Canadian Retail Thread

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Wigs

Trump enacts a full trade war with Canada and many of the forumers here will be still shopping at Walmart, Costco, Whole Foods and saying "so what"

I'm more concerned about buying Canadian made goods at this point. Not buying from American-owned retailers will come next if they don't put pressure on Trump to end the tariffs.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by theman23

I thought Canadian grocery stores were the bad guys? Hard to keep things straight these days...

In the US this week you had Dem of Dems Elizabeth Warren defending Big Pharma almost to the death. She made a classic unpredictable loose cannon like RFK Jr look relatively sane in comparison.

[Innsertnamehere]

Originally Posted by Loco101

The only two grocery stores where I live that are unionized are No Frills and Your Independent Grocer. Both are franchisee-owned by still part of Loblaws. They are also the best stores for appearance and selection. Our Metro, Food Basics and Foodland have kind of gone downhill as they don't pay well and have high staff turnover.

The Loblaws grocery store in the town I lived in growing up was unionized. It's fairly common in Loblaws grocers from my understanding.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by Acajack

In the US this week you had Dem of Dems Elizabeth Warren defending Big Pharma almost to the death. She made a classic unpredictable loose cannon like RFK Jr look relatively sane in comparison.

Without knowing specifically what you're referring to, I can still be almost 100% sure that's a mischaracterization. He was probably attacking the science and process behind developing vaccines which she would have defended because they aren't the problem. But that isn't defending the industry but rather defending scientific practices used in the industry but developed in various places including those outside the industry such as universities, government facilities, etc. She would have been critical of the economic aspects of the industry such as how much they charge and their approach to intellectual property. Which is not only a perfectly reasonable approach, but also the correct one.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

The Loblaws grocery store in the town I lived in growing up was unionized. It's fairly common in Loblaws grocers from my understanding.

Unionization in Loblaws is pretty common IIRC, though to say that at a corporate level they aren't exactly fans of the union would probably be accurate.

I hope I'm getting the details right here as there isn't much info online, but at one point in the mid-aughts the company actually created an offshoot brand "Loblaw" for stores with less favourable agreements, or ideally, not unionized at all. This offshoot no longer exists but there's probably still some signage around: https://maps.app.goo.gl/F9RGs7Ljw5GT9NLVA

I remember Torontoist having an article about this back then and I heard some stories from a union organizer that I'd met.

[WhipperSnapper]

Only thing I can add.

Unifor local 414 representing Metro workers in Toronto were on strike summer 2023. My store was close 3 to 4 days ever week during the strike.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by P'tit Renard

Boycotting a blue state company that openly defies Trump is a bit silly no?

Upon further reflection, Costco is a pretty good retailer. They treat their employees well compared to most retailers, pay a living wage, while openly defying Trump.
Costco to raise hourly pay for most US store workers to over $30
https://www.reuters.com/business/ret...30-2025-01-31/

Make Walmart (our employees rely on social assistance/food stamps to survive) and Whole Foods suffer though

[SpongeG]

I worked at Superstore in the early 90s while going to school, it was unionized, we never got benefits or anything great from it, they never hired full-time positions, it was all part-time, management was able to get full time, they always scheduled shifts just below the minimum needed to get the benefits. I also worked at a Pattison owned grocery store and it was also unionized and also the same issue, only part-time hires and no benefits, I lasted a month, one week I had two 4 hour shifts, and they paid every Friday there, once a week, so I had an 8 hour pay cheque which was useless, the most hours I got once was 4 days with 6 hour shifts, so 24 hours.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by niwell

Unionization in Loblaws is pretty common IIRC, though to say that at a corporate level they aren't exactly fans of the union would probably be accurate.

I worked part-time in the grocery department at a Fortinos in Hamilton when Loblaws bought the brand in the late 1980s. It was one of the smaller original stores, long since dropped by the corporation but for someone finishing high school and heading to university locally it was a great place to work (very busy for its size, walking distance for me, I made lots of friends there in many departments...)

We joined the union and hourly wages went up. I was lucky in that my hours didn't shrink, unlike others who were viewed by management as lazy and unproductive who were subsequently scheduled for one evening per week at most. During the first year there was threat of a strike, and that really divided the employees... much pressure from full-timers on us part-timers to say we'd join them picketing, and here I was just working to save money for school and spending while out with friends. There was a settlement, but the bad blood lasted a while for some on staff.

