The Big Box Capital Of Canada!

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Do they sell Seal-flipper Pie?

I like Costco in Quebec, because they stock a lot of great Quebec foods...alas most are hard to come by in Presbyterianly-boring Ontario.

I'm not sure. I don't fully understand the rules around wild game here. I know restaurants can sell it, and it seems a couple of groceries (Bidgoods, especially) just do whatever the fuck they want... but I think it's technically illegal for groceries to do so. And Costco, I really wouldn't know. I can count on one finger the number of times I've been in one. It's awful. It's all people coming in from out around the bay loading up on mayonnaise and it's just... crowds of that particular type infuriate me. I get angry at the comfortable sneakers, outdated jeans, goretex jackets, baseball caps, how many of them have to loudly talk about knowing each other ("WHAS YOU DOIN IN TOWN DER BUDDY B'Y!"). I just... I can't. I'd rather listen to people from Ontario say "downtown" on a loop.

I buy mine on the harbourfront or one of the roadstand stands (typically the one on the side of Topsail Road, somewhere in between Mount Pearl and Paradise; I don't know which subdivision is which).

I realize I'm answering a joke but... I do that, sorry lol Like that scene in The Crown. Dowager Countess: You'll have to excuse cousin Violet. She's very literal.

[stevanford1]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Definitely woot-worthy. The Alberta advantage strikes again! Well, Ontario can console itself that it has more artisanal olive oil emporiums per capita. We may even outrank Alberta in the gourmet cupcake dept. Woot Woot!

Olive Oil Shops in Toronto

Cupcake places in Toronto

Woot

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

I believe there are actually more Costco’s per capita in Canada than the US.

100 in Canada, 546 in the US.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by stevanford1

Wow, Toronto only has four! Edmonton Costco's must have much fanfare!

Tough to find land in the city of Toronto itself. But there are another half dozen or so scattered around the GTA outside the city proper.

[SignalHillHiker]

Atlanta probably had more drive-throughs than Toronto too. At least, I fucking hope so.

[Innsertnamehere]

Probably more like a dozen. The GTA doesn’t have a shortage of Costco’s, just toronto.

Edit: just counted. 16 in the GTA, 1 more in Oshawa, and another 2 in Hamilton. So 19. And they open a new one every year or two. 3 have opened in the last 3 years.

[ssiguy]

Originally Posted by Corndogger

That's probably true but until Costco they tended to only sell food. Now Costco, Walmart, etc. sell just about everything you could imagine buying which make them what most of us consider to be big box stores.

I have only been to a Costco twice in my life so perhaps I am mistaken to just call them grocery stores. That said, grocery stores really are Canada's first big box developments but you usually don't see as much vile thrown their way.

[ssiguy]

As for Edmonton closing it's downtown Bay, this is very bad news and far more so than if it were to happen in any other city in the country including Calgary, Winnipeg, and Victoria.

People no longer go to downtown because they can go to the Bay but rather because they are ALREADY downtown. This is due to a a higher downtown population but far more so because they are connected to complete shopping districts and streets. The situation has reversed itself from decades ago when small downtown businesses thrived due to being near a department store to department stores thriving because they are near smaller downtown businesses. The downtown Bay simply can't compete with the box stores in the suburbs that offer lower prices, are easier to get to, and have acres of free parking.

Edmonton's problem is that is has no unique shopping districts downtown and the individual stores it does have are on incomplete streets. I don't think there is a single block of a street in downtown Edmonton that isn't scarred with a parking lot, garage, or a concrete facing office tower. It's the antithesis of a pedestrian friendly environment.

[stevanford1]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

I'm not sure. I don't fully understand the rules around wild game here. I know restaurants can sell it, and it seems a couple of groceries (Bidgoods, especially) just do whatever the fuck they want... but I think it's technically illegal for groceries to do so. And Costco, I really wouldn't know. I can count on one finger the number of times I've been in one. It's awful. It's all people coming in from out around the bay loading up on mayonnaise and it's just... crowds of that particular type infuriate me. I get angry at the comfortable sneakers, outdated jeans, goretex jackets, baseball caps, how many of them have to loudly talk about knowing each other ("WHAS YOU DOIN IN TOWN DER BUDDY B'Y!"). I just... I can't. I'd rather listen to people from Ontario say "downtown" on a loop.

