Under the particular circumstances of my existence, I find grocery delivery a very helpful service, but I have too many grocery bags (again).
Again (3 July 2026)
The “(again)” is because this is now my second time arguing with a grocery delivery service about unwanted bags.
I used to get grocery delivery service from Voilà, but I stopped because they kept foisting stinky one-use paper bags on me at some cost. It was a mandatory fee for unnecessary waste. I failed to convince Voilà to knock it off with this presumably high-margin but environmentally destructive practice and started using Metro instead.
This change had been going reasonably well for me, including because Metro packed groceries into reusable tubs on refrigerated trucks. I could collect my groceries from the driver with zero additional waste. Huzzah!
But Metro made a change recently, from two-hour delivery windows, usually with a regular driver in a branded refrigerated truck, to one-hour delivery windows, so far exclusively with third-party drivers, which means groceries get delivered in “reusable” bags.
I put “reusable” in quotation marks because I have quite literally no use for them. I have use for a few large reusable bags, sure. I do not have use for dozens of small ones.
So far (unlike Voilà) there’s been no mandatory additional cost for Metro’s bags, but it stresses me out to see them multiplying in the closet. So I sent two questions via Metro’s online comment form.
Metro recently shifted to one-hour delivery windows and since then my orders keep getting delivered by a third-party driver instead of one of Metro’s refrigerated trucks. How do customers opt in to Metro’s previous service?
If Metro plans to only ever use third-party drivers from now on, this procedural change is going to generate an obscene amount of Metro-branded reusable bags. These cannot, environmentally, be single use. How do customers return them to Metro for reuse?
(The original version was friendlier but it turns out Metro set a 500-character limit on its online form (and then still wouldn’t let me submit what my text editor said was 500 characters including spaces) so I had to make cuts.)
I’m unsure if the photo attachment illustrating the human-size and growing problem went through:
I wonder if the trend I’m observing means that Metro has done away with branded refrigerated trucks entirely. I know they had some issues maintaining refrigeration last summer, I assume because of heat waves and maybe also the cost of paying mechanics.
I wonder if this means that Metro laid off their regular drivers, who maybe had an hourly wage and some security, in favour of gig workers, who may not even have air conditioning for themselves (much less frozen items) in their personal and depreciating vehicles, as they drive individual orders in too many bags around the city.
Metro’s branding for this change has been that one-hour delivery windows are better for customers. So far that has not been my experience. I do not want to generate this much waste.
I imagine I’m not the only customer who dislikes this change. I hope others will also complain.
The problem grows (10 July 2026)
Groceries delivered again today by a “trusted delivery partner” (racialized man trying to make a living out of his car).
I commented to him about the proliferation of useless bags. He tries to give them to neighbours. I believe this confirms I’m not the only one frustrated.
I sent another message to Metro customer service:
I’m going to have to write to their legal department (17 July 2026)
Another week, another haul of bags, another complaint to Metro’s customer service team.
Since this is actually insulting and Metro Customer Support has not yet responded to my previous questions about how they plan to collect and reuse their bags, I feel the urge to escalate to their legal department. Legal may even be the ones who came up with the idea to print the disclaimer. “The bags aren’t our responsibility once we tell customers to reuse them.”
No, not “case resolved” (20 July 2026)
A reply from “Customer Care,” subject line: “Cas Résolu | Case Resolved”:
We acknowledge receipt of your email, and we thank you for taking the time to write to us.
We are sorry to hear about your concerns regarding the reusable bags and your recent delivery experience.
Please note that, at this time, it is not possible to choose the delivery method or request delivery by a refrigerated truck.
Regarding the reusable bags, we understand your concerns. We have shared your comments with the appropriate team, as customer feedback is important to us and helps us improve our services.
We apologize for any inconvenience this situation may have caused and appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback.
My response:
This case has not been resolved.
I have 23 useless bags already, from less than a month of Metro’s new delivery policy.
It is legally insufficient for Metro to stamp “please reuse” onto mountains of single-use garbage.
What is Metro doing to collect and reuse the proliferation of bags resulting from Metro’s new delivery policy?
I did write something up for their legal department but I’m not happy with it yet. There’s a fine line to walk in tone and content. And the letter will need to be updated now. But also now I have an email address.
First demand (24 July 2026)
Three weeks in a row, I submitted complaints using Metro’s online form (500 character max), and yesterday I received an empty email asserting Case Resolved on a second one:
Greetings,
Thank you for contacting us.
We sincerely apologize for the frustration and inconvenience caused by the recent changes to our delivery service.
We appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns regarding the increased use of single-use bags and the environmental impact. Please be assured that your comments have been forwarded to the appropriate department for review and consideration.
Customer feedback is important to us, and we value the opportunity to improve our services.
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.
I replied Case NOT Resolved today to that email address with my first demand: reimbursement of the subscription fee.
This is now my fifth time writing to Metro about bags (three customer service forms, two emails). So far Metro has entirely failed to answer the basic question: “how is Metro going to collect these otherwise single-use bags for reuse?”
It is inadequate for Metro to reply “be assured that your comments have been forwarded to the appropriate department for review and consideration.” It is inadequate for Metro to stamp “reuse this bag” on the mountains of single-use garbage it is dumping on customers. Neither statement resolves the environmental problem Metro created.
In just a few weeks (see attached photos), I am up to 23 bags. The delivery service I paid Metro the subscription fee for specifically allowed me to choose “NO PACKAGING” under “Packaging Preferences.” Generating less unnecessary waste is important to me as a customer. In fact, that’s the option I chose for each of those three orders this month.
If Metro is unwilling to reinstate its previous delivery policy, of regular employees driving refrigerated trucks and delivering from reusable tubs, then I expect Metro to reimburse me the cost of my subscription as of the date of my last order. ([calculation])
I do not consent as a paying customer to Metro’s change in policy that makes me complicit in generating so much garbage.
I attached photos of all three deliveries, for their records. I think this is a better record to start writing to their legal department.
“How about store credit?” (25 July 2026)
Another email from Metro asserting case resolved, this time offering me $15 off a future order as a “goodwill gesture.”
My reply:
Please explain to me how Metro figures a $15 credit that would result in more bags resolves the issue.