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Target

PinkLucy said:
The HBC points program works at the Bay and Home Outfitters so people can still collect points there. You can redeem online, and gift cards work at those two stores, so why would they need to do anything with it? It can still exist, there will just be one place less to collect them.
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I was thinking that many of those points would have been accumulated at Zellers stores and that they effectively read as a liability on a company's balance sheet. That is, redemptions have the effect of being something the company owes the customer in the future.

Not sure how big that number is; but I doubt you would want to effectively charge that liability solely to "The Bay" stores. They could just write-off the liability with the proceeds from the sale, of course.

I wonder how successful the program was for "The Bay" though. Really it was a rebranded 'Club Z' points program.

Maybe they'll just wind it down?
 
Skeezix said:
This had to happen. Every time I walk in to a Bay store these days, I see improvements. I work near the Queen Street Bay store, and for the first time ever, I see the women in the office routinely carrying Bay shopping bags from lunchtime shopping. I never used to see that.

But I whenever I am in a Zellers store (which isn't that often, but I am occasionally near one and it's easier than going elsewhere), I don't see any real improvements. Maybe they are renovating other stores, as opposed to the ones I have been in lately, but from what I saw HBC wasn't really working to improve the chain the same way they are doing with the Bay. It's apparent now what their intent was.

It will be interesting to see what happens with the Zellers stores that Target doesn't want. Presumably, Target will take the best locations. While there might still be some desirable locations among the "leftovers" (i.e. an older Zellers too small for a modern Target store, but with a floor plate appealing to another retailer or retailers), I still wonder if the leftovers will be good enough to attract a U.S. chain that doesn't already have Canadian expansion plans in the works. For example, would J.C. Penney really expand to Canada on the basis of a group of stores on which Target had first dibs and passed?
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***

On renovation; they did spend some, they rebuilt/renovated all the stores in Winnipeg; and they also replaced on on Eglinton East in Scarborough. But I think they were very much trying to find a version of their format that worked.

They never really did.

But to me, not a regular there mind you; but my few experiences there always showed that key problems remained the same. As noted above, items not in stock, staff who had no idea what they carry, let alone what to do about out-of-stock issues; and lenghty waits at check-out.

***

On issue of the spaces (real estate) TARGET says it will spend "$1 Billion on renovations" that's in the range of 6-10M per store. I would expect some of those locations that are 1-floor will go 2-storey for TARGET; and I would imagine other U.S. retailers would think similarly, particularly for good mall properties or urban real estate.
 
Northern Light said:
I was thinking that many of those points would have been accumulated at Zellers stores and that they effectively read as a liability on a company's balance sheet. That is, redemptions have the effect of being something the company owes the customer in the future.

Not sure how big that number is; but I doubt you would want to effectively charge that liability solely to "The Bay" stores. They could just write-off the liability with the proceeds from the sale, of course.

I wonder how successful the program was for "The Bay" though. Really it was a rebranded 'Club Z' points program.

Maybe they'll just wind it down?
Click to expand...
Doh ... I was thinking of the program in general, not of the liability aspect. :eek:

I think you're right re it being the rebranded Club Z program; it will be interesting to see if The Bay hangs on to it or links up with Air Miles or something else, or just lets it go altogether. I think it's a good fit with Home Outfitters, but the way The Bay seems to be reinventing itself, I don't know if a points program makes sense. It will be interesting to see.
 
Skeezix said:
It will be interesting to see what happens with the Zellers stores that Target doesn't want. Presumably, Target will take the best locations. While there might still be some desirable locations among the "leftovers" (i.e. an older Zellers too small for a modern Target store, but with a floor plate appealing to another retailer or retailers), I still wonder if the leftovers will be good enough to attract a U.S. chain that doesn't already have Canadian expansion plans in the works. For example, would J.C. Penney really expand to Canada on the basis of a group of stores on which Target had first dibs and passed?
Click to expand...

Penney's is really a mall-type retailer (anchor store), comparable to Sears (or at least our Sears here; they're a bit better than US Sears). If any of those Zellers locations are attached to malls, it could work.

I am personally hoping for Kohl's. I'm American-born and used to regularly visit relatives in the States (and lived there for three years a while back). Kohl's is a step up in quality from Target, probably comparable to Sears but I like their merchandise much better. There's nowhere better to shop for basics, and they have some nice lines unique to them that I own items from and am constantly complimented on. I usually spend a couple of hundred dollars there on Buffalo trips and get a ton of stuff for my money. Kohl's are a little less picky about location, but their stores are of a decent size (probably about the size of an average suburban Crappy Tire.)
 
I've never been to Target. But everything I hear says it's just Wal-Mart for people who like to say they don't shop at Wal-Mart.

[video=vimeo;2729152]http://vimeo.com/2729152[/video]

Anyone have any opinions to the contrary? Have people here been to a Target lately and found it better or worse?
 
I've been to a Target just once and thought it was just like Zellers. I can't compare it to Wal-Mart because I've never been to a Wal-Mart (honestly!)
 
Target stores are much cleaner than any wal mart store i have been to, they tend to be more organized, carry better brand names. Some of the newer Zeller's look very much like Target. Biggest problem with Zeller's is sometimes the aisles are half empty, the prices are uncompetitive and the merchandise is 2nd rate.

Funny enough it's only the low end stores like Target,Marshalls, and Dollar Tree that are moving to Canada. The high end American department stores have no interest in the Canadian market.
 
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I have been to one of the Targets in Buffalo recently, and used to regularly go to Targets in Columbus, OH while I was still making regular trips down there to see family. The Targets I've visited are considerably more attractive stores than the average Wallmart--wider aisles, better design, and overall the quality is a step above, particularly when it comes to housewares.

Gabe is correct--newer Zellers do remind me a little of Target (the one in Ajax certainly does) as far as store design goes, but they're missing the quality of merchandise the average Target has.

One thing Target does consistently better than Walmart is philanthropic/community involvement. I believe each store donates a significant portion of profits each year to local charities. Plus they seem, at least anecdotally, to provide better benefits for their employees.
 
too bad neiman marcus or nordstrom probably wont ever come to canada or at least in the near future, i could only see Lord and Taylor coming MAYBE, since they bought out the bay... But yea its unfortunate that no other big department stores wont come
 
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