At first glance, it looks like an ordinary checkout line at a local grocery store — but at the IGA in Candiac, some lucky customers have been getting their groceries for free. It’s a unique initiative store manager Enzo Gabrielli calls “Folie des Directeurs.” The idea is simple but impactful: Gabrielli randomly selects a customer at the register and informs them that their entire grocery bill is on the house. “Usually I’ll wait until they’re almost ready to pay,” Gabrielli explains. “Then I say, ‘Well, your groceries are free,’ and they’re like, ‘What? No, you’re kidding me.’” The lucky shoppers walk away with their full grocery haul, completely free of charge. For example, one woman had over $200 worth of groceries paid for by the store on Friday. The idea came to Gabrielli two months ago after casually paying for a woman’s bouquet of flowers. “The reaction on that lady’s face took me by surprise. It was just a bouquet of flowers, but the fact that she didn’t have to pay for it was such a big deal,” he recalled. “So I thought to myself, maybe I’m onto something here.” To Gabrielli’s knowledge, this is the only IGA store offering this kind of surprise giveaway. The initiative comes at a time when grocery prices continue to climb across Canada. Research suggests that food costs have risen by approximately 2.8 per cent this year compared to 2024, an increase that translates to about $800 more annually for the average family. Gabrielli hopes his small gesture helps alleviate some of the stress some shoppers may be facing. “It’s a bit selfish, because it makes me feel good to make somebody feel good,” he said. “We don’t know what’s going on in people’s lives. It could be a good day or a bad day. But maybe, for that one moment, I can make someone’s week a little easier. And it makes them smile.”
