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Old Posted Jun 3, 2005, 4:40 AM
miketoronto miketoronto is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 9,978
My views.

Chain retail is really getting boring. I was just in Detroit. And in the mall I was in, I think there was maybe 5 stores in that entire mall that I did not have back home in Canada in the mall near me.

Going to the USA use to be a different experience, seeing the different stores, etc.
Now it is almost all the same as in Canada. Kinda boring if you ask me.

Second. I don't get the obsession with Target. Yes I am obsessed with certain stores when I visit the USA, like Marshall Fields.
But Target. Come on, it looks just like ZELLERS, and sells the same crap we get at home already. They sell cleaning stuff, and cheap clothing. I just don't get the obsession with Target, when it is no different then a WOOLWORTHS or ZELLERS. Just don't get it when people in Toronto make weekend trips to go shop at Target. ITS A ZELLERS WITH A DIFFERENT NAME. My mom agrees with me to about that.

Third. Canadian cities better shape up when it comes to protecting the core city shopping districts. We have come far with protecting and nuturing our downtowns in the face of suburban malls. It would be a shame for our downtowns to lose out now, like that article on Saskatoon, etc.

But really I wish we could ship out some of the American chain stores and nuture home grown chain stores(if we must have chains in every single place). Because the selection now between the USA and Canada is very slim. Soon there will be no need to even go to the USA for a slice of something different.

And the European chains are no better. H&M, MANGO, ZARA. Soon there will be no need to visit Europe. Because all their stores will be in the Eaton Centre anyway. I will admit I have bought pants from ZARA($120.00 buck pants down to $30.00. Had to buy). But still, lets nuture some Canadian stuff for once, again.

Canada use to have such a proud retail history and unique stores. Now that is almost all gone.

Some interesting notes though.

Le Chateau manufactures something like 50% or 60% of their clothing in Canada.

Hudson's Bay Company the oldest corporation in North America, is totally redoing their downtown stores now, to make them more classy and bring them back to the 50's heyday attractions they once were in many of our cities and still are to some extent. So far the renovations at the downtown Toronto store are amazing.


Last edited by miketoronto; Jun 3, 2005 at 4:46 AM.
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