Dear Mr. Fisher, I hear that you have a Target problem

[Icebound]

Dear Mr. Fisher

It has come to my notice that you seem to have a Target problem: http://www.thestar.com/business/2013/11/22/cool_canadian_welcome_hurts_targets_profits.html

I think I understand the reason that Canadians are having problems entering your stores.

The answer is simple: Make the entrance bigger.

Have you been to see your store in the Centrepoint Mall in north Toronto?

The mall entrance to your store is like entering a cave. Or possible a hangar with the door closed 3/4 of the way. Not only that, but it looks like a hardened, fortified door... like you expect some sort of an invasion or missle attack or something. Even that bulls-eye on the door is intimidating.... as if it were daring the attackers to strike.

And not a Christmas light or decoration to be seen on it. Do you seriously consider this a "welcome" entrance for your Canadian customers?

Walk across the mall kitty-corner to The Bay. See that wide-open, airy, fully lit entrance... It shouts "come in, we love you; we have goodies for sale". Your store, on the other hand, says: "come in if you dare; we are hiding stuff in here; if you are really lucky, you might escape with some of it before the missle strike".

Your Canadian Consumer,

Icebound.

[kimmy]

Target sucks.

I had been looking forward to a new department store arriving here in Kim City where shopping options aren't exactly plentiful. And the Zellers that had previously been in that location wasn't very good. Imagine my shock to find that the products and selection at Target are even worse than they were at Zellers. I didn't even think that was possible.

The only positive to come from Target's arrival here is that the hobos now have colorful red shopping carts in which to take their cans bottles to the recycling depot. Excellent news for hobos looking for sportier shopping carts, I suppose.

-k

[Michael Hardner]

K - get with it and join the Dollarama Revolution !

[GostHacked]

K - get with it and join the Dollarama Revolution !

I am sure if we scrape even more there is something UNDER the barrel. How low can we go?

[cybercoma]

I don't have a problem at all with Target. I'm not sure why it gets a bad reputation. If people were expecting it to be like Target in the States, they were fooling themselves. Walmart Canada isn't like Walmart in the states. Target's prices aren't that out of range of Walmart either. I've heard people say they were more expensive and I just don't find that's the case. Their selection is a bit nicer than Walmart's, even if not as extensive as the American stores' offerings. It's simply not that bad, imo.

[Bonam]

What do people even buy at these kinds of stores anymore?

[Guest Derek L]

I don't have a problem at all with Target. I'm not sure why it gets a bad reputation. If people were expecting it to be like Target in the States, they were fooling themselves. Walmart Canada isn't like Walmart in the states. Target's prices aren't that out of range of Walmart either. I've heard people say they were more expensive and I just don't find that's the case. Their selection is a bit nicer than Walmart's, even if not as extensive as the American stores' offerings. It's simply not that bad, imo.

I personally haven’t been in, but my wife put it like SEARS selection at Walmart prices……maybe the negative experience others had can be attributed to differing stores?

[cybercoma]

I don't get the SEARS thing. It's like a cross between Walmart and Canadian Tire at roughly the same prices.

[kimmy]

K - get with it and join the Dollarama Revolution !

I sometimes go to dollar stores when I need stuff and quality is completely not a factor. Also I like some of Dollarama's knock-off fragrances. "L'Hombre" is a pretty good Drakkar Noir knockoff. I get compliments when I wear it, which is hilarious for at least two reasons. "Your perfume smells so familiar." Yeah, it's because you used to bathe in Drakkar Noir in the 1980s, dude. Also, check out "Lazarus", which is pretty intense. If you like fragrances that have a "blast radius" instead of "sillage", Lazarus might be for you. I plan on wearing it when I'm Boxing Day shopping this year, to give me a little extra personal space.

I am sure if we scrape even more there is something UNDER the barrel. How low can we go?

-k

[kimmy]

I don't get the SEARS thing. It's like a cross between Walmart and Canadian Tire at roughly the same prices.

Here, shopping at Sears means you're in danger of getting hit by debris falling from rotting ceiling tiles. But they have much better stuff than Target. Although, in Target's favor, at least their ceiling isn't rotting.

-k

[Guest Derek L]

I don't get the SEARS thing. It's like a cross between Walmart and Canadian Tire at roughly the same prices.

I dunno, I have not been in a Sears for a long, long time......that was her opinion, but like you said, my wife had no issue with the Targets in the Lower Mainland........that said, we have a Superstore, Ikea, Crappy-Tire and Home Depot about 5 minutes away, with Costco and Walmart about 10 minutes......but are smack dab in the middle between the two big malls with both Sears and Target.

I try and avoid shopping

[Bryan]

The Target buildings themselves are fine here. The entrances are the same as the ones in Minnesota or North Dakota - wide, open, well lit, etc.

The selection is nowhere near what I'd expect from a Target - not even close. It's not really very much like a Target at all, so what was the point of coming to Canada?

The PRICES though. Exceptionally high. Most items that I've priced out and/or shopped for, are literally the priciest I've ever seen anywhere.

[overthere]

The closest Target took over the Zellers store, completely renovated and expanded the space, which was in dire need.

I'm no shopper, but it looks like Target shares somehting with the old Zellers: a lack of customers. I've been in it only a couple of times, but it looks really empty and the parking lot never seems to have many cars.

Walmart took over a Zellers space at another mall, and it looks a lot busier now.

[Boges]

Target is fine for what it is.

Pharmacy section is better than Walmart, clothing is nicer. Not sure why they even offer food if they don't have a full selection of fresh meat and produce. I also really like the housewares section. Recently bought a toaster oven at my local target.

