Canadian Retail Thread

[West_aust]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Not sure why Toronto needs more American stores to get more variety. Montreal has 5 department stores downtown - none of which are American (Les Ailes, Simons, Ogilvy, Holt's, and The Bay) - compared to 4 in Toronto, 1 being American (Sears) and two being the same thing (The Bay).

I'm not considering Les Ailes as a department store anymore, it's now closer to a flea market housed in a nice environment, or maybe an upscale value village, with the distinction of not being used clothing.

Fairweather really destroyed that brand after buying it (heck even selling Canada Goose copies last winter)

[SpongeG]

sunday shopping in BC varies and has changed in the last few years - up until than most big stores like walmart closed at 8 pm on sundays, now they are open till 11 pm 7 days a week, most malls and stores close at 5 or 6 pm except metrotown which stays open until 7 pm, robson is an exception too and the stores in the summer anyway will often stay open till 9 pm and on some nights even stay open until 10 or 11 pm most nights

a lot of stores on streets choose not to open on sundays at all since they have that ability not locked into a mall contract to open sundays

the chinese malls in richmond tend to be open later and most are open 365 days a year including christmas day which seems blasphemous to some but the chinese community don't celebrate it so they like that they have a mall to go to

[MolsonExport]

why shops do not have the same rights as restaurants (24/7/365) makes no sense to me.

[Gerrard]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

why shops do not have the same rights as restaurants (24/7/365) makes no sense to me.

I think it has a lot to do with employee rights versus any other religious or sociological reason. Still doesn't make any sense though, I know. It probably has a lot to do with politicians finding enjoyment in creating regulations to justify their existence more so than the regulations themselves. I suppose if they could have a law that said you couldn't wear red pants on Wednesdays they'd do that too.

Around the holiday season in Toronto some retailers stay open 24 hours. I rarely have the urge to purchase consumer goods at 3 a.m. but in a society that is increasingly centered around flexible working hours it makes sense.

I find shopping hours in Europe a huge pain in the ass -with Britain being one of the few nations to enjoy Sunday shopping or decent shopping hours at all.

[miketoronto]

Or maybe we are just too obsessed with shopping?
Really do you need to be shopping at all hours everyday?

I love the vibrancy of the shopping districts, and checking out unique stores. But even I don't shop that often, and I go weeks or longer without needing to step foot in stores, other than food stores.

I found Europe very interesting in the shopping department. I was in Italy on a Monday at my cousins house, and we could not go shopping until 12 noon, as on Monday's stores in the city centre open late, so shop keepers have more time to rest . Although I expect this to change as the new suburban shopping malls open regular hours like we do in North America.

There is just this attitude that there is more to life than shopping all the time in Europe.
The only time European shopping hours worried me was when I was in Milan, and wanted to shop but we were there on a holiday. Luckily all the stores in Milan city centre were open, because on holidays we were told families from across metro Milan converge on the city centre for a day of shopping and dining, and strolling.

[SpongeG]

a few places here will close on monday so they can open on sunday

i know with malls you are forced to open when they say so - i knew someone who managed a shoe store and it was his day to open and we had a snowstorm and it took him 3 hours to get to the store and the store opened at 12 noon instead of 3 am and the mall fined the store for not opening on time

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by isaidso

Sunday shopping hour restrictions are a relic of a religion dominated past. In 2012, should we really be letting religious people dictate when we can and can't shop? It's ridiculous, we're supposed to have 'Separation of church and State' in this country. This isn't Vatican City.



I'm surprised you don't have one. I assumed every place over 100,000 had a Bay.

I don't think any churches are trying to tell you when you can and can't shop. Ontario got rid of this law years ago. More than anything, I think that people just wanted to be able to have Sunday off.

The Catholic church isn't out to get you.

[isaidso]

People can have their day off on their day off.

[Nouvellecosse]

Personally I hate having Sunday off and avoid it whenever possible since so many things are either closed or have reduced hours. Very inconvenient.

[SpongeG]

i liked having a weekday off cause i could get things done cause places were open ie doctors, banks etc.

[artvandelay]

In my opinion, every business should be allowed to open whenever they see fit - except on the morning of November 11th. Everything else should be fair game.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Personally I hate having Sunday off and avoid it whenever possible since so many things are either closed or have reduced hours. Very inconvenient.

Always one of the worst days to have off unless you are of the churchy persuasion.

Now I don't mind b/c of the kids being home from school, but before, Sunday was always the blahest day of the week. I hate shopping in general, but dammit, it needs to get done and why should the stores be closed during the times that I am not at work?

