OT - What do Canadiens (or is it Canadians?) have against Target?

Tjcoley

Just curious. Wondering what the issue is? Walmart I can understand, but Target?

VANcouverEGG

Ha. You know we are a bi-lingual country right? We are a lot like you.

VANcouverEGG

except for two languages and the metric system.

nolaegghead

Hey, it's the free market.

fishlessman

i dont like walmart or target or even cabelas. i dont like any of the big boxes. you dont have to be canadian

Egghead_Daron

From what I was reading, Target really screwed that whole thing up. Tried to change the way they do business and it didn't work. Not sure what they were thinking but that was a huge financial loss for them. Target is my happy place.

hondabbq

They weren't offering anything other than the run of the mill items found everywhere else. I Love going for weekend roadtrips to the US and loading  up on groceries from Target. the Archer Farms line of products is awesome. They had none of it here. They did nothing to set themselves apart from other retailers from coast to coast. If they weren't able to match the better pricing in the US at least have something to bring people into the stores that no one else carries. That in my opinion is where they were flawed.

paqman

hondabbq said:

They weren't offering anything other than the run of the mill items found everywhere else. I Love going for weekend roadtrips to the US and loading  up on groceries from Target. the Archer Farms line of products is awesome. They had none of it here. They did nothing to set themselves apart from other retailers from coast to coast. If they weren't able to match the better pricing in the US at least have something to bring people into the stores that no one else carries. That in my opinion is where they were flawed.

Agreed

GATraveller

fishlessman said:

i dont like walmart or target or even cabelas. i dont like any of the big boxes. you dont have to be canadian

You live in Maine......as I see it that may as well be Canada.  

I don't visit Target that often but SWMBO goes so much that I feel like I should own stock.

Botch

When I was stationed at Grand Forks AFB in North Dakota, I was warned not to go grocery shopping off-base on the weekends.  I forgot the warning once and went, and learned why.  Several tour buses in the parking lot from Canada, and it took forever to get through the checkout line.  People would look at a list, take a few items out of their cart, pay for them out of one envelope, take a few more items out of their cart, pay for them out of another envelope, etc.

Learned that cash-strapped canadians would get lists from their friends, come to GF from Winnipeg, and shop for them, then someone else would go the next weekend, etc.  

To be fair, many of the airmen would take their wives up to Winnipeg to give birth, gaining dual citizenship for their kids and free health care (and we yanks grumble about "anchor babies" from Mexico).

Not trying to start a debate, just an interesting experience.  That was in 1992, don't know if that still goes on or not.  

Little Steven

You know it is Target right? It isn't Tarjrt. Just like IGA isn't Iga O:-)

bweekes

hondabbq said:

They weren't offering anything other than the run of the mill items found everywhere else. I Love going for weekend roadtrips to the US and loading  up on groceries from Target. the Archer Farms line of products is awesome. They had none of it here. They did nothing to set themselves apart from other retailers from coast to coast. If they weren't able to match the better pricing in the US at least have something to bring people into the stores that no one else carries. That in my opinion is where they were flawed.

Bang on. Pricing was way out of line compared to consumer expectations. 

BigWader

The biggest issue Target had in Canada was retail locations.  They bought bad real estate from Hudsons Bay (old Zeller's stores) that were in lower end retail plazas, already encroached by Walmart, etc. 

To be successful they had to draw customers.  When they launched they severely botched having products in stock, having a wide assortment (they launched with WAY less SKUs than what a typical US target has) and pricing was not a draw.

Customers that did try Target didn't get what they wanted, had to go to store locations that they didn't usually go to and had to pay same prices as their current habits.

You can't win customers with that recipe... they killed themselves in a way because it wasn't a good launch.

I really like Target in the US, and I like the cleaner, quieter pace of shopping at Target in Canada.  I will be sad to see them close here - especially now that our dollar is tanking!

That and most of the job losses will be in Ontario so that is going to further screw our province's chances of a recovery.

bigalsworth

@hondabbq nailed it.

Canugghead

Another Canadian department store chain has been in trouble several years now, thanks to its American Buffett wannabe hedge fund owner that uses it as personal ATM!

Canugghead

never liked their corporate mascot, looks like it was wounded since day 0!

cook861

Target only went  into mall  (we had a zellers here) when target  took over  the cloest one was 45min  away wer the zellers was only 20 min away 

Little Steven

Hey you ON guys need to get on the eggers everywhere thread

Sorry that is the "where is everyone" thread below

Lit

I don't do target much. The one close to me isn't a super target so its like a cleaner WalMart. I do like 90% of my shopping between Costco, amazon, and home depot.

GreenWave36

90% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the U.S. border. What Target failed to contemplate is many Canadians already shopped their stores in places like Buffalo and Detroit. When the stores opened in Canada, there was immediately a price perception issue. Prices were higher in Toronto than Buffalo, much like they are higher in Target stores in Boston than their stores in Buffalo. Target prices based on competition and operating costs in a market. It costs more to operate stores in Canada, it just didn't seem to matter for guest perception.

The real estate was also not great (though these Zellers leaseholds were the only way they could enter Canada with any scale), and there were systems issues as well. But after they swept the confetti off the floor after the grand openings, traffic never really came back.

Doc_Eggerton

I like Meijer's.