[99_00]

1. Online prices are not the same as in store prices

2. No one, other than random people in messages forums, is alleging collusion or price fixing. No one at any university, not the government, not the media.

3. The government’s investigation, which many of the conspiracy theorists site as evidence, shows a lack of competition led to 1 or 2 % increase in price over 12 years, and the vast majority of the price increases was due to things like war in Ukraine, Covid restrictions, fuel prices due to energy crisis.

[mistermann]

> No one, other than random people in messages forums, is alleging collusion or price fixing. No one at any university, not the government, not the media.

It isn't possible for you to know this.

> many of the conspiracy theorists

1. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones, or so they say anyways.

2. "Many"? What percentage of the "conspiracy theorists" "are" as you describe?

> and the vast majority of the price increases was due to things like war in Ukraine, Covid restrictions, fuel prices due to energy crisis

I'd like to see if the government investigators used language as loosely as you do.

[throwaway201606]

Want to give you benefit of the doubt with regards to phrasing but tackling each of these statements as they are all factually incorrect:

> 1. Online prices are not the same as in store prices This depends but mostly they match ie online grocer prices in Canada are the same as in-store prices

This is because most grocers have use online prices as flyers / ads / sales pricing for stores.

Also, in Canada, because of price match policies from the grocers themselves, most grocers have to match their own online prices and, in many cases, competitor prices - this includes competitor online prices!!! including sales and flyer offers

https://blog.flipp.com/7-canadian-grocery-stores-that-price-...

Further, there is - pricing law in Canada around charging more than advertised pricing

https://competition-bureau.canada.ca/deceptive-marketing-pra...

- a pricing code of conduct: if an item is more expensive than the listed price, the consumer gets that first item for free. This means that grocers go out of their way to show the lowest correct possible price all the time everywhere.

https://competition-bureau.canada.ca/deceptive-marketing-pra...

The only exception I can think of is delivery prices where in-store pricing will not match the online pricing. But delivery is usually differentiated by completely different branding from the actual store eg Sobey's has the "Voila" brand for delivery and Metro has "metro.ca" as the delivery brand which is distinct from Metro.

> 2. No one, other than random people in messages forums, is alleging collusion or price fixing. No one at any university, not the government, not the media."

This is factually incorrect: grocer bread price fixing / collusion went to court and there was a $500m judgement

https://globalnews.ca/news/10642801/loblaw-bread-price-fixin...

> 3. The government’s investigation, which many of the conspiracy theorists site as evidence, shows a lack of competition led to 1 or 2 % increase in price over 12 years, and the vast majority of the price increases was due to things like war in Ukraine, Covid restrictions, fuel prices due to energy crisis.

Price fixing preceded all these events. In cases being investigated e.g. bread which is now resolved, the period was as far as 15 years back.

https://globalnews.ca/news/10642801/loblaw-bread-price-fixin...

[99_00]

1. Your response doesn’t seem to contradict my statement. It seems to add context. So my point #1 stands. Tracking online prices doesn’t tell us what people are paying in store.

Regarding the bread price fixing scandal, that ended 14 years ago. It ended when internal executives reported it.

The current anger and activism is over the post Covid price rise in food. No one is saying that that is due to price fixing, or collusion. Except random people in forums or fringe bloggers with phds from unknown institutions.

There is actual price fixing. But it is t the grocery stores. It’s the dairy producers. But politically they apparently aren’t a good target.