Canadian Retail Thread

[Ozabald]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

So what you’re telling me is that if I go to Bellingham and shop at the Fred Meyer store there, their food is more “local” than what Superstore and Walmart here are selling? (Fred Meyer has their nearest distribution centre just outside Seattle)

It just seems ridiculous that the food I might buy in Bellingham has travelled a far shorter distance than stuff I’d buy on this side of the border, coming from two provinces over. People say buying “local” means buying Canadian, but “local” in my case seems to be from a part of the US within a day’s drive rather than a 2-3 day drive away that happens to be in Canadian territory.

For truly Pacific Northwest local products on your cross-border shopping trips to Bellingham, shop at Haggen. Though now part of the Albertsons conglomerate, Haggen has strong local roots in Bellingham and actively carry local Pacific Northwest products (which sometimes they will include BC); which are readily identified in their flyers and on the store shelves.

[urbandreamer]

Toronto, eg in nearby Bloor West Village, has hundreds to thousands of small green grocers and "ethnic" shops selling fresh fruit & vegetables. The local mall grocery store/fruit stand does seem more like a BC thing, as they're usually owned by Chinese. Eg there's one in a really depressing mall in Nanaimo beside the Canadian Tire I got new tires at, that has an excellent selection of German and British foods. It's probably a reflection of relatively affordable rents. KW, likewise, has many grocery stores inside malls.

[Taeolas]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Problem is that nowadays, many people do not carry physical cash (let alone coins).

The Walmart in Regent Mall here in Fredericton just put the Loonie-locks on their carts. I don't know how it is going (especially with the Christmas season coming), but I hope they change their minds.

I understand that they are probably tired of chasing their carts down across the huge mall, and the mall is probably tired of their carts clogging up the mall halls and other parking areas.

But as noted, people just don't carry cash any more. I know I personally keep an emergency 20 folded up in my wallet and otherwise only use my cards, especially for big shopping like at Walmart. It basically means I've completely cut that Walmart off my shopping destinations, and instead only shop at the other Walmart in the city (which doesn't do any cart-locks)

[casper]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

So what you’re telling me is that if I go to Bellingham and shop at the Fred Meyer store there, their food is more “local” than what Superstore and Walmart here are selling? (Fred Meyer has their nearest distribution centre just outside Seattle)

It just seems ridiculous that the food I might buy in Bellingham has travelled a far shorter distance than stuff I’d buy on this side of the border, coming from two provinces over. People say buying “local” means buying Canadian, but “local” in my case seems to be from a part of the US within a day’s drive rather than a 2-3 day drive away that happens to be in Canadian territory.

Shop from your local independent. Save-On-Foods, Stong's, Kins Market, etc. Sobey's (Safeway and Thrifty's etc.).

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by harls

They got rid of that coin deposit thing in Quebec during the pandemic, and it never came back.

You could buy a keychain token that would work to unlock the carts at one time.

Some places have radio controlled locking mechanisms on one of the wheels that would engage if you left the parking lot. Bubbles would have quite the time collecting carts today.

All stores in southern Ontario have this. There's literally a strip embedded in the parking lot that you can't go past because the wheels lock instantly. And yeah Bubbles shopping cart grift would disappear

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

You mean stores like Remark or the 2 Sunripes in London? Or smaller stores?

I'm referring to small neighbourhood stores inside malls or on street corners that just sell a selection of fruits and vegetables; they don't have the selection of medium-size stores like Remark which also offers a bakery, deli, and so forth.

A few examples from New Westminster and nearby:

Joy Farm Market

New Apple Farm Market

Kin's Farm Market

I don't ever remember seeing farm markets like this inside malls in Toronto or elsewhere in Ontario.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Problem is that nowadays, many people do not carry physical cash (let alone coins).

I just keep a couple quarters and loonies in the console in my car.

[SpongeG]

Speaking of grocery shopping in Bellingham, at Trader Joes, I am always checking where things are from and so many of the items are Products of Canada, like the Trader Joe's buns, I forget the type but they are from Canada, and I wonder where. Also chips and pop at many grocery stores are also Product Of Canada on the labels.

I remember when I lived in Ontario for a couple of years and I really missed the produce stores, there are fewer of them now here, several Kins Markets have closed in recent years.

[urbandreamer]

Not only affordable rents, but all the rainy weather for months on end has probably helped the mall green grocers.

I don't know much about suburban Toronto, but within a 10-20 minute walk I've got dozens to pick from. I mostly shop at the Dorval Rd & Bloor West one.

