Popularity of grocery delivery grows
The popularity of grocery delivery has only grown in Montreal since the days of Covid lockdown.
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Kate
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maggie rose 05:24 on 2026-03-14 Permalink
I discovered this week that Voila’s ‘customer fulfillment centre’ is in Point-Claire and most deliveries from there are made to Quebec City. It’s an interesting rabbit hole to go down searching for info about them, the architects and the UK-based system that powers it. Also, Voila quietly offers free delivery to seniors and folk with disabilities. Not mentioned on their website, I guess it’s hard to prove. I was talking to them on the phone about a 50% off delivery offer and they were happy to offer free delivery as long as I need it. Since 2020 the quality of produce has improved a lot. Prices are nuts though. I compare prices with Instacart and often use them too. Darn Long Covid.
MarcG 08:30 on 2026-03-14 Permalink
There’s a Long Covid Awareness Day event at the Planetarium tomorrow from 1-3pm. Livestream available and more details on Facebook.
MarcG 08:54 on 2026-03-14 Permalink
maggie: You and others may also be interested in this webinar discussing how Long Covid patients could potentially access disability benefits.
maggie rose 13:05 on 2026-03-14 Permalink
Thanks, MarcG! I’m on their list and submitted a few short ‘tell us what it’s like’ statements for their public awareness project, which will be displayed in Montreal tomorrow. It’s open to caregivers as well. https://covidsociety.ca/priorities/long-covid/lcad-2026-share/
Ephraim 13:14 on 2026-03-14 Permalink
Ah yes, order online with a cookie that tells them what you buy and if you compare to other companies so that they can jack your prices. They found that some companies and in particular instacart will show different prices based on neighbourhood and other socio-economic markers. Yes, this is also true by supermarket neighbourhood. The more they find that people don’t travel and don’t compare.
SMD 14:08 on 2026-03-14 Permalink
Dynamic pricing! It will be interesting to see if the provincial consumer protection bureau looks into possible regulation, as has been called for, especially since this winter’s federal consultation seems to have been a bust with the only outcome being a commitment to continue “closely monitoring” the situation (https://competition-bureau.canada.ca/en/how-we-foster-competition/education-and-outreach/publications/consultation-algorithmic-pricing-and-competition-what-we-heard).
Ephraim 21:59 on 2026-03-14 Permalink
Oh, I’ve seen it on AZ. For example, product B06VWKGB5F which sells for $30 is $21.36 on my commercial account. I’ve seen it on a number of products. And then there are coupon codes. But there are also cases where they intentionally don’t sell the same products. For example Persil+Oxi from one store is sold in 3.72l container with 75 wash loads but on AZ it’s a 2X version that is 2.43l with 82 loads. So one is about 125oz or 1.67oz per wash and the other is 82oz or 1oz per load. (Yes, it’s really a much more concentrated version).
Kate 22:06 on 2026-03-14 Permalink
Ephraim, to be honest, I’ve never compared prices. I have one person and one cat to feed, so the differences for me are not the same as for someone provisioning a big family, or someone running a business that consumes larger amounts of food and household supplies.
It also takes time to compare website figures as well as to visit multiple stores.
This is probably why more people don’t do it.
My mother used to say she’d walk six blocks to save a dime. I would not.
CE 01:50 on 2026-03-15 Permalink
When I was a kid, my mom used to drag us around to 3 or 4 different grocery stores on a food run with a pile of flyers to get the best deals on everything. I wonder how much money it saved her over the years.
MarcG 07:08 on 2026-03-15 Permalink
Do coupon cutters factor in the cost of gas?
Ephraim 07:57 on 2026-03-15 Permalink
Kate – I do it all the time. Save time by using Maxi, which will match price. The app I use for the flyers allows you to look up an item and see everyone’s price. But I also know what prices should be. The savings at a supermarket if you know how to do it, are better than the bank. Let’s say you know that you use 1 can of tomatoes per week. Tomatoes are 25% off this week from the lowest price you have ever seen. You have space under your bed. You buy 52 cans and put them under your bed. That’s 25% interest on your money, with little carrying cost. Your bank is giving 2%, maybe?
The price specials roll. Storage is key. The cycles are often 3 to 6 weeks before sometimes comes back on sale, longer with Costco. Just like the stock market, you buy low. I bought 12 cans of organic coffee when it was $16.30 a can and 6 refills of Dawn Powerwash when the refills were on sale.
Ian 20:03 on 2026-03-15 Permalink
When I was a kid we were very poor so when my Dad actually bought groceries it was always stuff on sale. He’d buy a whole flat if the price was low.
Canned peas? Creamed corn? Yeah that’s supper for the next month, with rice or potatoes and that pot of stew that mysterioulsy never left the stovetop. We only got cheese when he stole it.
Nowadays I buy food with price comparison in mind but having experienced actual poverty I don’t care to roleplay it.