Canadian Tire

[spider]

I like poking around in old or small hardware stores in small centres within the 100 mile or so radius of Toronto to which our day trips usually are restricted.
They are almost always "Home Hardware" locations and are not the cobweb infested, "sleepy cat on the counter" holes in the wall that one might expect.

They are smaller, maybe oddly housed and catering to an agricultural community but they are quite modern in their presentation, well stocked and very very friendly and knowledgeable about their products.

Kudos to them!

 

[urbandreamer]

Ever been to a TSC?

 

[Tuscani01]

Let's say I'm looking for tools. Why not have a 3D tool sign on the floor? The aisle lettering should be bigger.

Could each department be colour coded for clarity?

Sounds like you're going for touchscreens.

We tried the colour coding and it didn't work out. It didn't improve wayfinding. We now use icons, which are still colour coded, but also use pictures to get the point across. IE. The tool section has blue hammers hanging from the end of every aisle, a giant hammer hanging from the ceiling, and a MASSIVE I-Beam that says 'Tools' hovering over the tool department. Same goes for Pets (Its yellow, with a giant sign hanging above that looks like a collar).

If you want to see where Canadian Tire is headed in terms of store design, the Bowmanville and Cambridge stores are both the newest concept. You won't see any more stores built like those two, but we have been using them to see what ideas work and what doesn't work. The good ideas are being adopted company wide.

Check it out:

http://retaildesignblog.net/2012/03/18/canadian-tire-store-by-rai-architect-inc-bowmanville-canada/

 

[spider]

Another stop on the small centre hardware store survey, Claremont.

The local hardware store also contains an "Agency" LCBO and Beer Store, good thing because I can't imagine anyone visiting this dump twice otherwise.

It was filthy and disorganized beyond belief. Speaking of belief, try this, the proprietor refused to accept a credit card for a $50 liquor purchase. Debit or cash only I was told, no wonder the parking lot was empty.

 

[Tuscani01]

Target Canada Warns Of Larger Losses After Poor Sales

TORONTO - Early signs from retailers suggest that Canadian holiday sales were nothing to celebrate in 2013 as more shoppers hunted for discounts and retailers slashed prices to move inventory.

Both Sears and Target said lower sales in Canada pressured results in the fourth quarter, a sobering outlook that could be echoed in financial reports from other retailers in the coming weeks.

The holiday shopping season, which includes Black Friday and Christmas, was "very difficult," said Daniel Baer, a retail analyst at Ernst & Young. Read More: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/01/10/target-canada-losses_n_4577556.html

Seems like Canadian Tire is weathering the storm quite well. We had record sales during the week of Black Friday, our highest sales ever in the history of the company. I haven't seen sales figures from Christmas yet, but I know that traffic to stores was pretty consistent with past years, so I expect the numbers to hold.

The ice storm and snow in Eastern Canada definitely contributed to this:

"Women’s fashion brands from La Senza to Reitmans bore a disproportionate share of the pain stemming from the late December ice storms that had many heading for Canadian Tire or Rona rather than the mall."

http://globalnews.ca/news/1074893/salt-trumped-lingerie-as-hottest-item-under-tree-this-year/

 

[taal]

Seems like Canadian Tire is weathering the storm quite well. We had record sales during the week of Black Friday, our highest sales ever in the history of the company. I haven't seen sales figures from Christmas yet, but I know that traffic to stores was pretty consistent with past years, so I expect the numbers to hold.

The ice storm and snow in Eastern Canada definitely contributed to this:

"Women’s fashion brands from La Senza to Reitmans bore a disproportionate share of the pain stemming from the late December ice storms that had many heading for Canadian Tire or Rona rather than the mall."

http://globalnews.ca/news/1074893/salt-trumped-lingerie-as-hottest-item-under-tree-this-year/

I'm glad when I hear Canadian chains do well ... go CT ! But hey a couple comments ... why do you still give Canadian Tire money ... its just plain silly ... sure 10 years ago it made sense when the rate was about 5% ... but now its a complete joke ... just get rid of it, its such a gimmick. I also think some older stores can use a revamp. Otherwise I like CT !

 

[donoreo]

I'm glad when I hear Canadian chains do well ... go CT ! But hey a couple comments ... why do you still give Canadian Tire money ... its just plain silly ... sure 10 years ago it made sense when the rate was about 5% ... but now its a complete joke ... just get rid of it, its such a gimmick. I also think some older stores can use a revamp. Otherwise I like CT !

