Policy is called "discriminatory, racist, ableist, ageist, and sexist". It is also an environmental step backwards.
No Frills is a Canadian budget grocery chain, usually bright yellow and full of yellow packages originally designed by the late great Canadian designer Don Watt, who revolutionized house-brand products. They are often located in economically challenged parts of town. One store, in a part of Toronto that is home to a lot of low income people, recently banned trolleys, strollers, backpacks and reusable bags. The Black Creek Food Justice Network calls this action "discriminatory, racist, ableist, ageist and sexist."
They also point out that it is not particularly good for the environment.
You have also failed to align yourself with environmental sustainability concerns, as many of our residents prefer to use trolleys, backpacks and reusable bags to avoid plastic pollution and extra charges.
Many people in the area are poor and rely on transit and use trolleys for shopping. 20 percent of the population are seniors. "Not everyone drives, or has access to a car, or can afford to pay for a taxi to take their groceries home."
It is an interesting issue. We all want people to walk or take transit, to use reusable bags and devices like trolleys instead of cars. The store wants to reduce theft, but as The Black Creek Food Justice Network notes, there is already lots of security in place.
Hey @nofrillsCA: Your Jane & Finch location is basically saying **** you to anyone who is too poor to own a car. I understand that you have theft problems, but making it impossible for people to carry their groceries home just victimizes the must vulnerable who also need to eat. pic.twitter.com/2YlHmUIwMK
— Mekki MacAulay (@mekki) March 29, 2019
If you follow the thread on this tweet, it appears that the company is backtracking rather quickly, and what we may have here is a failure to communicate.
@mekki We apologize for the confusion. Our store will continue to allow personal trollies in store, they may not be used to hold items prior to being purchased. We now offer two new sizes of shopping carts and baskets at the convenience of our customers during their shop.
— No Frills (@nofrillsCA) March 29, 2019
@tiziana_palombo We apologize for any confusion this may have caused. Our store will continue to allow backpacks in store, they may not be used to hold items prior to being purchased. We offer two new sizes of shopping carts and baskets at the convenience of our customers.
— No Frills (@nofrillsCA) March 29, 2019
I hope that this is clarified soon; we do a lot of shopping at the local No Frills, and certainly wouldn't want to support a company that does this kind of thing. The full letter:
© Black creek food justice network
Canadian grocery store bans trolleys, backpacks, reusable bags and even baby buggies
Policy is called "discriminatory, racist, ableist, ageist, and sexist". It is also an environmental step backwards
