LETTER: Maple Ridge senior chides food retailers for marketing methods

Dear Editor,

Food retailers – wake-up.

It is tough trying to survive in Maple Ridge as a single senior living on a limited pension. Notwithstanding the exorbitant rents, interest and high taxes these days, it doesn’t leave much to feed ourselves.

The food prices are crazy lately. I found that to buy a can of soup and get it on sale, I would have to buy five or more cans. Who came up with that idea? Perhaps someone can only afford one can of soup and is being penalized by having to pay the full price. If there is a new item I would like to try, again I have to buy multiples and then unfortunately find out in most cases I don’t like it. That’s why I don’t buy new items I’ve never tried before.

I find it laughable to find a lot of sale items with only a 10 per cent saving or less these days. Not like the sale prices I saw prior to COVID. If that’s all they are offering as a sale price, I’ll wait and buy it at full price, when I need it.

It seems that most retailers are just going for maximum volume sales, but then ironically complaining that they can’t get a supply of products from the manufacturers or distributors and leave their shelves empty.

I think like most seniors or anyone on a set or limited income, the big box stores really don’t seem to care that we can’t afford their products. If they just gave a sale price per unit rather than as a multiple, it would help us seniors and low-income persons survive in these crazy times by being able to buy only as much as we wanted.

I remember a few stores before COVID would advertise multiple sales, but if you bought just one or less than the stated multiple, you would get the sale price per unit. These food stores would surely gain more respect and following if they gave more thought about all their customers and adopt a more supportive role in merchandising goals.

I have worked in the retail field for some 25 years. This multiple sale purchase technique should not be allowed and is counteractive to selling to the public. I think it should be illegal to advertise that you must buy more than one item to get a sale price.

What’s next, you have to buy two cars to get a sale price? The stores could advertise in multiples, but if anyone wanted less than the stated quantity should be able to get the lower sale price. It’s not right and outright discriminatory to people who are suffering the most and not able to afford buying multiples.

Greg Carmichael, Maple Ridge

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