I had other friends working at other unionized chains who were making a lot more ($15+ per hour vs. my pre-union $7.50) but I usually got three evenings plus a Saturday or Sunday (or both) when Sunday shopping was allowed. Many of them would only get one evening shift and maybe a short one on the weekend. Minimum wage was much lower of course, but when my wages climbed a few dollars an hour very quickly I didn't complain. Had my hours been cut I would have felt differently.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Without knowing specifically what you're referring to, I can still be almost 100% sure that's a mischaracterization. He was probably attacking the science and process behind developing vaccines which she would have defended because they aren't the problem. But that isn't defending the industry but rather defending scientific practices used in the industry but developed in various places including those outside the industry such as universities, government facilities, etc. She would have been critical of the economic aspects of the industry such as how much they charge and their approach to intellectual property. Which is not only a perfectly reasonable approach, but also the correct one.

It’s unreasonable and fishy to incessantly harangue the incoming minister of health of the most powerful economy in the world to get him to pledge in front of a congressional committee that he will never take pharmaceutical companies to court.

Note that I am not an RFK Jr fan boy nor am I anti vaxx. My kids my wife and I all have every vaccine under the sun. Including 4-5 against COVID.

[cslusarc]

Hudson's Bay is about to file for bankruptcy protection soon according to the WSJ.

Retail-Insider: Hudson’s Bay Facing Imminent Bankruptcy: Report.

[Loco101]

Hudson’s Bay could file for bankruptcy within days: Wall Street Journal

https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/arti...treet-journal/

[whatnext]

What a perfect metaphor for Canada: American investor comes in, strips it of assets and tosses it on the scrap heap.

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by whatnext

What a perfect metaphor for Canada: American investor comes in, strips it of assets and tosses it on the scrap heap.

You always choose whatever take makes Canada look the worst.

Are you okay?

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by dreambrother808

You always choose whatever take makes Canada look the worst.

Are you okay?

LOL, sure Justin's left us in such fine shape for the future. Let's all wave flags and be happy.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by Loco101

Hudson’s Bay could file for bankruptcy within days: Wall Street Journal

https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/arti...treet-journal/

This feels like Eaton’s all over again.

Eaton’s lasted for about two years after it filed for bankruptcy protection, and even then they shrunk or closed stores at that time. I remember the downtown London store, which was 5 stories (4 + basement) was reduced to 2 stories in 1997 before closing along with the other two London stores in 1999. Incidentally, one of those stores (Masonville) became a Hudson’s Bay, which it remains to this day.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by whatnext

LOL, sure Justin's left us in such fine shape for the future. Let's all wave flags and be happy.

And really, who would have been all that much better?

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

This feels like Eaton’s all over again.

Eaton’s lasted for about two years after it filed for bankruptcy protection, and even then they shrunk or closed stores at that time. I remember the downtown London store, which was 5 stories (4 + basement) was reduced to 2 stories in 1997 before closing along with the other two London stores in 1999. Incidentally, one of those stores (Masonville) became a Hudson’s Bay, which it remains to this day.

I remember going in the 1990s to the Eaton's downtown London that had 5 levels. I believe it was attached to the Galleria. It was such a big store and felt like being in Toronto. I have a deceased uncle who had a long career at Eaton's in the GTA managing stores but actually started his first job at the downtown London location. The company was hit very hard once Walmart moved into Canada and when big box retailers opened. My uncle always had great stories about the stores he managed, the events and how close his employees were to one another.

[Loco101]

I'm wondering if a Canadian company will attempt to buy Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). I'm not exactly sure who owns it now but it still appears to be American owned and corporately-managed.

Potential buyers:

Loblaws (the Weston family): I believe they attempted to buy HBC in the past. I could see Galen trying. The largest Canadian retailer obtaining the oldest one kind of seems like a good fit. (I'm NOT a huge fan of Galen Weston btw)

Canadian Tire Corporation: the company would be able to fit the brand in well with the different types of stores they operate (Canadian Tire, Mark's and the various sporting goods chain stores) and probably could have some HBC standalone stores that carry classic HBC items.

Government of Canada: during this time of Trump threatening us, the federal government decides to rescue and nationalize HBC for historical and patriotic reasons with a plan to sell it to Canadian ownership in a few years.

Other that are only a remote possibility:

-Home Hardware

-Jim Pattison Group

-Empire Company (Sobeys)

-Metro Inc.

[MolsonExport]

Hudson’s Bay anticipates closing about half its 80 stores in restructuring plan