Canadian Retail Thread - Page 116

SpongeG · #**2301** Posted **Sep 27, 2011, 4:21 AM**

Canada's newest apple store opened saturday in metrotown - its the biggest one in the vancouver area for sure - stopped by tonight - was quite busy

latestiphoneupdates.com

Travis007 · #**2302** Posted **Sep 27, 2011, 1:08 PM**

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...rticle2178609/

Target’s rejected sites in high demand by rival retailers

MARINA STRAUSS — RETAILING REPORTER
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
Published Friday, Sep. 23, 2011 7:18PM EDT

Quote:

The jockeying for Canadian retail space is heating up as U.S. discounter Target Corp. (TGT-N50.621.483.01%) named the second round of Zellers stores it’s considering for conversion, heightening the race for remaining outlets.

Target also provided another clue to how it will operate in Canada, announcing on Friday that Sobeys Inc., the country’s second-largest grocer, will supply the U.S. chain with groceries.

Quote:

On the real estate front, Target’s bold foray into Canada has rival retailers scrambling to nab sites rejected by the U.S. chain. The jostling was triggered last January when Target, known for its affordably stylish fashions and home goods, said it would launch in Canada in 2013 by buying the rights to as many as 220 Zellers store leases for $1.8-billion.

Target now plans to open 125 to 135 outlets here – compared to its initial forecast of 100 to 150 outlets – leaving the rest for other merchants to pick up.

Quote:

Already, archrival Wal-Mart Canada Corp. has sewn up the rights to 39 of the Zellers stores, which it will convert to its own banner. Others, such as Canadian Tire (CTC.A-T57.971.943.46%) and U.S.-based TJX Cos. (TJX-N57.881.312.32%) Marshalls, are also looking at some of the locations.

Quote:

Wal-Mart chose sites – mostly in Edmonton, smaller Ontario towns, Quebec and the Maritimes – that fill holes in its network, Mr. Arifuzzaman said. And while Wal-Mart is a competitor for Target, he said it may have been willing to pay more, and take more sites, than other bidders.

On Friday, Target revealed its second tranche of Zellers lease picks – a total of 84, including the 39 being transferred to Wal-Mart. Ultimately, Target will select from just 29 of the locations. In May, it announced 105 Zellers locations that made its first cut – bringing the new total to 134. It will sell the leases it rejects to other Canadian retailers or back to landlords.

Quote:

RioCan has plans for a new flagship Target outlet in Toronto, among a handful of new store sites, industry observers said.

caltrane74 · #**2303** Posted **Sep 27, 2011, 1:46 PM**

I'm actually looking forward to target moving here.....

yaletown_fella · #**2304** Posted **Sep 27, 2011, 2:26 PM**

Me too. I have target storage bins for art school and they're awesome.

SpongeG · #**2305** Posted **Sep 28, 2011, 6:21 AM**

hopefully its the same target as the USA and not a watered down version

some of its announced locations for Vancouver are a surprise - rather the locations they don't seem to want are a surprise - such as lansdowne mall in richmond

manny_santos · #**2306** Posted **Sep 28, 2011, 4:17 PM**

Seems U.S. retailers are ditching self-checkouts while their Canadian counterparts are keeping them as is.

Self-checkouts: The good, the bad and the ugly
By Stefania Moretti, QMI Agency
28 September 2011
http://www.torontosun.com/2011/09/28...d-and-the-ugly

Quote:

Big retailers say self-checkout lanes aren't going anywhere in Canada, despite the growing list of American grocers canning the do-it-yourself option after studies showed most shoppers prefer real-life cashiers.

Today I personally don't care for self-checkout lanes. I first saw them in 2001 at a newly-opened Loblaws store in London, and at that time I thought they were awesome. I never thought they'd replace live cashiers, but I anticipated they would become more popular.

I only use self-checkouts if I have only one or two items, I'm in a rush, and it appears that going through self-checkout would be faster than waiting for a cashier with a lineup of people who can't remember their debit PIN. Personally I find it degrades human contact and just provide consumers another excuse to live in their own bubble.

SpongeG · #**2307** Posted **Sep 29, 2011, 3:18 AM**

everytime i try self checkout something goes wrong and i have to wait for the attendant who seems pretty frazzled - they have them at IKEA too and the person who attends them usually ends up scanning a lot of the stuff anyway and than stands there step by step on how to finish up - such a waste

MolsonExport · #**2308** Posted **Sep 29, 2011, 1:54 PM**

^it is amazing how self-checkouts are idiot-producing. There is always some kind of fuck up requiring attention. Even when you get it right, you get flagged at the exit for not demagnetizing some purchases.

As others have said, they are great for the uncomplicated, small collection of boxed purchases. Anything else, and it is just plain slow, stupid, and shitty.