I buy mine on the harbourfront or one of the roadstand stands (typically the one on the side of Topsail Road, somewhere in between Mount Pearl and Paradise; I don't know which subdivision is which).

I realize I'm answering a joke but... I do that, sorry lol Like that scene in The Crown. Dowager Countess: You'll have to excuse cousin Violet. She's very literal.

New question: what does seal flipper pie taste like?

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by stevanford1

New question: what does seal flipper pie taste like?

It's hard for me to explain because my game references are mostly local as well. It tastes like turr. You've not had turr? It's kind of moose-y. You've not had moose?

So in going through this with a couple of people over the years, I've narrowed it down to you know what makes rabbit taste different from steak? Multiply that difference by 100 and you can imagine what game-y meat tastes like. Seal is the thickest, oiliest, heaviest, game-y-ist meat you will ever have - but still tender. It overpowers everything else in any dish it's in, like truffle. So you might as well enjoy it simply and by itself. Eating it on the cartilage is like picking the ginger and meat out of a lobster body. It's so good.

And, according to the Canadian constitution (as our Terms of Union is a constitutional document in Canada), seal is officially a fish - Pope let locals eat it on Fridays lol.

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

: And Costco, I really wouldn't know. I can count on one finger the number of times I've been in one. It's awful. It's all people coming in from out around the bay loading up on mayonnaise and it's just... crowds of that particular type infuriate me. I get angry at the comfortable sneakers, outdated jeans, goretex jackets, baseball caps, how many of them have to loudly talk about knowing each other ("WHAS YOU DOIN IN TOWN DER BUDDY B'Y!"). I just... I can't. I'd rather listen to people from Ontario say "downtown" on a loop.

The fact that people are wearing comfortable sneakers, outdated jeans (who is the decider of what is dated and what is outdated..surely we're not going to be catty like they are on What not to Wear ) and shock horror they wear baseball caps. The nerve of those rubes. Is that the reason you don't go to Costco...if so, it will be a long time before you visit and that is basically the majority of the clientele.

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by Proof Sheet

The fact that people are wearing comfortable sneakers, outdated jeans (who is the decider of what is dated and what is outdated..surely we're not going to be catty like they are on What not to Wear ) and shock horror they wear baseball caps. The nerve of those rubes. Is that the reason you don't go to Costco...if so, it will be a long time before you visit and that is basically the majority of the clientele.

I mean, if it makes me an asshole, so be it. I try to be good. I shop at stores with inclusive sizes, I get my highlighter from a makeup brand with a good shade range. I'm conscious of being a privileged part of a much wider world and make choices to lessen that divide. But we all have to draw the line somewhere, and mine is the crowd at the Costco in St. John's:

[urbandreamer]

I don't understand the reason for Costco to exist but I have been in them before and do know a girl who shops there religiously: she's got two fridges stocked with a year's supply of frozen meats, generic coffee and the Costco gluten free bread - yuck. (I like Little Northern Bakehouse and Canyon Bakehouse gf breads) I know people who line up for 20 minutes to save $1 on gas ... not my thing. I know people who go there just to eat "free" samples then spend $600 on junk they don't need. I prefer No Frills, Goodness Me, Sobeys and local places like Zehr's Country Market (Millbank) and Vincenzo's for grocery shopping and Amazon for everything else.

