second problem is feedback can lead to disagreement, hurt feelings, or defensiveness, a common reaction resulting in confrontation. On the other hand, asking for advice is asking for guidance and suggestions to achieve a better result. Essentially, you’re acknowledging the other person’s experience and massaging their ego. Do you know anyone who doesn’t like being asked for advice?
Send a thank you note.
Sending a thank you note expressing appreciation for the interview and the insights you gained reinforces your interest and keeps the lines of communication open. Conclude with a forward-looking statement, encouraging the recipient to respond.
- “I look forward to hearing from you regarding the next steps.”
- “I look forward to staying in touch.”
Job searching aside, direct, open, and honest communication—say what you mean, mean what you say—which I highly value, has become rare, which explains the prevalence of ghosting. When you’re ghosted, assume the company isn’t enthusiastic about hiring you. Silence may be golden in some things, but ghosting is not one of them.
_____________________________________________________________________
Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.
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