Queen’s students shopping at Loblaws will have one fewer option for saving on groceries after Loblaws reduced its student offer from seven days a week to only on Tuesdays.
Students can receive 10 per cent back in PC Optimum points on eligible in-store purchases on Tuesdays by presenting valid student ID and scanning their PC Optimum account at checkout, according to a statement from Loblaws Retail Communications.
Queen’s currently lists the Loblaws at 1100 Princess St. among grocery stores offering student savings. Other discounts listed by the University include 10 per cent off daily at Metro, 10 per cent off Tuesdays at Food Basics, and 15 per cent off on Wednesdays at Bulk Barn.
In its statement, Loblaws said the company made the decision after reviewing the program.
“We made the decision to simplify the student discount by offering it on Tuesdays,” Loblaws said. “The change creates one consistent student savings day across participating stores.”
Loblaws said students can continue combining the offer with promotional programs.
“We know students are looking for value,” they said.
For some students, reducing the Loblaws offer to one day a week means losing the flexibility that made it useful.
Matt Campbell, a graduate student in the Faculty of Education and a teacher in Kingston, said he learned about the change in early June.
“I found out when I was at the checkout, no announcement or notification,” Campbell said in a statement to The Journal. “The cashier didn’t even know until her button didn’t work.”
Campbell said his family shops at Loblaws weekly and had driven to the store in part because of the student offer. He expects they’ll now shop more frequently at Farm Boy.
“I think student discounts reflect a corporation’s awareness of the current financial times and the struggles students face,” Campbell said.
Campbell said limiting the offer to Tuesdays reduces the flexibility students previously had to use it around their schedules.
“My problem with this change is it’s an unnecessary step backwards,” he said.
A manager of the Princess Street Loblaws declined The Journal’s request for comment and directed questions about the change to the company’s corporate communications team.
Concerns about the change extend to students working directly with campus food insecurity.
AMS Food Bank Head Manager, Simarjeet Singh, ArtSci ’27, said limiting the offer reduces its usefulness for students whose schedules and budgets may not allow them to shop on a particular day.
“On the surface, it can look like a small adjustment, but for students living on tight and unpredictable budgets, food affordability is rarely a once-a-week concern,” Singh said in a statement to The Journal.
Singh said demand for food banks, including the AMS Food Bank, continues to increase as students face cost-of-living pressures.
“When affordable options narrow, the need for community support grows, and organizations that were meant to be a safety net increasingly become a lifeline,” he said.
Other Queen’s students expressed similar concerns.
Olivia Yzerman, ArtSci ’27, said she shops for groceries approximately once a week or every two weeks and generally shops at No Frills because of its lower prices and price-matching policy.
“A discount is a great perk for a community immersed with thousands of students annually,” she said in a statement to The Journal. “For many, budgeting out quality ingredients is difficult due to rising prices.”
Sam Moravej, ArtSci ’27, who said he shops for groceries about once a month at Metro, Walmart, and Costco, echoed this sentiment.
“Is it completely reasonable to expect these discounts? Maybe, maybe not,” Moravej said in a statement to The Journal. “But are they a great measure to give students an opportunity to have more affordable groceries — yes.”
The SGPS didn’t respond to The Journal’s request for comment in time for publication.
Tags
food insecurity, Grocery Shopping, Loblaws, Student Discount
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