Someone released a "Steal from Loblaws Day" song and Canadians have mixed reactions
The ire against Loblaw stores continues as someone has released a jingle about the controversial and heavily condemned “Steal From Loblaws Day” movement.
TikToker and musician who goes by “Callum” released his comedic jingle on social media a few days ago, and it’s garnered a ton of reaction.
@schcallum Nobody steal from Galen Weston Jr. on May 12th im serious #cdnpoli #galenweston #loblaws ♬ original sound – Callum 🌸
“Galen Weston is a man with 15,000 times more money than the average man,” the song starts out, taking a jab at the chairperson and director of Loblaw Companies Ltd.
“He inherited a grocery chain from his dad and stole millions of dollars in a price-fixing scam,” he continues, referring to the scandal where Canada Bread and Weston Foods (which was previously owned by the Weston family and sold off in 2021) conspired to overcharge customers on bread products by artificially raising prices.
“That was then, this is now. Make more money, Galen, you know how,” Callum raps monotonously over a soft synth beat.
The song points to the many ways Loblaw has frustrated customers, and finally, Callum mentions Steal From Loblaws Day.
Posters encouraging people to steal from the company’s grocery chains recently started popping up around Toronto.
West End Phoenix, a community newspaper in the city, shared a photo of a poster last week.
Critical mass pic.twitter.com/twSU6W9ouB
— West End Phoenix (@westendphoenix) April 18, 2024
The posters read: “The first annual Steal From Loblaws Day! May 12, 2024.”
On the bottom are the logos of Loblaw-owned stores like Real Canadian Superstore, T&T, No Frills, Fortinos, and Shoppers Drug Mart.
The sign does not indicate who is organizing the event.
The movement has been denounced by both Loblaw and the Loblaws Is Out of Control Reddit group, which started the Canada-wide Loblaw boycott, set to kick off in May.
“This is extremely concerning to read about,” Emily Johnson, creator of the Reddit group, told Daily Hive in a previous statement. “We have not heard anything about this and explicitly condemn this kind of behaviour.”
In his jingle, Callum shares a different stance about the Steal From Loblaws Day movement.
“You shouldn’t steal from Loblaws on May 12,” he sings sarcastically. “It’s only okay when they steal from you.”
“Steal from Loblaws Day is May 12 but why stop at May 12? May 13, May 14, May 15 — steal from Loblaws Day is every day of the week. If you see someone stealing, no, you didn’t. If you see someone forgetting to scan items, no, you didn’t,” he continues.
The tune has garnered quite a response online, with many people condemning theft from any store, including those owned by Loblaw.
“I despise Loblaws, Sobeys and Walmart oligopoly, but shoplifting is a criminal act which deserves punishment. No excuses. One wrong doesn’t make a right,” said one TikTok user in the comments.
Others noted that if people start stealing, those who are just genuinely trying to boycott the chain would be painted in a negative light.
“r/loblawsisoutofcontrol is against stealing from Loblaws during the boycott, starting May 1. We don’t want the media to paint all boycotters as criminals,” said another.
“Don’t steal from Loblaws! This is going to be used to show that the protesters are just criminals and will hurt the cause. Don’t do it,” stated one comment.
“Stealing will make our society worse. There are smarter ways to hurt Loblaws,” someone suggested.
“We are supposed to be having a boycott of Loblaws in May. Stealing is wrong,” added another person.
Other commenters had some wild theories, with some believing that Loblaw is involved with the “Steal From Loblaws Day” posters.
“Be careful of using that poster. People on the boycott Reddit believe that it may be planted by Loblaws to discredit the boycott,” said one person.
“That ‘Steal from Loblaws Day’ is an astroturfed ploy by Loblaws to discredit the boycott and garner sympathy from the public.”
One person said it is a “PR stunt by Loblaws to discredit the boycott group.”
Some people were supportive of Callum’s artistry.
“Voice of a nation,” reads one comment. “Put it on Spotify, my dude,” encourages another commenter.
The Loblaws Is Out of Control Reddit group has made it very clear on its subreddit that it is against any act of stealing.
“While we are more than aware that times are tough for Canadians, we encourage our peers to adhere to local laws and raise their concerns via proper channels,” Johnson previously told Daily Hive.
“This is not the way to have your voice heard.”
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