Charitable Donations

Sobeys continues to stay in the public eye by donating to schools and charities such as Kids Help Phone, Easter Seals, Canadian Cancer Society, and community food banks. Year round Sobeys stores have large bins where customers can donate perishable food items. The also sell $10 pre- packaged bags of products, which can be donated to community food banks. Several times during the year, cashiers are instructed to ask customers if they'd like to donate $1 for the Easter Seals in order to raise funds.

Has anyone ever been asked by a cashier at Sobeys to donate money to charity? Did you say yes?   Please answer the poll and view the results to see how others reacted.

"Sobeys stores are at the heart of community life- and at Sobeys, we have always strived to show leadership in the communities where we operate. Indeed, Proudly Serve Our Communities is on of our core values." Sobeys Canada

The Environment

Sobeys has been very involved in efforts to reduce the use of plastics bags. In 2006, they introduced the reusable "Green Bag for Life"in an effort to help the environment. These bags typically cost $1.50 to $2.50. They also added recycled content to their bags, and provided in store plastic bag recycling and training to cashiers, which taught them to reduce the use of plastic bags by adding more items to each bag. As a cashier at Sobeys, I noticed that the amount of bags used could be drastically reduced by adding a few extra products to each bag or by using stickers as proof of purchase for larger items. I also noticed that more customers were using the "Green Bag for Life."

In 2009, Sobeys began charging $0.05 per bag to encourage more customers to support its reusable options. The sizes of the bags also increased so more products could fit into each bag.

Have any of you bought the "Green Bag for Life?" Do you think it's worth the price? I'll admit that I don't always remember to bring reusable bags when I go grocery shopping, but when you think about it, it's worth the price because we end up paying more for plastic bags that we throw away.

Education

Sobeys has entered into a partnership with Breakfast for Learning and Toonies for Tummies, which supports child nutrition programs in schools across Canada. Because studies show that children who eat breakfast perform better in school, this is an important cause, and who better to sponsor the program than Sobeys.

Take a look at this commercial, have you ever been asked to donate money to Toonies for Tummies?

Toonies for Tummies Commercial

Health

In 2008, Sobeys introduced a line of healthy food alternatives for children called, "Compliments Junior Disney Kids." I think this was a smart strategy since childhood obesity is on the rise and because of the time constraints parents have. This line makes it possible for children to eat convenient yet nutritious, healthy and fun foods.
As a frequent shopper at Sobeys, I have also noticed that they have added a wide range of health conscious foods. These include whole wheat, low sodium, and reduced fat varieties of many products. This is important because of the recent concern with obesity and high blood pressure.



Next time you shop at Sobeys take a walk down the aisles and see how many health conscious, low sodium, reduced fat products you can spot. Do you usually buy any of these products?

Sobeys

In recent years, the grocery sector has become extremely competitive because of new entrants to the marketplace, such as discount retailers and superstores like Wal-Mart. As a result, traditional grocery stores, such as Sobeys, have created promotional strategies to compete. 

How Sobeys is Competing

Sobeys' most effective promotional strategy is public relations. They are involved in four areas:

1. Health

2. Education

3. The Environment

4. Charitable Donations

Can you think of ways Sobeys participates in each of these areas?