Community Chat

[terrier3]

On 1/16/2015 Marienkaefer2 said:

On 1/16/2015 terrier3 said:

On 1/16/2015 Marienkaefer2 said: In our area, our retail sector is supported by Canadians. On any given day, you will see as many if not more Canadian plates in a parking lot than WA ones. They unpack.their merchandise in the store parking lots and leave the boxes and packing materials there. I don't know what they pay when they cross the border, but they don't pay our sales taxes, and the Canadian dollar is a little stronger. It's not just Target. They have Costco, Wal-Mart,, etc., right over the border.from us, but they shop here.

In Niagara Falls USA and Buffalo, Goodwill has placed collection trucks where they can drop off their old clothes.

That's funny. Maybe they should do that here too. It's really funny to see people in the BBB parking lot unpacking blenders, toaster ovens, etc. And in Costco, they buy cartloads of milk. I guess milk is expensive up there.

I see people with cartloads of milk here too.

They say that the milk industry doesn't have subsidies like in the USA, so it costs a lot more.

[straykatz]

On 1/16/2015 Marienkaefer2 said: I guess milk is expensive up there.

Yes..milk is very expensive compared to milk in the US

[Marienkaefer2]

terrier, now I remember, I've heard that too about the milk industry.

[millieshops]

There was a good article in my financial section this AM. Target itself thinks the biggest mistake it made was opening too many stores at one time. They think it would take a billion dollars and a decade to change them and their merchandising to achieve profitability.

The other things they mentioned they can't do much about. Apparently, they couldn't price things the same as in the US (maybe in all those store???) and they hadn't factored in that the millions of Canadians who cross the border to shop Target in the US wouldn't just keep right on doing that. They did, so Target took its losses and left.

Hope Canada can use those 100 storerooms and find employment for the many thousands who lost their Target jobs. Won't help Target in Canada, but that's not a possibility any more.

[ivanatrump]

On 1/16/2015 terrier3 said:

On 1/16/2015 ivanatrump said:

On 1/16/2015 straykatz said:

Cross border shopping has been going on for decades!...it's especially lucarative right now because the Canadian dollar is worth more than the American so more bang for their buck....for example...I recently wired my daughter 300 bucks and she received 335 Canadian.

Doesn't that mean the US dollar is worth more than the Canadian dollar?

The Canadian dollar is actually very low now.

But like Lilysmom said, true Canadian shoppers converted their currency when the loonie was higher.

I was pointing out that her reality did not support what she said.

[straykatz]

On 1/16/2015 ivanatrump said:

On 1/16/2015 terrier3 said:

On 1/16/2015 ivanatrump said:

On 1/16/2015 straykatz said:

Cross border shopping has been going on for decades!...it's especially lucarative right now because the Canadian dollar is worth more than the American so more bang for their buck....for example...I recently wired my daughter 300 bucks and she received 335 Canadian.

Doesn't that mean the US dollar is worth more than the Canadian dollar?

The Canadian dollar is actually very low now.

But like Lilysmom said, true Canadian shoppers converted their currency when the loonie was higher.

I was pointing out that her reality did not support what she said.

Thank you....sometimes it's easy to confuse the difference between dollar exchanges between countries. I'm sorry for making a mistake.

[straykatz]

On 1/16/2015 millieshops said:

There was a good article in my financial section this AM. Target itself thinks the biggest mistake it made was opening too many stores at one time. They think it would take a billion dollars and a decade to change them and their merchandising to achieve profitability.

The other things they mentioned they can't do much about. Apparently, they couldn't price things the same as in the US (maybe in all those store???) and they hadn't factored in that the millions of Canadians who cross the border to shop Target in the US wouldn't just keep right on doing that. They did, so Target took its losses and left.

Hope Canada can use those 100 storerooms and find employment for the many thousands who lost their Target jobs. Won't help Target in Canada, but that's not a possibility any more.

I think Target jumped the shark moving into Canada without adequately researching the Canadian market....and 17000 employees will now pay the price for their mistake. What works in the US isn't always going to work in another country.

[millieshops]

On 1/16/2015 straykatz said:

On 1/16/2015 millieshops said:

There was a good article in my financial section this AM. Target itself thinks the biggest mistake it made was opening too many stores at one time. They think it would take a billion dollars and a decade to change them and their merchandising to achieve profitability.

The other things they mentioned they can't do much about. Apparently, they couldn't price things the same as in the US (maybe in all those store???) and they hadn't factored in that the millions of Canadians who cross the border to shop Target in the US wouldn't just keep right on doing that. They did, so Target took its losses and left.

Hope Canada can use those 100 storerooms and find employment for the many thousands who lost their Target jobs. Won't help Target in Canada, but that's not a possibility any more.

I think Target jumped the shark moving into Canada without adequately researching the Canadian market....and 17000 employees will now pay the price for their mistake. What works in the US isn't always going to work in another country.

Even the Target executives agree with you. Doesn't sound as if they will make any attempts to return in the near future.

[terrier3]

I talked last night in the Niagara Falls USA Target to a Toronto couple on their way the next morning, going to Orlando on the train.

They had never been in a USA Target and were VERY impressed. The wife said that the Canadian Targets got off to a bad start - when the stores opened, the shelves were half empty. She said the head of Target apologized, but many Canadians never went back - she said she went back only a few times.

She said the USA Target was much cleaner, neater and had a better selection of items. They had bought a lot of snacks for the train trip - including single serve peanut butter and Nutella and dippers. She said they definitely would come back on their return train trip.

She also said something about the milk - she said that larger amounts of milk - like gallons - aren't available in Canada in jugs - they are sold in bags with a nozzle.

Are you around Lilysmom? She said that gallon jugs were VERY practical and she could see why Canadians would bring them back home (plus they are less expensive.)

They also remarked on my promoting health insurance at the booth. They said they were VERY happy to pay higher taxes and not have to worry about buying HI. They were both in their early 60s and said their system worked great for them and their issues.

[Lilysmom]

Hi Terrier. I'm in Nova Scotia. It's interesting that someone in Toronto has the same bad consumer experience as someone in Halifax ... Empty shelves, etc. You can imagine now that the shelves will not be refilled given the pending closure.

I don't understand their comment about milk. I have been buying jugs of milk all my life. You can buy the bagged milk but I don't think that's a big market here. I know they used to sell the plastic jugs you could place the bags in for your fridge but why bother? Might have been slightly cheaper but much more inconvenient in my view.

No complaints here about our health system. I don't have any serious health issues thankfully. There can be waiting lists but if you have a serious situation, they clear the way for you.

Terrier, have you been to Niagara on the Lake? If you haven't and you're close, you should go. Take in a night at the theater. It's a beautiful place! LM