> 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...