Eyebrow-raising unauthorized No Frills grocery cart sign removed after backlash
Loblaw said that a controversial sign about grocery carts at a No Frills was removed after it was posted without the store owner’s knowledge.
On Monday, a shopper shared a photo on Reddit showing a sign posted at Joti’s No Frills at 310 West Broadway in Vancouver.
The notice states that the store will no longer be unlocking carts “due to the high amount of abandoned carts left all over our parking lot.”
“We do have cart coins for sale for $2. If you do not have a loonie for a cart, simply leave your ID with [the] cashier, and they can provide a $1,” reads the sign. “When $1 [is] returned, you can retrieve your ID. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!
The shopper who shared the photo stated that their main concern was the fact that not everyone always carries a form of identification.
“This is gonna be interesting to watch,” they stated. “Just wanted to talk about it because I haven’t seen this anywhere else (yet).”
Daily Hive reached out to Loblaw for comment, and a representative confirmed that the sign was posted at a single No Frills location “without the approval of the store owner.”
“Once the owner became aware of it, it was removed immediately,” they stated. “The notice does not reflect a Loblaw or No Frills policy, and we are not rolling out this approach to other stores. Customers who need a shopping cart can continue to ask a member of our store team for assistance.”
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The post sparked a discussion online about shopping etiquette, while others expressed concern about possible privacy issues.
“Asking for ID in this case is most probably illegal, looking at it from a privacy standpoint,” one commenter stated. “Just don’t give them anything, protect your ID.”
Another chimed in, adding, “I haven’t seen this in Ontario yet, but there’s no way in hell I’m handing my ID to anybody. I strongly advise others not to either; they can steal your ID.”
One Redditor wrote, “This BS about blaming people for leaving carts lying around is an attempt to guilt people into doing something the stores used to do, and it was included in the price of groceries.”
However, some fed-up shoppers were in favour of stricter shopping cart policies.
“Honestly, the general population brought this upon themselves,” one wrote.
“For once, I agree with Loblaws. Humanity is ridiculous,” another stated.
One pointed out, “This is much more of a human behaviour problem than it is a Loblaws issue.”
What are your thoughts on this issue? Let us know in the comments.