[urbandreamer]

I went for a long walk tonight and checked out the Well. At 8:30pm it was dead. I noticed mostly South Asian TFW/student types hanging around and entering the apartment lobbies. So I wondered: why the big disconnect between the retail catering to European/Anglo Canadians and the reality of the local changing demographics?

This area of downtown is comparable to the student ghetto in KW, where retail is geared to SA & Chinese students.

Anyway, my overall impression of The Well is it feels like an entrance to a Metro Station like Square Victoria or Berri-Uqam or even Mont Royal, and thus without a subway connection I think it's doomed to fail. It's sort of a sanitized Kensington Market meets Yorkville, but ends up feeling inappropriately scaled. Unless the south side of Front Street/rail corridor gets that huge residential development. In the meantime, it'll be interesting to see if both this weird mall and King Street retail suffers, kind of how the Eaton Centre destroyed Yonge and Dundas for decades. It's not as bad as Aura or College Park, but I can see the day it's dominated by dentist offices, drycleaners and a Walmart.

[Acajack]

In Ottawa this morning and Blinds to Go has a large OUI PAPA! banner out front.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

Speaking of grocery shopping in Bellingham, at Trader Joes, I am always checking where things are from and so many of the items are Products of Canada, like the Trader Joe's buns, I forget the type but they are from Canada, and I wonder where. Also chips and pop at many grocery stores are also Product Of Canada on the labels.

I remember when I lived in Ontario for a couple of years and I really missed the produce stores, there are fewer of them now here, several Kins Markets have closed in recent years.

The reason is likely because the products can be produced more cheaply in Canada.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Acajack

In Ottawa this morning and Blinds to Go has a large OUI PAPA! banner out front.

I had to Google that and from what I can tell it's a line that was used in TV ads in Montreal but must have been known to Ottawans as well?!?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Loco101

I had to Google that and from what I can tell it's a line that was used in TV ads in Montreal but must have been known to Ottawans as well?!?

That's why I was surprised. The vast majority of Ottawans would not be familiar with those ads and their "cultural" impact.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Acajack

That's why I was surprised. The vast majority of Ottawans would not be familiar with those ads and their "cultural" impact.

Ottawa has had its own TV and radio stations so that makes sense. I wonder if that store get questioned a lot about it.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Loco101

Ottawa has had its own TV and radio stations so that makes sense. I wonder if that store get questioned a lot about it.

"Oui Papa!" has been parodied and caricatured in Quebec pop culture many times over decades, so some Ottawa francophones are no doubt aware of it, but yeah most Ottawans would not be - even many Ottawa francophones wouldn't be.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Acajack

In Ottawa this morning and Blinds to Go has a large OUI PAPA! banner out front.

• Video Link

• Video Link

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Parody:
• Video Link

[GDS]

And the son turned into one of Montreal's worst landlords for absurd rent increases and leaving empty storefronts vacant. Constantly in the news.

Shiller Lavy

[SteelTown]

Krispy Kreme to open Hamilton location
The Rymal Road East location will feature a theatre area, allowing customers the chance to see the doughnuts being made fresh.

https://www.thespec.com/business/kri...1894fb9ba.html

Hamiltonians are known to love their doughnuts — and soon, there will be another spot to get their fill.

Levi Hetrick, chief growth officer and operating partner at Krispy Kreme Canada, confirmed to The Spectator that the multinational doughnut and coffee chain will be opening a new “theatre hub” location at 1280 Rymal Rd. E.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Krispy Kreme to open Hamilton location
The Rymal Road East location will feature a theatre area, allowing customers the chance to see the doughnuts being made fresh.

https://www.thespec.com/business/kri...1894fb9ba.html

Hamiltonians are known to love their doughnuts — and soon, there will be another spot to get their fill.

Levi Hetrick, chief growth officer and operating partner at Krispy Kreme Canada, confirmed to The Spectator that the multinational doughnut and coffee chain will be opening a new “theatre hub” location at 1280 Rymal Rd. E.

How long has it been since Krispy Kreme opened a new location in Canada?

I remember they went on a big Canadian expansion spree in the early 2000s and closed a lot of locations before the end of the decade. Back then some people complained that their coffee was "terrible" and that they preferred Tim Hortons (which was actually believable back in 2004 when Starbucks had a much smaller Canadian presence and coffee at McDonald's was an afterthought). I can't recall any new location opening since 2004 but maybe I'm wrong.