The family time nonsense is a red herring. There are plenty of people working graveyard shifts, during evenings, weekends, etc. (factory workers, nurses, doctors, inventory personnel, taxi drivers, etc.). They work because that is when they are needed. If it isn't fair to others to have to work sundays/etc. then it isn't fair to anyone. No rights for the tall and small; just rights (or none) for all).

Which is to say, with very few exceptions, stores should open whenever the fuck they see fit.

[telyou]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

There is just this attitude that there is more to life than shopping all the time in Europe.

There is more to life then shopping. That's why we want to have the freedom to shop when we want and have the time to. By your standards, the only day i would ever be able to do any kind of shopping is on saturdays. Sundays is spent with the familly with soccer games, picnics, drives out of the city to explore something new. Monday to Friday i finish at 6 and there is no way in hell i will go shopping on friday night. That's happy hour 6-9 day.
So explain to me how it would be a better world if we were all held hostage by your crappy shopping hours. You have a very weird perception of reality.

[miketoronto]

Originally Posted by telyou

There is more to life then shopping. That's why we want to have the freedom to shop when we want and have the time to. By your standards, the only day i would ever be able to do any kind of shopping is on saturdays. Sundays is spent with the familly with soccer games, picnics, drives out of the city to explore something new. Monday to Friday i finish at 6 and there is no way in hell i will go shopping on friday night. That's happy hour 6-9 day.
So explain to me how it would be a better world if we were all held hostage by your crappy shopping hours. You have a very weird perception of reality.

They are not my shopping hours. They are the shopping hours of many places around the world.

Its not like we are going back to those kinds of shopping hours anyway, so why get upset? We as a society are way to high strung and always on the move.

All I said was maybe it would be nice to not have the shops open all the time and would encourage people to do other things than hang out in a mall all day.

Even when there was no Sunday shopping, we still had Sunday shopping, as the downtown districts were allowed to open on Sunday.

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

They are not my shopping hours. They are the shopping hours of many places around the world.

Its not like we are going back to those kinds of shopping hours anyway. So why get upset anyway. We as a society are way to high strung and always on the move.

All I said was maybe it would be nice to not have the shops open all the time and would encourage people to do other things than hang out in a mall all day.

Even when there was no Sunday shopping, we still had Sunday shopping, as the downtown districts were allowed to open on Sunday.

That would be seen as an unfair advantage. And even they weren't always allowed...

[SpongeG]

if anything more convenient hours gives us a better quality of life and extended hours on weekdays fulfills that for many people - they can stop in on the way home from work pick up what they need and spend their days off doing what they want to do, go for a hike, hang out at the beach whatever and get some rest

[miketoronto]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

if anything more convenient hours gives us a better quality of life and extended hours on weekdays fulfills that for many people - they can stop in on the way home from work pick up what they need and spend their days off doing what they want to do, go for a hike, hang out at the beach whatever and get some rest

You make shopping sound like a chore. And this stems from our go go go lifestyle today and not enjoying things.

Food shopping for example can be a blast. Sure not always in a supermarket. But farmers markets, etc are a blast to go shopping in.

We have turned what used to be enjoyable things into a chore. And I think that stems from our mostly suburban lifestyle.

[telyou]

[QUOTE=miketoronto;5692278]They are not my shopping hours. They are the shopping hours of many places around the world.

Your perception of Europe is way off. I don't know much about the burbs in European cities but considering i lived in several European cities during my childhood i can tell you it was very weird when i first move to Canada, in Montreal, and saw the stores shutting down at 6. Majority of stores in central European cities are opened late at night. Taking Greece as an example as it is my home country, shops are opened until 8pm on weekdays.
Let's not even get into Asian cities.

Originally Posted by miketoronto

All I said was maybe it would be nice to not have the shops open all the time and would encourage people to do other things than hang out in a mall all day.

And giving families the option to shop when they have availability helps this more then anything.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

You make shopping sound like a chore. And this stems from our go go go lifestyle today and not enjoying things.

Food shopping for example can be a blast. Sure not always in a supermarket. But farmers markets, etc are a blast to go shopping in.

We have turned what used to be enjoyable things into a chore. And I think that stems from our mostly suburban lifestyle.

personally i live to shop and usually go window shopping on my days off - i could go to IKEA everyday and never get tired of it

i am talking in general terms, most people get what they need and leave and want to avoid shopping all together

my friends boyfriend hates shopping and is not a good shopping partner for us - me and my friend will pick up every item in the store and ooh and ahh which drives his BF crazy he gravitates to the door hoping we will get the hint

[Acajack]

Although I find it pathetic that shopping is the main recreational activity for so many people, it is a necessary evil for everyone and as the head of a busy family if we did not have fairly flexible store hours I would be even more of a slave to shopping than I am now.