Marilu's Market — Local services in Burlington

I am incredibly sad to be leaving this review, as my husband and I have shopped exclusively at Marilu’s for years. Unfortunately, it’s time for us to find another grocery store as they have fallen into the same hiring practices as the majority of other Canadian employers. 12 LMIA hires in a store the size of Marilu’s. We used to applaud their hiring, loved seeing high schoolers actually getting jobs again, but with this behaviour we can’t in good conscience support the store anymore. Which truly is a shame because I used to rave about the quality of products and how I loved to shop there because it felt less corporate. I am sorry to have seen this happen to such a wonderful store. My condolences.

‼️Response to Marlilu’s‼️

Alrighty then. I worked as an immigrant in a non-English speaking country, have a linguistics degree, and clearly too much time on my hands, so let’s unpack your response.

First off, nice try with the patriotic deflection, but your gaslighting game needs work.

I didn’t question your wage practices—I questioned your participation in a system that the UN has literally called “a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery.” But sure, let’s pretend I’m the xenophobe here. As someone who worked abroad as an immigrant for years, and whose in-laws are all first-generation Canadians, I’m apparently just too stupid to understand that modern indentured servitude is actually “what makes Canada great.”

Secondly, your deliberate reframing of my systemic critique as anti-immigrant bias is particularly rich. You’re essentially trying to gaslight me into believing that questioning labor exploitation makes me the bad guy, while you’re the noble hero “sponsoring immigrants.”

Here’s what you’re actually “sponsoring”:

A system where closed work permits trap workers with employers they can’t leave without losing their immigration status. A system where Canada’s own Senate has compared working conditions to indentured servitude. A system where your participation helps maintain a labor market built on desperation rather than fair compensation.

Canada’s own upper house of Parliament is calling out the system as broken, but please, tell me more about how importing workers instead of creating conditions that attract local labor is “what makes Canada great.” I’m dying to hear how participating in what international bodies recognize as contemporary slavery is actually just misunderstood...

I’ve shopped here for years because of the meat department, produce and bakery. Today had a very unpleasant shopping experience, in a few departments—Slow attention in the meat department when they were not busy, then they were unable to package two buns (the bakery staff were trying to skim through a book and read the bin to print out the $0.99 each kaiser labels, instead of having the cashier ring it in- even though I said I was in a hurry) had to wait over 13 minutes to pick up six items! The store was not busy at all- more staff then customers... Ended up leaving with nothing I was so disappointed!! I will pay the premium for the items and service, but today both fell short. Last week I bought a package of croissants—they were baked the day before and already stale! I never thought to check the date because the in-store bakery for years was fresh and above par, I never thought they would put out a stale item and charge full price. Too many misses recently, the response from the assistant manager when I called a few hours later to share my experience was that he would talk to the staff… As a customer that didn’t feel like a resolution or guarantee to have...

Me and my husband when to Marilus we bought some meat section my husband ask her the meat he like and then i see her the young lady scale the meat with foil tray I told her can you but in paper or plastic because I freezer the meat beside of that why did she scale the meat with foil tray and also make more weight . She didn't listened she repeat again . Then after she put in the paper to scale again and she did banging my meat to scale. She was a attitude also talking at back with her co-worker the chinese young lady the way she looked at me like she had attitude .The young generation won't listen also need more training they won't even know what there doing. Next time rather I go there in the morning because I like old people they serve very good . To all customers when you buy the meat be sure check your meat and watch not to put in the foil tray also too watch out the young...