OT - Target leaves Canada

[papertraveller]

Target announced this morning it is putting its Canadian operations into CCAA.

I was sooo happy when they came here, and am now equally sad that they couldn't make a go of it.

 

[Kogo Shuko]

Whaaaat!!

I'd say I'm surprised, but I'm really not.

They've been blundering around since the moment they got here. I had a friend who was working at one, and during the winter months, they had all sorts of mittens and gloves sitting in the back and management refused to let the employees put them out until other, minor tasks were completed. So consumers would come to Target looking for mittens and there would be none!

At the Target near me, the price for a 2 pack of AAA batteries was 10.99, but the price for a 4 pack of the exact same batteries was 8.99. And from an employee's perspective, I suppose it sort of made sense: it costs the same to ship the 4 pack as the 2 pack, so they lose money on the 2 pack, either way. But all they would have to do is jack the 4 pack price to at least 2 dollars more, and not one consumer would have questioned it.

I admit I've enjoyed shopping at Target though. They're all so.... dead. Half the time I can't find what I'm looking for, but I don't have to deal with the hordes at Wal-Mart, and that's a huge bonus.

 

[coastgirl]

DD will be devastated! It was our fun thing, we could spend hours wandering around and picking up "cute and cheap"... We really liked the merchandise, though admittedly there was never enough of it. Cutest holiday decorations and clothes my picky pre-teen would wear (only not-brand-name place she willingly goes anymore).

Sad. Sorry they couldn't make it work, and sorry for the malls and shopping areas that put their eggs into the Target basket. We will continue to visit when we are in the US, but that's not often enough!!

 

[pigletto]

We are disappointed as well. I find it so much cleaner, brighter and just a more pleasant shopping experience than going to Walmart. Oh well now I guess I won't go to either.
It's really a shame. I did like the store and though I know there were stock issues at some stores we never experienced that problem at our local store.

 

[gem21]

Disappointing yes, but can't say I'm really surprised. The reality is people were expecting it to be like Target is in the US, with unique products and the likes, but it wasn't even close to that. It was just a Wal-Mart with more expensive prices. I only went a handful of times, but whenever I went there were always lots of empty shelves (as in not stocked, not sold out).

I'd much rather drive down to the one in the US!

 

[bcwife76]

I'm not surprised but still very disappointed Guess my Target Red Card will be getting a work out while they are still here! My kids will be upset, they love the toys section (which is way better than Walmart) and the Spot shop at the front of the store.

 

[Donald - my hero]

And now over 16,000 people will be out of work. I am concerned for people who live in communities that do not have a Walmart since even though we do not shop there, (hubby refers to it as "Devil-Mart) if we still had young children we would have no choice. Rubber boots and sand toys are but 2 times that can not be found at a decent price in any of the stores that remain. Where will young families shop for essentials at a price that will not break their budgets??

The ripple effect will be massive ... can't put it into words, but it will cause a drop in business at other stores within the communities that will see a loss of employment. I'm truly sorry to see this happen.

 

[damo]

We're very disappointed too. It makes me angry that the company didn't put the effort required to make the store profitable. It had so many things going for it but so many areas where there was need for improvement. We're going to miss it.

 

[Skjhjb]

Count me in the disappointed group as well.

I was super excited that Sarah Richardson was designing a line of home decor for Target - so I'll be keeping watch to see if she puts it somewhere else.

If you are a pharmacy customer - they are independently owned. We had switched to the Target one here in town, and I am friends with the owner. She has told me she will remain open, just not in the Target location - so seh needs to find a space to put her pharmacy, but she will be able to service the clientel she has built up.

 

[Ted in Halifax]

I feel bad for the people who worked there.

Really from the start this was poorly designed. I can think of a few things that surprised me. First, using the old Zeller locations .... yikes. Second, the Poppy selling problem regarding Veterans. Clearly someone did not understand the Canadian loyalty to our vets.

I think the final straw was the shift in the exchange rates ....

 

[TheBig2na]

ON a positive note, at least the guy who messed the whole expansion up was fired. Poor guy only got $61 million to walk away though. how will he survive?