Quebec retailers warned over price display violations

Pork chops are seen in the meat counter of a grocery store in Montreal, on Thursday, April 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press)

Quebec’s new rules on grocery store price displays and tipping have been in effect since May, but the province’s consumer protection office says some grocers and retailers are not complying with key provisions.

Metro, Costco, Couche-Tard and Adonis are among a dozen or so retailers that received non-compliance letters following audits conducted by the Office de la protection du consommateur.

Under the new requirements, grocery stores must display information including the price per unit of measure and the price for customers who don’t belong to a store’s loyalty rewards program. The rules apply to any retailer that sells food.

The province also raised the threshold for its existing price accuracy policy from $10 to $15. If the price at checkout is higher than the advertised price, the item must be offered for free if it costs less than $15. The policy has been in place since 2001.

Based on the letters, most of the grocers targeted failed to clearly indicate whether taxes were included in the price.

Some also did not display the regular price alongside the sale price or show the price per unit of measure using a consistent unit, making it harder for customers to compare similar products.

According to the letters, most retailers had multiple violations, with fines ranging from $3,000 to $75,000 for a first offence.

The following grocers and retailers received letters:

• Metro
• Costco
• Couche-Tard
• Adonis
• Giant Tiger
• Sobeys
• Avril Supermarché Santé
• Walmart
• Loblaws
• Les aliments Kim Phat

These companies have until Aug. 8 to confirm in writing that they have implemented corrective measures.

In a statement, Francis Mailly, a spokesperson for the Retail Council of Canada, said retailers are “actively” working to comply with the new price requirements set out in Bill 72.

“While many items are already compliant, implementation remains a significant challenge due to the complexity of the labelling rules, technological limitations and ongoing labour challenges,” Mailly said.

“The industry remains fully committed to transparency and continues to make the necessary adjustments in good faith, despite operational constraints on the ground.”

With files from the Canadian Press