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by Doug

A few comments about Costco:
-the average Costco shopper skews towards those with high incomes and advanced degrees: https://snapshot.numerator.com/retailer/costco
-the first Costco in Canada was in Burnaby, the second in Edmonton: https://www.cbc.ca/archives/the-dawn...nada-1.5328668
-I can’t find a source, but I remember Edmonton being the first Canadian city with two Costco’s. The first one at 149th and Yellowhead opened in 1985, the second on 99th St in the South opened in 1988. Both of those locations are closed as Costco opened larger stores nearby
-the Calgary region will soon have 7 locations: South, NE, NW, Rockyview, Okotoks, East Hills, Anderson & Ring Road (opening soon)
-the first Calgary location opened at Deerfoot and Glenmore in 1987. That location expanded in 1990. It moved to an even larger location nearby in 2003. The second Calgary location opened in the NE in 1991. It expanded in 2000
-perhaps Costco does so well in Alberta due to it being in the market for so long, and the high average incomes. It also seems to do really well in BC, where it has also been in the market for a long time

The new Costco being built in the Calgary area is apparently going to be the first one on First Nations land. I believe it's by 130 Ave. not Anderson Road. Next they need to build one on the west side of Calgary.

[Maclac2]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

It's hard for me to explain because my game references are mostly local as well. It tastes like turr. You've not had turr? It's kind of moose-y. You've not had moose?

So in going through this with a couple of people over the years, I've narrowed it down to you know what makes rabbit taste different from steak? Multiply that difference by 100 and you can imagine what game-y meat tastes like. Seal is the thickest, oiliest, heaviest, game-y-ist meat you will ever have - but still tender. It overpowers everything else in any dish it's in, like truffle. So you might as well enjoy it simply and by itself. Eating it on the cartilage is like picking the ginger and meat out of a lobster body. It's so good.

And, according to the Canadian constitution (as our Terms of Union is a constitutional document in Canada), seal is officially a fish - Pope let locals eat it on Fridays lol.

The eye candy at Costco is second to none...If I was a single guy - I'd hit on all of the tremendously hot soccer moms that frequent my local store....

[yaletown_fella]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

I don't understand the reason for Costco to exist but I have been in them before and do know a girl who shops there religiously: she's got two fridges stocked with a year's supply of frozen meats, generic coffee and the Costco gluten free bread - yuck. (I like Little Northern Bakehouse and Canyon Bakehouse gf breads) I know people who line up for 20 minutes to save $1 on gas ... not my thing. I know people who go there just to eat "free" samples then spend $600 on junk they don't need. I prefer No Frills, Goodness Me, Sobeys and local places like Zehr's Country Market (Millbank) and Vincenzo's for grocery shopping and Amazon for everything else.

I don't get the hate for Costco. It's a huge benefit if you are on a budget.

With Amazon you pay twice as much for items you can get at Costco and Amazon delivery is the most environmentally wasteful way to shop. Amazon also treats its employees terribly. Costco is far better in this respect.

I agree with you about the gas lineup though.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Proof Sheet

The fact that people are wearing comfortable sneakers, outdated jeans (who is the decider of what is dated and what is outdated..surely we're not going to be catty like they are on What not to Wear ) and shock horror they wear baseball caps. The nerve of those rubes. Is that the reason you don't go to Costco...if so, it will be a long time before you visit and that is basically the majority of the clientele.

The Costco crowd are several orders of magnitude more refined than the "People of Walmart"................

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I would have thought that the string of power centres on Innes in Orleans is at least as big an offender as TrainYards.

It's the location near downtown that makes it an offender, along with the massive parking lot that makes it hard to navigate. It's an expected site in a suburb like Orleans, and the linear layout makes for simpler parking lots.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by TheGreatestX

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/c...age-asset.jpeg

Edmonton is king of box stores

I didn't vote until I saw this.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

And Costco, I really wouldn't know. I can count on one finger the number of times I've been in one. It's awful. It's all people coming in from out around the bay loading up on mayonnaise and it's just... crowds of that particular type infuriate me.

This makes me laugh because it's the exact same visual that turned me off Costco.

Years ago when Costco first came to Canada, I had gone shopping with my mother to Costco. First time there. While walking around I see a rather large customer on a mobility scooter telling her companion to get the very large tub of mayo. That image. Can't shake it.