This text is taken from Courrier de l’économie. Click here to subscribe.
At IGA, until June 28, a 750 ml box of Quebec strawberries is $2.44 for holders of the Scène+ card. On the other hand, if unfortunately you do not have one, you will have to pay $3.99, or about 60% more. On social networks, some people were outraged to see member prices and non-member prices on fruits, vegetables, condiments and other popular foods appear in several food banners.
At the same time, several grocery store banners have announced changes to their loyalty programs with great fanfare in recent months. Here are our answers to some questions about it.
What changed ?
The Me program, promoted by Metro, has included since the end of May several other banners belonging to the same company, namely Super C, Jean Coutu, Brunet and Première Moisson. Every dollar of purchase is worth one point, and every 500 points is redeemable for a $4 discount. The Scène+ card, meanwhile, is entering establishments linked to Sobeys — i.e. IGA, Marchés Tradition and Rachelle-Béry — which are abandoning Air Miles. These programs make it possible to accumulate points with the purchase of certain products. In both cases, personalized offers are also sent to users.
Chains owned by Loblaw, including Provigo and Pharmaprix, have a similar program, which uses the PC Optimum card. The Milesopedia site also makes a detailed comparison of the different formulas.
Can I still have access to discounts if I am not a member of loyalty programs?
In grocery stores, the majority of discounts are still available to everyone. But the amount of significant discounts that are reserved for members is increasing, observes Jean-François Gagné-Bérubé, founder and developer of glouton.app. Its tool analyzes the sales of several major banners to help users with meal planning, including rating promotions and suggesting recipes featuring discounted products.
Businesses are not there to give us gifts. Nothing is completely free.
“Already, since last year, it happened from time to time that there were discounted products only for members. But now, there are more, and these are bigger discounts,” explains Mr. Gagné-Bérubé.
Quebec strawberries at $1.50 less, at IGA, are a good example. “It’s a big difference. Especially since, when it’s in season, it’s a popular product,” he explains. Which doesn’t mean you can’t find good prices elsewhere. For example, strawberries from Quebec were $2.99 at Maxi, for everyone and for 250 ml more.
Mr. Gagné-Bérubé notes that grocery stores generally do not offer more discounts than in previous years, but that a greater proportion of them are “locked”.
Why are grocery stores implementing these strategies?
One of their goals is to encourage you to return to their establishment and consume a lot to accumulate points.
“The shops are not there to give us gifts. There is nothing completely free, warns Sylvie de Bellefeuille, budget and legal adviser of the non-profit association Option consommateurs. They benefit from us participating in their loyalty program. What we give them is information. »
When we register and pay with our personalized account, we give access to our purchase history. This allows companies to analyze their customers’ habits, spot trends, and adapt their sales tactics.
“I understand that it may shock some people, who feel that their personal information is being held hostage,” says Ms. de Bellefeuille. There is also always the famous fear that information could be stolen. »
Simon-Pierre Beaudet is particularly revolted to have to register for a program to have access to the best prices for essential foods such as vegetables. “I claim the right not to join,” he said over the phone.
Asked about this, Metro ensures that the data is anonymized and only used by the company to personalize its offers. Professor at the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences at Laval University, Maryse Côté-Hamel points out that certain databases compiled by merchants can be sold to third parties, but that it must be impossible to find the identity and personal details of customers.
How can I not be fooled?
Anath Barwane, project manager at the Cooperative Association of Family Economics of East Montreal, recommends that consumers, to avoid being tempted by offers of products they do not really need, to stick to the items on their grocery list and go straight to the corresponding aisles.
She notes that many citizens are perplexed by the many marketing tactics of grocery stores when it comes time to determine whether a particular offer is advantageous. She is therefore preparing a training course on the subject, intended for women, which she intends to offer in the fall. She also points out that the Flipp application allows the consultation, in a few glances, of the circulars of several businesses.
To learn more about what is done with your purchase data, read the privacy policies when signing up for a loyalty program.
This text is taken from the Courier
economy.