Canadian Retail Thread - Page 220

Acajack · #**4381** Posted **Jun 10, 2016, 1:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loco101

I'm surprised that Giant Tiger has done as well as it has. Nothing great but the chain is still alive. We have two locations in Timmins. One new one and the other was renovated. I find both stores to be quite boring and offer nothing interesting. In the West end of our city we have Walmart, Dollarama, Dollar Tree and Giant Tiger together. GT Boutique (Giant Tiger) needs to carry more interesting and different merchandise if it wants to compete.

Maybe GT is different here. Ours are definitely different from Dollarama.

More like an old time small town general store.

It's got a clothing section with stuff on hangers just like Walmart, for example.

esquire · #**4382** Posted **Jun 10, 2016, 2:24 PM**

GT serves a pretty big segment of the population. I know that industry blogs like retail-insider salivate over luxury retailers but unsexy places like GT and Wal Mart are far more relevant to Canadians.

For as long as I can recall going back to the 80s, there has always been a chain of stores in Winnipeg that has a merchandise mix identical to Giant Tiger. The names have changed (Bargain Harold's, Bi Way, Red Apple, Giant Tiger), but the stores are pretty well the same... a cheaper, handier alternative to the discount big boxes in suburbia.

OTSkyline · #**4383** Posted **Jun 10, 2016, 8:57 PM**

Giant Tiger has changed A LOT in the last few years. Stores are bigger, cleaner, stores getting all newly renovated, most stores offer full grocery shop now and they are just launching new clothing brands and stepping up the fashion and marketing...

Much improved and imo much better/cleaner stores, service and products than American Wal-Mart.

Acajack · #**4384** Posted **Jun 10, 2016, 9:00 PM**

I know a number of women who make well into the six figures who buy (some) clothes at Giant Tiger.

J.OT13 · #**4385** Posted **Jun 10, 2016, 9:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loco101

Any updates? LOL

Ya, they added a time capsule in the form of a Dodge Caravan.

kwoldtimer · #**4386** Posted **Jun 10, 2016, 10:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

GT serves a pretty big segment of the population. I know that industry blogs like retail-insider salivate over luxury retailers but unsexy places like GT and Wal Mart are far more relevant to Canadians.

For as long as I can recall going back to the 80s, there has always been a chain of stores in Winnipeg that has a merchandise mix identical to Giant Tiger. The names have changed (Bargain Harold's, Bi Way, Red Apple, Giant Tiger), but the stores are pretty well the same... a cheaper, handier alternative to the discount big boxes in suburbia.

I think the equivalent here would have been The Bargain Shop!, which was known as Red Apple in some places. It was indeed similar to GT, perhaps just a half notch below. I find the renovated GT's are not quite at the level of Walmart, but in the ballpark compared to pre-renovation days.

Loco101 · #**4387** Posted **Jun 11, 2016, 6:49 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

Maybe GT is different here. Ours are definitely different from Dollarama.

More like an old time small town general store.

It's got a clothing section with stuff on hangers just like Walmart, for example.

Sorry, what I meant to say is that GT doesn't seem to stand out as being great for anything in particular. Definitely different than dollar stores. But I find that GT has very few attractive items. I'm better off going to No Frills for grocery and household items and there are better discount clothing stores out there. And I forgot to add that No Frills is also in the same part of town as the other big discount and dollar stores.

And: our Giant Tiger locations have not been doing well since one was renovated and a new location opened. The new location which has groceries is nice looking and clean but is kind of annoying because it doesn't have everything you would want. Across the road is Walmart where prices are similar but more items and variety are available.

casper · #**4388** Posted **Jun 11, 2016, 7:33 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loco101

Sorry, what I meant to say is that GT doesn't seem to stand out as being great for anything in particular. Definitely different than dollar stores. But I find that GT has very few attractive items. I'm better off going to No Frills for grocery and household items and there are better discount clothing stores out there. And I forgot to add that No Frills is also in the same part of town as the other big discount and dollar stores.

And: our Giant Tiger locations have not been doing well since one was renovated and a new location opened. The new location which has groceries is nice looking and clean but is kind of annoying because it doesn't have everything you would want. Across the road is Walmart where prices are similar but more items and variety are available.

