Canadian Retail Thread

[Gerrard]

The Bay mens store in dt Toronto is miles ahead of Macy's right now. But it's not indicative of the entire chain.

I agree too that much of my wardrobe is purchased outside of Canada because of the huge savings but I also get a 50% discount at a luxury retailer in Canada so that helps if I want $300.00 jeans (which on occasion, I do -there really is a difference!).

Another thing Canadian retailers often suffer from is a complete lack of inventory.

But in the grand scheme of things, we really don't need nearly as much crap as we buy and I'm often embarassed at what I end up throwing out or donating. Sometimes stuff that still has original price tags attached.

The fact is if you're a little business guy you better have stuff that no one else does because you really can't compete with large retailers.

And I'm not even going to get into the horrible customer service in Canada versus the U.S. (but at least it is still tons better than customer service in Europe).

[miketoronto]

Originally Posted by freeweed

I don't know, you tell me. Go visit The Bay sometime and shop for Men's clothing (or other stuff, it all applies). Then go visit the US equivalent, Macy's. Light-years of difference. Too many Canadian retailers are complacent and assume their lock on the market will last forever. Your average Bay store is poorly lit, full of cranky employees, not the cleanest, and has shitty selection. There's a reason Eaton's went bankrupt and HBC is next.

You are joking right? Macy's and The Bay are basically identical when it comes to Men's clothing. Exact same lines.

Not because I am a Bay supporter above all else. But The Bay has done an amazing job at bringing in some great new men's clothing lines, etc. In fact the downtown Toronto store is looking amazing. My only pet peeve is some of the lines they have brought in are a tad on the high end side. Great stuff, but a little expensive when not on sale.

Zellers vs Target is the exact same thing. Zellers stores are, to be blunt, fucking depressing to shop in. They make me feel like I'm walking through the trailer park. Granted - Target has a lot of the same stuff but they at least clean the aisles from time to time, repair the cracked flooring, and somehow manage to not have the store smell like B.O. or worse.

The Targets I have been in are basically a carbon copy of Zellers. They all are just isles of stuff with no character to them.

[SpikePhanta]

Target is basically the well off sibling of Zellers, much better organized and much cleaner.


Target is claiming that they will have 75% more jobs than Zellers did.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by habfanman

But The Bay is now owned by Lord and Taylor. American. Woooo.. That should change your perception a bit. Maybe they're not so bad after all? Maybe it's safe to shop there and be properly marketed to now!

Wow, um.. try some lithium dude.

I don't go shopping in the US BECAUSE IT'S THE US. What a ridiculously stupid thing to say. I go shopping there because their stores are generally better.

When we get those stores up here, I'll frequent them here.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

You are joking right? Macy's and The Bay are basically identical when it comes to Men's clothing. Exact same lines.

Nope. They're similar, but there's a ton of stuff that never makes it up here. And what we do have is often 30-50% more expensive.

If the Bay has what you're looking for, great for you. But it isn't anywhere close to "identical". They have most of the same names (and even that is a but of a stretch). But not all of the same products, not by a long shot. The Bay will have a particular brand of (random example) dress shirt, and have it in 10 colours. Macy's will have those same 10 colours, and 10 others. Multiply that by the 4 or 5 brands that I tend to buy, and it's a hell of a lot more variety.

I know people like habfanman get mortally offended that someone dare have a different opinion than he does about anything, and we should all be happy wearing the exact same 10 shirts for the rest of time - personally, I'm happy to have more variety in my life. If I just wanted the same boring crap every time, I'd shop at Wal-Mart for my clothes.

I'm really not sure why people get so upset that someone could have different tastes than them. Like I said, if the Bay works for you, it's no skin off my nose. But it doesn't work for me, and that in no way affects your ability to shop there. Just as your decision to shop there doesn't stop me from wanting a bit more.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by habfanman

Home collections? lol How exclusive! Aren't you afraid of having the same 'collection' as all of your friends?

When it comes to furniture, I'm more interested in comfort and whether it all works together than the 'name' attached to it.

Michael Graves sucks, but then he hawks 'home collections' in discount stores so..

its about design not a name

i happen to love what john derian does so sue me

you're so bitter take a chill pill its just a store - why do you get worked up about something you obviously don't care about

have fun

[Me&You]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

You are joking right? Macy's and The Bay are basically identical when it comes to Men's clothing. Exact same lines.