MolsonExport · #**2309** Posted **Sep 29, 2011, 1:55 PM**

Where the hell is the Apple Store for London?

yaletown_fella · #**2310** Posted **Sep 29, 2011, 3:41 PM**

I second that Kitchener already has a store, one would expect London, a city with equal population, to follow suit. Obviously due to the sheer amount of time spent on the road shoppers living in the London area generally don't drive to downtown Toronto as often as Waterloo-ites would so I would think a London store wouldn't be too outrageous.

freeweed · #**2311** Posted **Sep 29, 2011, 4:22 PM**

There's a reason self-checkouts only work if they have a "max 5 items" type setup. Which is extremely rare. Usually what you see is some dingbat with 100 items in their cart, taking 5x as long to scan/type it all in.

Which of course only makes sense. While some may scoff at this, cashiers are trained and actually know what they're doing. Like any skill, no matter how menial, experience makes you better at it. The average person has zero clue how to efficiently scan/bag/etc and the whole thing doesn't work.

The first time I saw a self-checkout, I thought "Brilliant! They better make these Express lanes." Of course nothing of the sort happened, and it's no wonder so many are being removed.

When I see them empty and I have a few items, they're a godsend. It's great to actually be able to purchase something without having to be say "no" to each of the half dozen upsells they try (would you like to add some batteries - they're on sale, would you like to sign up for our card program, would you like to donate to charity, blah blah blah). But if even one person is in line for them, I avoid them like the plague. Let the experts handle my stuff, because random Joe in front of me is sure to take longer.

I still cannot figure out why McDonald's doesn't let me punch my own order in, and have humans make and deliver it. Until I notice just how much time it takes the average person to figure out that of the 6 sandwich options, they have to actually choose one that exists.

MonctonRad · #**2312** Posted **Sep 29, 2011, 6:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Where the hell is the Apple Store for London?

Where the hell is the Apple Store for Halifax!!

You would think a regional city of 400k, provincial capital and home to six universities would have one!

cormiermax · #**2313** Posted **Sep 29, 2011, 6:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Where the hell is the Apple Store for Halifax!!

You would think a regional city of 400k, provincial capital and home to six universities would have one!

Yeah an Apple Store in Halifax would do very well, there definitely overlooking a great market.

SpongeG · #**2314** Posted **Sep 30, 2011, 6:34 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by freeweed

There's a reason self-checkouts only work if they have a "max 5 items" type setup. Which is extremely rare. Usually what you see is some dingbat with 100 items in their cart, taking 5x as long to scan/type it all in.

Which of course only makes sense. While some may scoff at this, cashiers are trained and actually know what they're doing. Like any skill, no matter how menial, experience makes you better at it. The average person has zero clue how to efficiently scan/bag/etc and the whole thing doesn't work.

The first time I saw a self-checkout, I thought "Brilliant! They better make these Express lanes." Of course nothing of the sort happened, and it's no wonder so many are being removed.

When I see them empty and I have a few items, they're a godsend. It's great to actually be able to purchase something without having to be say "no" to each of the half dozen upsells they try (would you like to add some batteries - they're on sale, would you like to sign up for our card program, would you like to donate to charity, blah blah blah). But if even one person is in line for them, I avoid them like the plague. Let the experts handle my stuff, because random Joe in front of me is sure to take longer.

I still cannot figure out why McDonald's doesn't let me punch my own order in, and have humans make and deliver it. Until I notice just how much time it takes the average person to figure out that of the 6 sandwich options, they have to actually choose one that exists.

A&W has self order machines at some of its new downtown locations here - seems to work well, pretty quick too

I do like to use them and when they work okay they are good, but when i have bought clearance items thats when things go wrong so if what i am buying is straight forward its not too bad

freeweed · #**2315** Posted **Sep 30, 2011, 2:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpongeG

A&W has self order machines at some of its new downtown locations here - seems to work well, pretty quick too

I do like to use them and when they work okay they are good, but when i have bought clearance items thats when things go wrong so if what i am buying is straight forward its not too bad

I suspect the 2 sentences aren't completely tied together, but... clearance items at A&W eh? Yummy!

MolsonExport · #**2316** Posted **Sep 30, 2011, 4:35 PM**

^how else do they get rid of burgers past their prime? The real meaning of the grandpa/ma burger is its age past freshness.

SpongeG · #**2317** Posted **Oct 1, 2011, 5:50 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by freeweed

I suspect the 2 sentences aren't completely tied together, but... clearance items at A&W eh? Yummy!

lol yah the first one is A&W only - second one is for superstore

got ahead of myself

i used the self checkout tonight at price smart with no problems, i even bought carrots but looking them up is really easy on their system

GreatTallNorth2 · #**2318** Posted **Oct 2, 2011, 2:06 AM**

There are some strong indications that an Apple store is opening at Masonville Place in London, near UWO. These aren't pie in the sky rumours, but people that have inside info telling me this.

eternallyme · #**2319** Posted **Nov 24, 2011, 5:29 PM**

The retail attacks and awareness make me wonder...is it Thanksgiving again in Canada too today? They seem to have gone on the bandwagon like crazy with Black Friday...

yaletown_fella · #**2320** Posted **Nov 24, 2011, 5:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreatTallNorth2

There are some strong indications that an Apple store is opening at Masonville Place in London, near UWO. These aren't pie in the sky rumours, but people that have inside info telling me this.

I find that to be quite a reasonable notion and far from pie in the sky.