(Quebec) In the studios of FM93, which prides itself on being the most listened to private radio station in Quebec, journalist Pierre Blais begins what has become a weekly ritual for several months: reading the best offers in grocery store circulars .
“Hummus is $2.99 at IGA this week. That’s not good, but people like it, so we say it,” he says into the microphone, eliciting a knowing laugh from host Stéphan Dupont.
“At $5.77 per can of maple syrup at Metro, it’s still very good,” adds Pierre Blais, who details the best offers from the main brands between a few discussions on the preservation of potatoes or even the disgust of the host for broccoli.
The tone is joking. But listeners’ concerns are very real. A family of four will have to spend $700 more at the grocery store in 2024, predicts the 2024 Canadian Food Prices Report.
The segment was therefore born in this inflationary context, with the simple objective of helping listeners reduce their grocery bill.
“People say they don’t have money, and that’s true. I have difficulty arriving myself. But there, in these circulars, there is money available,” explains Pierre Blais, who began reviewing the circulars only a few months ago.
I find that our dollars are hard earned in life, so you might as well pay the right price. At the end of the day, a lot of small savings adds up to big savings.
Pierre Blais, journalist at FM93
FM93 is not the only media to present the best flyers on its airwaves. The inflationary context has pushed several media outlets to invest in this niche. LCN has had a similar section for over a year on its show On your business. The section “The fight of the circulars” was launched by host Pierre-Olivier Zappa.
It happened that 250,000 viewers listened to his segment on Wednesday evenings, he recently explained in an interview on 98.5. “It’s a great success story that shows one thing: people want more for their money. In a context of food inflation where the grocery basket has jumped by 10% per year for two years, the only way to get out of it is to go through the flyers,” Zappa told Patrick Lagacé. .
In addition to FM93, Cogeco also has another circular column on Rythme FM and other channels, led by Jessica Laflamme.
“It’s one of people’s concerns, we feel it,” explains François Cormier, director of information and assistant programming at FM93.
We want to be local radio stations and help our listeners in their daily lives. We think it fulfills this role well.
François Cormier, information director and programming assistant at FM93
Popular discounts like never before
Research firm NielsenIQ estimates that currently, nearly 6 out of 10 items purchased at the grocery store are on discount. This would be a record. It is in Quebec, more than elsewhere in Canada, that purchases of food on sale are most frequent, Marie-Eve Fournier recently wrote.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
It is in Quebec, more than elsewhere in Canada, that purchases of food on sale are most frequent.
Pierre Blais has always been interested in circulars. But soaring inflation has made bargain hunting essential for the father of three.
“I’m surprised how many people don’t do it. For me, it’s a waste of money, he said. Others will say that it is an investment of time that does not make good sense compared to the savings. I don’t agree with that. It becomes a way of life, not an effort. »
The journalist often visits four or five different grocery stores during the week to take advantage of the best discounts. “It’s sickly at some point. The danger is that it will drive you crazy! But for now I’m living well with all that. »
Food banks taken by storm
Food inflation has not only increased interest in flyers, it has also increased the number of Quebecers who use food banks. Their number has jumped 73% since 2019, the food bank network recently indicated. “Food insecurity is reaching new heights while the worrying economic context suggests even more difficult days ahead,” lamented Martin Munger, general director of the Food Banks of Quebec (BAQ). In Quebec, a particularly popular food bank notes that the number of baskets distributed has more than doubled since the pandemic. “That breaks my heart, my good sir,” he recently told The Press the general director of La Bouchée generouse, Pierre Gravel, about the long lines in front of his organization, even in freezing weather.