Looking for grocery discounts? This store lets you save money if you volunteer

Montreal’s Le Detour says it banks on local products when possible, aiming to help those in its working-class community. Genvieve Beauchemin reports.

An old graffitied industrial building on a former CN railyard in Montreal is now home to a not-for-profit grocery store run by members who get savings in return for volunteering their time.

Le Detour opened its doors eight years ago with a mission to feed the neighbourhood at a reasonable price, while also nourishing community connections.

“We are not sending our profits to any billionaires in Toronto or in the United States,” says floor manager Kathleen Gudmundsson. “We’re really here to keep our prices as low as possible while ensuring we can keep the lights on and keep the fridges at a temperature that is safe.”

Le Detour is open to all, but now has over 400 members who put in a few hours a month in exchange for a discount.

“You can find pilots and people with doctorates, and you can find people on social assistance or who live with disabilities within our ranks,” says Gudmundsson. “The fact that we don’t have 30 salaries to pay and that most of the work is done by members makes a big difference in our prices.”

Charles Duplessis worked in industrial automation before he retired a few years ago. Now he spends a few hours each month working the cash.

“I wanted to get involved in the community and do something to help those who may be struggling to afford grocery prices these days,” says Duplessis.

Last November, Le Detour members compared their prices to those of two nearby big grocery chain stores. It found that members saved $63.44, or 85.5 per cent, on a basket of 32 vegetables compared to the same basket at Quebec-based grocery chain Maxi. The savings were just slightly less, 81.17 per cent, when compared to the same products at IGA. For an average family basket of 66 products that included some organic products, the savings were 4.65 per cent compared to Maxi, and 16.38 per cent compared to IGA. But that is based on products that are not on sale. Le Detour doesn’t have the latitude big grocers have to offer big sales.

“The prices on fruits and vegetables are good, and they try to bank on local products, when possible,” says Virginie Gauvin who lives nearby and shops at Le Detour almost weekly, although she is not a member. “It is a very pleasant atmosphere to shop in, and it’s great to support a neighbourhood business.”

Le Detour is in Montreal’s Pointe-St-Charles neighbourhood, which is a historically working-class area. Starting in the early 2000s, community groups fought redevelopment projects for the CN workshops, that, at one time, included a casino. One of the buildings, called Batiment 7, was eventually converted into a community space to house several projects including the grocery store.

Now, Le Detour is a bright and cozy space with four aisles and a varied fruits and vegetables section. Shoppers can also find fresh bread, some prepared meals, a frozen food section and a good selection of Quebec cheeses.

“We have about 1,300 products in stock here, and maybe you won’t find absolutely everything you need, but you can do a basic grocery shop here and find the essentials” says Gudmundsson. “We’re not going to have 18 kinds of soya sauce, but we’re going to have a kind that is affordable and that our members like.”

The project was inspired by similar initiatives in New York and France of stores run by the community to feed the community.

Le Detour doesn’t have the floor space, or the variety, of big grocers, but the basket of food comes with a big helping of community flavour.