Not because I am a Bay supporter above all else. But The Bay has done an amazing job at bringing in some great new men's clothing lines, etc. In fact the downtown Toronto store is looking amazing. My only pet peeve is some of the lines they have brought in are a tad on the high end side. Great stuff, but a little expensive when not on sale.



The Targets I have been in are basically a carbon copy of Zellers. They all are just isles of stuff with no character to them.

I have to seriously question if you've actually been to a Macy's...

Sure, the Bay's flagship store in DT Toronto might have the same selection/brands as the Macy's in, say, Spokane WA, but there is no way the flagship Bay store (forget about any 'normal' Bay) holds a candle to any Macy's in any larger centres in the US.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by Me&You

Sure, the Bay's flagship store in DT Toronto might have the same selection/brands as the Macy's in, say, Spokane WA, but there is no way the flagship Bay store (forget about any 'normal' Bay) holds a candle to any Macy's in any larger centres in the US.

Having recently been to several Macy's in Spokane WA, you've hit the nail on the head here. I've also been to the one in Helena, MT - which may be the worst ever. THAT reminded me of your average Bay store. Actually it was more like your average Sears store.

Macy's in large and/or spendy cities like Las Vegas or LA - Canada has nothing really like this. We have our Holt Renfrews but of course that's an entirely different class of retail. I'm too po' for that place.

[miketoronto]

Originally Posted by freeweed

Nope. They're similar, but there's a ton of stuff that never makes it up here. And what we do have is often 30-50% more expensive.

If the Bay has what you're looking for, great for you. But it isn't anywhere close to "identical". They have most of the same names (and even that is a but of a stretch). But not all of the same products, not by a long shot. The Bay will have a particular brand of (random example) dress shirt, and have it in 10 colours. Macy's will have those same 10 colours, and 10 others. Multiply that by the 4 or 5 brands that I tend to buy, and it's a hell of a lot more variety.

I don't know about that. I travel to the USA a lot and I notice that Macy's and The Bay have the exact same clothing lines and selection. And to be honest, the prices are identical to.

I also find that The Bay has more selection. The Macy's stores even in the downtowns of cities(save for a couple US cities like SF) are a fraction the size of Bay stores in the downtowns of Canadian cities.

I find the selection in the downtown Toronto Bay store amazing, and it surly has Macy's beat.

Shop at whatever stores you like.
Personally I don't find that much of a difference between Macy's and The Bay. I tried hard on my last trip to Macy's to find something that I could not get at The Bay, and also to get it cheaper. I could not. Same prices, same selection, etc.

Now you know what used to be a unique store, Marshall Fields. Before being taken over by Macy's, MF had unique MF only men's brands, etc. But when Macy's took over, they got rid of the MF only lines, and stocked the stores with all the stuff you can find anywhere.

I do sometimes buy something at Macy's if it is on sale when I am in the USA. But overall most of the time the prices and selection are the same as The Bay.

[Gerrard]

I have to agree with Miketoronto on this, the mens selection at the Bay (variety) is much better and well organized than even Macy's Herald Square (if you are looking for *real* designer goods).

The prices are significantly more however at the Bay. And Herald Sq. does have more labels but they tend to be very similar. DT Toronto doesn't have a Tommy Hilfiger or SuperDry but it does have say a Klaxon Howl and a Spurr section. You won't see Save Khaki at Macy's in the U.S.

Herald Sq. is also spread over 3 floors, has tons of inventory but a lot of their stuff is private label crud.

I think the Bay is trying to remake its image in more of the Selfridges vein than Macy's. Hopefully it'll pay off.

[Gerrard]

One concept that might be a good export to the U.S. from Canada is Harry Rosen. A stand alone Menswear store chain like that just doesn't exist in the U.S. There are local ones (as in Seattle and other cities) or even separate Macy's Mens or Saks mens but a chain store that focuses only on menswear is rare there.

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by Gerrard

One concept that might be a good export to the U.S. from Canada is Harry Rosen. A stand alone Menswear store chain like that just doesn't exist in the U.S. There are local ones (as in Seattle and other cities) or even separate Macy's Mens or Saks mens but a chain store that focuses only on menswear is rare there.

