Update 9:50am CT August 8: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the TikToker worked at Loblaws. In a follow-up video, Hale clarified that she does not work at Loblaws. She was instead complaining about the price of groceries at Loblaws after earning money working two shifts with other businesses.
A user is calling out her workplace after claiming that working nearly 12 hours does not pay her enough to buy groceries at Canadian supermarket chain Loblaws.
In a video posted earlier this week, TikTok user Hale (@haleyygelinas) recounts her working experience.
“Today, I started work at 5:30am. I finished work at 5pm, and somehow I still can’t afford groceries… Make it make sense,” she concludes. “I’m upset.”
@haleyygelinas literally fuck u loblaws for widening your profit margin while emptying my wallet #fyp #groceries #canada ♬ original sound – hale 🐿️
In the caption, Hale adds, “Literally f*ck u loblaws for widening your profit margin while emptying my wallet.”
Grocery prices in Canada have skyrocketed over the past year.
“As of February, grocery prices have risen 10.6% year over year, more than double the current overall inflation rate of 5.2%,” reads a Forbes article on the topic. “Meanwhile, corporate profits have risen—and major Canadian grocery chains are boasting very high profits.”
The decision of grocery stores to increase prices, as well as their subsequent profit increases, have led many to call this rise in grocery costs a case of “greedflation.”
A similar phenomenon has been observed in the United States, writes Juliana Kaplan for Insider.
“…A new paper from the University of Massachusetts Amherst economists Isabella Weber and Evan Wasner argues that our current bout of inflation is what they call sellers’ inflation. Bottlenecks — like those rampant supply-chain shortages—give firms what the economists call ‘temporary monopoly’ status,” thus allowing those companies to dictate prices, she states.
“At the same time, firms were able to hide behind myriad reports from news outlets…amplifying just how bad supply-chain shortages were and that higher prices were a natural consequence of that,” Kaplan continues. “Paul Donovan, the chief economist for UBS Global Wealth Management, wrote in a November op-ed for the Financial Times, that ‘the power of storytelling has conditioned consumers to accept price rises.’”
In the comments section of Hale’s video, users shared their own grocery woes.
“I am a single parent who makes 30$/hr and I can’t afford anything,” a user wrote.
“I hear you girl it’s so f*cked up. I work at Fortinos and get 0 discount,” another added. “Like that alone would help so much. And the amount of food and product dumped.”
“@Lowblawscanada is disgusting!! I only get their specials no more weekly shopping,” detailed a third. “All they do is gouge customers the crooks!”
The Daily Dot reached out to Loblaws via email and Hale via TikTok comment.
