"Steal from Loblaws Day!" posters are popping up in Canada
Posters encouraging Canadians to “steal from Loblaws” have been sighted in Toronto.
West End Phoenix, a community newspaper in the city, shared a photo of a poster on X Thursday morning.
The poster reads: “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.
Critical mass pic.twitter.com/twSU6W9ouB
— West End Phoenix (@westendphoenix) April 18, 2024
The sign does not indicate who is organizing the event.
Daily Hive has asked Loblaw if it’s aware of the posters and how it’s preparing for possible surges in shoplifting that day. The company has yet to reply.
In an email statement to Daily Hive, a spokesperson for the Toronto Police Department said that the grocery giant is a private company with its own security.
“If someone gets caught shoplifting, the business can call police if they want to pursue charges,” explained the spokesperson. “And, of course, if a business calls us to attend their location for whatever reason, we will.”
This comes just two weeks before the Loblaw boycott begins on May 1.
The boycott is being organized by the Reddit community Loblaws Is Out of Control, which has grown to over 50,000 members across Canada.
In an email statement to Daily Hive, subreddit creator Emily Johnson denounced “Steal from Loblaws Day.”
“This is extremely concerning to read about,” she said. “We have not heard anything about this and explicitly condemn this kind of behaviour.”
Johnson stressed that their team has strict rules for removing any content encouraging theft, mischief, or other illegal acts.
She says that coincides with Reddit’s site-wide policy of removing content that incites illegal activity.
“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,” she added. “This is not the way to have your voice heard.”
A Statement on “Steal From Loblaws Day”
byu/Emmibolt inloblawsisoutofcontrol
Canadians also reacted to the poster online.
Many agreed with Johnson and condemned any act of stealing.
“Promoting theft costs EVERYONE. You should be ashamed of yourself!” reads one repost.
“I’m not down with a Steal from Loblaws Day, but a don’t shop at Loblaws week to protest high prices could create some change,” replied another X user.
Others shared their enthusiasm for the event.
“Save the date!” one person commented.
“It’s only fair!” reads a repost.
“I don’t want to promote lawlessness, but [seriously], we just did a shop there, and we spent almost as much as our mortgage for a month of groceries,” added another X user.
This is just the latest form of protest frustrated Canadians have taken up against the corporation amidst the soaring cost of groceries.
Others have opted for legal forms of protest, like opting to shop at alternative grocery stores rather than major chains.
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