If people are looking for prices comparable to the US then demand the minimum wage gets lowered.

I also don't understand the indignation from people. Where do you shop? The Bay? The Bay fleeces its customers with overpriced products made in the exact same area of the world as the stuff you get at Target or Walmart.

BTW the biggest appeal of Walmart isn't even the price, it's the fact that it's a once-stop shop for everything! and I do mean pretty much everything. The only thing, there are only a handful of stuff you can't get at Walmart. Large Appliances, Mattresses, sofas.

[Michael Hardner]

I am sure if we scrape even more there is something UNDER the barrel. How low can we go?

Dollarama has quality goods and name brand items too at a rock bottom price. Don't miss out.

[Michael Hardner]

I sometimes go to dollar stores when I need stuff and quality is completely not a factor. Also I like some of Dollarama's knock-off fragrances. "L'Hombre" is a pretty good Drakkar Noir knockoff.

Isn't DN a men's cologne, recently reclaimed by the NASCAR guys ?

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

There is a lot at Dollarama that is worth buying.

[Michael Hardner]

The US stores have a bigger problem:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/target-s-u-s-stores-hit-by-data-breach-40m-debit-credit-cards-may-be-affected-1.1600104

Potentially 40 MILLION credit cards breached ? Sheeeeeeesh.... that's... I don't even understand how somebody could instigate fraud on that scale.

[Boges]

The US stores have a bigger problem:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/target-s-u-s-stores-hit-by-data-breach-40m-debit-credit-cards-may-be-affected-1.1600104

Potentially 40 MILLION credit cards breached ? Sheeeeeeesh.... that's... I don't even understand how somebody could instigate fraud on that scale.

I heard about this. Could this be because of American retailers hesitation to use chip technology for their cards? You still have to swipe and sign in the US.

[GostHacked]

The US stores have a bigger problem:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/target-s-u-s-stores-hit-by-data-breach-40m-debit-credit-cards-may-be-affected-1.1600104

Potentially 40 MILLION credit cards breached ? Sheeeeeeesh.... that's... I don't even understand how somebody could instigate fraud on that scale.

Large scale hacks occur weekly on a corp, bank or government somewhere on the planet. Maybe not 40 million, but we see a few million and mainly few hundred thousand.

With a computer you can do that much damage without anyone helping. The more these systems are connected, the easier it is to pull off something like this. If it's connected to the net, it can be hacked.

[Michael Hardner]

You still have to swipe and sign in the US.

Really ? It seems like a PIN swiping virus, actually... how they get these onto the machines is anybody's guess. What strange times we live in.

[GostHacked]

I heard about this. Could this be because of American retailers hesitation to use chip technology for their cards? You still have to swipe and sign in the US.

The chip and pin won't prevent someone from hacking into a company server and getting all that information. Once they have that info, they have your number and PIN. I would guess that they could use the credit cards online where you do not need the chip or pin. And all of the information about expiry data, and user would be in the data that was hacked.

[Boges]

Regarding the Dollar Store.

There are things I rarely buy anywhere but the Dollar Store. Light Bulbs, Batteries, Dog Poop Bags, Hand Soap, Candy, Certain Cleaning Supplies, Earphones.

Plenty of good stuff at the Dollarama.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Boges

[Argus]

I personally haven’t been in, but my wife put it like SEARS selection at Walmart prices……maybe the negative experience others had can be attributed to differing stores?

Well, I've only been in one Target, and I certainly wouldn't compare it to the Sears stores I know, nor even Wal-Mart. Its selection is extremely limited. I think I wrote once that the store had precisely three racks of coats in the mens section. I was recently at several stores looking for coats, including Sears. I'd say the Sears I went to had perhaps thirty racks, though I didn't count them. I'd compare this Target to the old Woolworth stores (if you ignore all the grocery aisles and the fact it has a cold, institutional atmosphere the old Woolworths certainly didn't have.

Edited December 21, 2013 by Argus

[cybercoma]

Isn't DN a men's cologne

It's interesting how we've created gender classifications for scents. For those who still think that gender is a biological construct, I wonder what their biological explanation is for certain smells or colours being gendered male or female.

[kimmy]

Isn't DN a men's cologne, recently reclaimed by the NASCAR guys ?

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I love Drakkar Noir. I think it's such a sexy fragrance, so I like to wear it sometimes. I wasn't aware that NASCAR dudes have recently taken to it. I was under the impression that it was inextricably linked with the lounge lizards and club kings of the mid 1980s to early 1990s... my long-time special guy was of the age that he wore the stuff the first time around and liked to dust it off on occasion.

It's interesting how we've created gender classifications for scents. For those who still think that gender is a biological construct, I wonder what their biological explanation is for certain smells or colours being gendered male or female.

I could understand it if colognes smelled like burnt rubber, gasoline, motor oil, meat barbequing on a wood fire, things like that. But mens' colognes don't smell like that. Men's fragrances have scents that women also like... spice, citrus, vanilla, aromatic woods, lavender, sage, musk, other pleasant and evocative scents. Womens' fragrences tend to have the very same scents, but bury them under intense floral scents so you miss the best part. I like mens' fragrances because you can enjoy the other smells and not just the floral. There's some mens' fragrances that I wouldn't wear myself... mostly ones with strong pine, moss, or tobacco I think.

Lots of other women like to wear mens' fragrances too. Sometimes you want to smell nice but you don't want to burn everybody's nostrils with piercing flowery scents.

-k