In a climate of escalating living expenses, Ron Robinson is resolute in trimming costs, beginning with his grocery spending. Opting for Liquidation Marie, a discount grocery chain in Montreal, Robinson enjoys prices up to 50% lower than traditional stores, reminiscing about buying steaks for a mere six dollars each. The trend of bargain-hunting extends nationwide as Canadians grapple with the high cost of food.
One prominent example is Bianca Amor’s Liquidation Supercentre, with 17 branches across Western Canada in 25 years, and in southern Ontario, The Grocery Outlet has expanded to over a dozen locations. Liquidation Marie, founded in 2012, has notably doubled its outlets in the past year. Co-owner Marie Eve Breton discloses their strategy of procuring surplus or mislabeled items from major retailers at reduced rates and passing on the savings to customers.
Despite the unpredictable stock, Liquidation Marie attracts an average of 30,000 weekly customers, with its Facebook group boasting over 139,000 members. Dr. Yu Ma from McGill University attributes the surge in demand for discount stores to the economic climate, where rising grocery prices have surged by over 27% in the past five years. Families are seeking ways to stretch their budgets, with grocery spending being a flexible area compared to fixed expenses like rent.
Discount grocery stores not only offer savings for consumers but also alleviate food waste by repurposing items nearing their best-before dates. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University emphasizes that best-before dates indicate quality, not safety, and many products like dried goods and canned items can be consumed well after these dates. This shift in consumer behavior towards alternative shopping outlets is gradually reshaping attitudes towards food products and reducing inefficiencies in the food supply chain.