Mamie Clafoutis hit by Luddites
The self-service Mamie Clafoutis on St‑Denis had its windows smashed last week, although for some reason it wasn’t reported till Monday.
Likewise, an incident at a mosque in Côte‑des‑Neiges Friday morning wasn’t reported till Sunday.
MarcG 06:25 on 2026-08-04 Permalink
The Mamie Clafoutis incident was reported by TVA the day after. In the interview I found the owner playing dumb about why they’re being targeted not very effective.
Chris 09:48 on 2026-08-04 Permalink
Hmm, I doubt most people in fact dislike this whole automated store concept. Online shopping is exactly that, and wildly popular. The only difference here is you’re walking there to pick it up, instead of them delivering it your door.
jeather 10:57 on 2026-08-04 Permalink
I know this is not the point here but I do not understand the love for Mamie Clafoutis, I went a few times and occasionally the food reached “it’s fine”. We have better bakeries everywhere in this city!
Ian 11:04 on 2026-08-04 Permalink
@Chris on-site automation basically means they have figured out how to take both the convenience and personality out of the whole transaction, what’s not to like /s
Uatu 11:04 on 2026-08-04 Permalink
Recently saw a yt vlog about bixis being vandalised especially the electric ones. There was all sorts of anarchist graffiti and the vlogger was wondering if it was modern Luddites who were against data collection and surveillance or just uninformed/ bored teenagers. This sounds like it might be related or motivated by the same anti technology vandals
Ephraim 11:30 on 2026-08-04 Permalink
And the more they do this… the more society looks to cameras and police surveillance. They sort of playing into the police agenda here.
Chris 12:07 on 2026-08-04 Permalink
Ian, I personally loathe it all, but I’m talking about everyone else, not me. Amazon trucks and boxes are absolutely everywhere I look. I don’t think people, especially young people, care for the `personality` in the transaction at all. And not sure what you mean including `convenience` in there, many would argue shopping on your phone and having to-door delivery is *more* convenient that moving your ass to a store then discovering they have a higher price and no inventory anyway.
Uatu, wow, if they think Bixis have invasive tracking, wait until they learn all new cars have to include a camera watching your face constantly!
mare 13:11 on 2026-08-04 Permalink
Yesterday I saw a group of around 10 teenagers hanging out in a park yesterday, surrounded by a bunch of electric Bixis lying on the ground. Since electric Bixis are charged by the minute, even if you have a subscription, that looked very suspect. Together they were basically racking up 10s of dollars in fees every few minutes, while not riding the Bixis, but just talking, drinking and smoking. There was a Bixi stand nearby where they could have parked them and saved a lot of money to buy more drinks or smokes.
I was walking a dog and didn’t have my phone on me, but otherwise I would have been tempted to unleash my inner Karen and call Bixi.
Joey 13:44 on 2026-08-04 Permalink
Call Bixi for what? Kids being frivolous with their Bixi use?
Agreed that Mamie Clafoutis is generally fine but overrated, and I can’t say I had a memorable enough experience buying a croissant or a sandwich at one of their shops that would cause me to lament the loss of the personal transaction. I can think of a few stores whose customer experience would be greatly improved if they had automated/self-checkouts. Anyway, we tolerate vending machines, we can tolerate this.
Jim 14:25 on 2026-08-04 Permalink
I’m not a fan of these automated shopping things, but they have their advantages too. Things evolve, sometimes in ways we welcome and sometimes in ways we disagree with. We all have opinions, and there should be constructive ways to express them without damaging property or using violence to force others to listen. A world where people impose their beliefs and convictions on others is not the kind of world I want.
Kevin 16:46 on 2026-08-04 Permalink
Chris
New cars sold in Europe (as of July 7) have Driver Monitoring systems aka Advanced driver distraction warning, but there is no such requirement in North America—and no timeline to change that.
Nicholas 17:02 on 2026-08-04 Permalink
Seems the revealed preference at grocery stores is to use self-checkout. It certainly depends; some stores limit it to 30 items, and I’m more likely to use it with a small order and with fewer items with a PLU. I’ve even seen a bread slicer that the customer uses, with a locked door to prevent injuries. If people want to go to a bakery, that now can open 24/7, then good for them.
Also fun fact is the self-checkout machine was invented by a doctor from Montreal. He hates what they’ve become. And when he installed the first one the cashier’s union protested until they saw how clunky it was on the first day and figured they had nothing to worry about.
Chris 20:07 on 2026-08-04 Permalink
Kevin, not quite. The HALT Drunk Driving Act was passed by US Congress in 2021, and given what Europe has done, car manufacturers will likely do the same in USA next. It’s coming.
Bert 13:45 on 2026-08-05 Permalink
But understand that there are two basic self-checkout systems. In supermarkets, stores, etc. it’s the: scan the item, place the item on scale, place the item in the bag (another scale). Heaven forbid you buy alcohol. Go to Home Depot and you can line up all your items and just blast away with the barcode reader…. DONE!