Does this count

http://www.josbank.com/menswear/shop/Home_11001_10050

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by Gerrard

I have to agree with Miketoronto on this, the mens selection at the Bay (variety) is much better and well organized than even Macy's Herald Square (if you are looking for *real* designer goods).

One thing you guys seem to be missing here, although you touched on it - it all depends on what you're looking for.

I have a hard time believing any of us has gone through every single brand and item at both stores and compared every single price to make such sweeping statements as "they're identical". Suffice it to say: I have found and continue to find things that *I* shop for, where Macy's is much better. If you personally don't have the same tastes as I, you may never even realize that.

It still doesn't change the facts though. Hell, there's probably tons of stuff at the Bay that Macy's doesn't have (*real* designer goods). I don't shop for that, so I wouldn't know. But I'd never be so arrogant as to then state that obviously they're identical stores because I'm unaware of the differences.

So, qualifier - for what *I* shop for, Macy's has better selection and prices than the Bay. And I shop just a tiny bit more than the average dude, so I'm not just speaking out of my arse here. That being said, I've also never hit up the Bay in downtown Toronto so maybe it's the exception that proves the rule.

[Me&You]

Originally Posted by Proof Sheet

Does this count

http://www.josbank.com/menswear/shop/Home_11001_10050

Not when talking about Harry Rosen.

[Gerrard]

Originally Posted by Proof Sheet

Does this count

http://www.josbank.com/menswear/shop/Home_11001_10050

Not really. I guess I should have been more specific and said luxury mens. Jos produces their own goods, it's kind of like TipTop Tailors.

[MolsonExport]

The Bay in DT Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto: Awesome selection of Men's clothing. London, Ontario: Totally shite selection. But that is London in general, the land where everybody looks the same, and/or shops across the border for clothing.

[miketoronto]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

The Bay in DT Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto: Awesome selection of Men's clothing. London, Ontario: Totally shite selection. But that is London in general, the land where everybody looks the same, and/or shops across the border for clothing.

You guys happen to have an amazing department store in London that has good selection, and it is called KINGSMILL. The great thing about this store is it is still family run, and they only have one location right in the heart of downtown.

[habfanman]

Sheesh! If I had to suffer through this trauma every time I needed an article of clothing..

If you don't like The Bay, go to one of the other 100-odd stores that sell clothing. "Oh, but I have to leave the country. The shirts are sooooo different in the U.S. They have 5 sleeves!!"

It's a fucking shirt!

And they say that there aren't many women on SSP..

This is proof positive that North America has fully entered the "Rome before the fall" stage.

[habfanman]

Originally Posted by freeweed

One thing you guys seem to be missing here, although you touched on it - it all depends on what you're looking for.

I have a hard time believing any of us has gone through every single brand and item at both stores and compared every single price to make such sweeping statements as "they're identical". Suffice it to say: I have found and continue to find things that *I* shop for, where Macy's is much better. If you personally don't have the same tastes as I, you may never even realize that.

It still doesn't change the facts though. Hell, there's probably tons of stuff at the Bay that Macy's doesn't have (*real* designer goods). I don't shop for that, so I wouldn't know. But I'd never be so arrogant as to then state that obviously they're identical stores because I'm unaware of the differences.

So, qualifier - for what *I* shop for, Macy's has better selection and prices than the Bay. And I shop just a tiny bit more than the average dude, so I'm not just speaking out of my arse here. That being said, I've also never hit up the Bay in downtown Toronto so maybe it's the exception that proves the rule.

freeweed, are you female? If so, I've dropped girls like you because they got all "shopping crazy".

[SpikePhanta]

Oh common let people buy what the heck they want.

I'll go to a store just for a certain brand because i would prefer the brand.
In this case I would certainly pay the price for polo at the bay over some 15$ Tapout tshirt at Walmart, for the polo is better in quality.

You'd be surprised at how much cheaper some brands are in the states, I much rather purchase two TR, R&R at a Vegas outlet mall for the price of only one in Canada. But ofcourse I wouldn't go out of my way to make the trip just for the shopping, Shopping just goes above otherstuff while traveling.

Habfanman, I don't know if you're serious of just trollin', because
1) Your opinions aren't fact
2) I don't see the need to mention your dating preferences in response to freeweed.