There are some differences between Giant Tiger in the East and the West. West of the Ontario-Manitoba boarder they are operated by the North-West Company. To the East they are operated by Giant Tiger directly.

The North-West Company is a weird retailer. With all the Northern Stores in remote communities and their subsidiaries in Alaska, the South Pacific they appear to specialise in being the grocery store of remote places.

Giant Tiger is the only they operate in major Urban centres such as Saskatoon and Winnipeg.

Marshal · #**4389** Posted **Jun 11, 2016, 8:08 AM**

WTF is Giant Tiger? Never heard of it.

kwoldtimer · #**4390** Posted **Jun 11, 2016, 12:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marshal

WTF is Giant Tiger? Never heard of it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Tiger

flipv · #**4391** Posted **Jun 11, 2016, 12:44 PM**

Until I moved to Ottawa in 2007 I had no idea what GT was. Then all my friends from the Ottawa valley looked at me like an alien because I've never heard of it. It's not in the GTA I think that's why. Still isn't I believe

kwoldtimer · #**4392** Posted **Jun 11, 2016, 12:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by flipv

Until I moved to Ottawa in 2007 I had no idea what GT was. Then all my friends from the Ottawa valley looked at me like an alien because I've never heard of it. It's not in the GTA I think that's why. Still isn't I believe

They do have a few - a couple in Scarborough and one in Etobicoke, plus Mississauga and Brampton.

kwoldtimer · #**4393** Posted **Jun 11, 2016, 12:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by flipv

Until I moved to Ottawa in 2007 I had no idea what GT was. Then all my friends from the Ottawa valley looked at me like an alien because I've never heard of it. It's not in the GTA I think that's why. Still isn't I believe

They do have a few - a couple in Scarborough and one in Etobicoke, plus Mississauga and Brampton.

I thing the only clothing item I've ever purchased at GT were woven winter gloves (why are they so hard to find?). I also check out their grocery loss-leaders from time to time - a few weeks back, they had tins of flaked chicken, ham and turkey on sale for 99cents, compared to the usual $2.99 or more. I went in four times (limit 6 per customer!) and took them over to the Food Bank.

flipv · #**4394** Posted **Jun 11, 2016, 1:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

They do have a few - a couple in Scarborough and one in Etobicoke, plus Mississauga and Brampton.

I thing the only clothing item I've ever purchased at GT were woven winter gloves (why are they so hard to find?). I also check out their grocery loss-leaders from time to time - a few weeks back, they had tins of flaked chicken, ham and turkey on sale for 99cents, compared to the usual $2.99 or more. I went in four times (limit 6 per customer!) and took them over to the Food Bank.

Ah that's why. They're in the outer boonies.

kwoldtimer · #**4395** Posted **Jun 11, 2016, 10:21 PM**

Walmart has announced that it is going to stop accepting VISA cards because of high transaction fees. Will other retailers follow Walmart's lead? Or will VISA drop its fees first?

eemy · #**4396** Posted **Jun 11, 2016, 10:44 PM**

Apparently they will continue to accept American Express, though, which I always thought had the highest fees of all the credit cards.

esquire · #**4397** Posted **Jun 12, 2016, 12:34 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeremy_haak

Apparently they will continue to accept American Express, though, which I always thought had the highest fees of all the credit cards.

That's odd. I typically use Amex but quite often businesses don't take it because of the high fees... I've never encountered a business that treated Visa the same way, though.

kwoldtimer · #**4398** Posted **Jun 12, 2016, 1:29 AM**

Maybe they're just bargaining. Walmart has a unique ability to throw its weight around.

jmt18325 · #**4399** Posted **Jun 12, 2016, 1:44 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

That's odd. I typically use Amex but quite often businesses don't take it because of the high fees... I've never encountered a business that treated Visa the same way, though.

VISA has the lowest fees of any card issuer in my experience m. American Express, and some business cards from MasterCard and Visa charge over 5%.

This is because of the WalMart MasterCard. I'd almost put money on it.

casper · #**4400** Posted **Jun 12, 2016, 8:31 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Walmart has announced that it is going to stop accepting VISA cards because of high transaction fees. Will other retailers follow Walmart's lead? Or will VISA drop its fees first?

Warehouse Club (Loblaws wholesale outlet) here in Victoria will only accept MasterCard but not Visa.

I believe Costco does one but not the other.