I find CT to have the worst store level inventory control ever. I am constantly finding more than one CT (I thought it was just poor management at Eglinton and Laird but now proven false) never have the inventory their systems say they have. The funny thing: store staff agree with me! I have grumbled more than once about this and the STAFF ALL AGREE!! At Eg and Laird I even said that it was the worst managed store I had ever seen (myself a former retail store manager so I do have some context) and one staff replied: "I will not argue with you there".

 

[PinkLucy]

CT inventory has been a running joke for years. It became almost like a contest to see which of their featured specials were not in stock.

 

[Skeezix]

I am constantly finding more than one CT (I thought it was just poor management at Eglinton and Laird but now proven false) never have the inventory their systems say they have. [...] At Eg and Laird I even said that it was the worst managed store I had ever seen (myself a former retail store manager so I do have some context) and one staff replied: "I will not argue with you there".

The Canadian Tire at Eglinton and Laird is the worst Canadian Tire store I know. I avoid it at all costs. I might be next door at Petsmart, or nearby at Longo's, and I will still drive to the Leslie Street or Yonge Street stores. It is worse than Target. (that last sentence was an attempt to keep my bitching on topic)

 

[Ramako]

My last experience at the Canadian Tire at Laird & Eglinton was after the ice storm. I asked an employee whether they had any battery powered charging stations. He said they were sold out. They weren't.

 

[donoreo]

My last experience at the Canadian Tire at Laird & Eglinton was after the ice storm. I asked an employee whether they had any battery powered charging stations. He said they were sold out. They weren't.

Probably just assumed they would not be able to find them

 

[donoreo]

The Canadian Tire at Eglinton and Laird is the worst Canadian Tire store I know. I avoid it at all costs. I might be next door at Petsmart, or nearby at Longo's, and I will still drive to the Leslie Street or Yonge Street stores. It is worse than Target. (that last sentence was an attempt to keep my bitching on topic)

I had Leslie hit me with the same just over a week ago. Said it was in stock and they could not find. It was a large item too, a ceiling rack for in the garage.

 

[Johnny Au]

The Canadian Tire at Eglinton and Laird is just north of the Target, just to being the thread back on topic.

The nearest Target to a subway station is in Shopper's World Danforth (closest to Victoria Park station)

 

[gabe]

CT inventory has been a running joke for years. It became almost like a contest to see which of their featured specials were not in stock.

So true! I have lost count how many times i have gone to Canadian Tire for a sale only to find out they are "sold out" It's not like i'm there late at night either, I do my shopping early in the morning, so I'm at the store within an hour or so after the store opens. Now my Canadian Tire flyers goes right into the trash. I don't waste my time looking at them.


I was in Target yesterday, they are still having replenishment issues! I saw a lot of empty shelves and sparse racks in the mens clothing section. It wasn't that busy, i had the store to myself. Which made it a relaxing shopping experience. I could take my time browsing the aisle ways without getting run over by people's carts.

 

[Tuscani01]

I'm glad when I hear Canadian chains do well ... go CT ! But hey a couple comments ... why do you still give Canadian Tire money ... its just plain silly ... sure 10 years ago it made sense when the rate was about 5% ... but now its a complete joke ... just get rid of it, its such a gimmick. I also think some older stores can use a revamp. Otherwise I like CT !

We're switching to a loyalty card this year. It has been tested in Nova Scotia for the last two years and will be rolling out nationally now. Getting rid of it is impossible, as most customers love the novelty and don't want to see it go. The loyalty card in combination with the Mastercard will offer significantly more CT money than you receive currently. As for revamps, we already have the 'youngest' stores out of any retailer. (Minus Target, which obviously wins that title by default now) Every few years a new concept store rolls out, and the majority of our stores are running with our current concept. More are in the process of switching over now, and will continue throughout the year.

As for finding stock in stores... we rolled out a new product locator system to stores last year that is solving that issue. Nothing in the warehouse used to be tracked, so if the system said there was 1 item in stock, it meant an employee would have to search literally everywhere in the warehouse to find that one item. Now, stores that have signed on, can locate anything in the warehouse before the employee even enters it. Quantities are adjusted as the employee removes the item.

It will take time to get all stores on board, but there are improvements coming.

Target will also get there. They are building up from nothing, so these are still growing pains for them. Whether customers will give them a second chance once they get caught up should be interesting to watch.

For the record, I went to CT to buy a humidifier 2 weeks ago and it was already sold out, on the first day of the sale, and the store's system showed that they had 2 on hand... so trust me when I say we know about the problem and are trying to fix it!