Looking for an alternative to Big Grocery? Moncton woman has a map for that | CBC News

Grocery shopping was becoming a surreal experience for Cat LeClair.

Security gates, guards and increasing anti-theft measures were making some stores feel unwelcoming for LeClair, who lives in Moncton’s downtown area with her husband and children. 

“We are talking about basic needs here. We’re talking about food, which everyone needs,” she said.

This past winter, LeClair started compiling a list of alternative grocery stores in the Moncton area, including bakeries, specialty stores, and produce, seafood and meat markets, organizing them into an online map.

She decided to share the map on social media a few days before the Loblaw boycott began on May 1, thinking a few friends and family members might find it interesting.

Instead, the post took off — it has almost 200 shares, and the map itself has close to 8,000 views. 

“It’s a form of activism,” LeClair said. “It’s not something you want to gatekeep, it’s something you want to share with the community.”

She’d been easing herself into buying from local stores throughout the winter, but decided to go all in as the boycott got started. She gets her produce from Hardy’s Produce, her meat from Rinzler’s Market and bread from Nanna’s Bakeries. 

Most of these shops are within walking distance of her home, so LeClair said she feels she’s lowering her carbon footprint. While not necessarily saving money, LeClair said she’s not spending any extra — especially without the temptations that can lead to impulse buying at bigger grocery stores.

“It took a bit more planning, if anything,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with going for a little walk.”

She acknowledged she was able to change her shopping habits because she’s privileged enough to do so. The map is not meant to shame anyone who can’t avoid the bigger grocery chains, she said, but instead give people a place to start. 

LeClair said she doesn’t plan on going back to the corporate stores when the boycott ends, adding that the independent retailers around town make her feel welcome.

“You just feel like you’re part of something special,” she said. “We’re kind of brought back together, and we’re not barred in the store. We’re not feeling like we’re closed in behind gates.”

WATCH | If New Brunswickers want to abandon corporate grocery stores, a transformation is needed: 

Here’s why N.B. farmers say the problem of food prices runs deeper than a boycott

Some Canadians are boycotting Loblaw stores throughout May in response to high grocery prices, but New Brunswick farmers say the entire food system needs a transformation. 

Allan Hardy is the owner of Hardy’s Produce on Mountain Road, a family business that has some regional suppliers, including some in the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, and it also sells produce from its own farm in Grand-Barachois. 

He said a more personal atmosphere helps bring customers to his store, adding he tries to offer items from around the world to reflect Moncton’s growing diversity.

In the past year, his business has doubled, he said, and the store, which opened in 2022, is almost maxed out for its Moncton base, prompting him to start looking for a location to open a second store in the region.

On weekends, Hardy said the store’s two parking lots are full. He’s especially noticed an increase in business since the beginning of May, pointing out that he’s sold 20 pallets of strawberries in the past two weeks, where he would normally sell only three or four. 

“[We] have to try somehow to maybe turn people away,” he joked.

Jason Rinzler, owner of Rinzler’s on Mountain Road, has also noticed an increase in business over the past year.

“After COVID, a lot of people had more emphasis on shopping locally, from what I see,” said Rinzler, who sells meat and produce at his store, which has been family-owned and operated since 1964.

Trust has played a factor in building a relationship with his customer base, Rinzler said. While his store has had to raise its prices slightly to reflect inflation and rising cost-of-living, he said the store didn’t jack up its prices during the pandemic.

Plus, consumers are wiser than big corporations give them credit for, Rinzler said.

“With the rising cost of living, people have become smarter with their shopping, and I think that could be a reason why we’re getting more business.”