Toronto non-mall retail (Odds & Ends)

[devjohnson]

^ Also agree! Lots of great deals on ice cream too (nom, nom)

I don't mind them expanding more. They're certainly convenient!

 

[NorthYorkEd]

I actually disagree ... price wise ... its pretty darn competitive on some grocery products ... but you need to know your stuff ... what I mean is some things are actually very well priced and they tend to have amazing sails on groceries at times (i.e. better prices then no frills and the like) ! But some of the non-sale items can be a big rip off compared to any other grocery store.

Fair enough, but I'm still not sure that justifies the number of locations they have. It's like they are the Starbucks of pharma-grocery. I do notice they always have big sales on pop and chips, but I don't buy either of those things, so I guess I'm just not their target demographic.

 

[PinkLucy]

They often have good sales on chocolate milk, butter and eggs. Also Kraft peanut butter and sometimes name brand cereals. Toilet paper and kleenex are other hot sellers (you can always tell because everyone in the neighbourhood is walking home with a mega pack of TP tucked under their arm). Milk is usually a few cents cheaper than in grocery stores. I used to live close to a Shopper's and went there regularly for milk and always found something else on a hot sale. I usually buy my drug-store products elsewhere though -- oddly enough, at grocery stores where they are cheaper. Go figure.

They do seem to be going everywhere lately. I wonder what impact Loblaws buying them will have on that in the future.

 

[NorthYorkEd]

They often have good sales on chocolate milk, butter and eggs. Also Kraft peanut butter and sometimes name brand cereals. Toilet paper and kleenex are other hot sellers (you can always tell because everyone in the neighbourhood is walking home with a mega pack of TP tucked under their arm). Milk is usually a few cents cheaper than in grocery stores. I used to live close to a Shopper's and went there regularly for milk and always found something else on a hot sale. I usually buy my drug-store products elsewhere though -- oddly enough, at grocery stores where they are cheaper. Go figure.

They do seem to be going everywhere lately. I wonder what impact Loblaws buying them will have on that in the future.

Interesting that drugs are usually cheaper at most grocery stores (including Loblaws). I also wonder what effect this merger will have, i.e. will Shoppers lower their prices or will Loblaws raise them? Or will they do some sort of weird Best Buy-Future Shop thing where they compete against one another?

 

[GKW]

There is a big SDM near me and also a big Guardian less than a block away..not to mention a bunch of variety store and small independent pharmacies nearby

 

[AndreaPalladio]

Fair enough, but I'm still not sure that justifies the number of locations they have. It's like they are the Starbucks of pharma-grocery. I do notice they always have big sales on pop and chips, but I don't buy either of those things, so I guess I'm just not their target demographic.

I think the strategy is the same as Starbucks - people don't want to go far for coffee or drugstore things, so you have to have your one of your stores everywhere to keep the people from going to someone else's.

 

[Skeezix]

The population is also aging. Not only are the baby boomers buying more of the stuff that pharmacies sell, they are also looking for more convenience (i.e. nearby locations).

 

[adHominem]

It's also handy to have a half-dozen within walking distance so you can check every single one when they're inevitably out of the basic staple item you're after. (Looking at you, Bloor/Bedford Shoppers. )

 

[taal]

They often have good sales on chocolate milk, butter and eggs. Also Kraft peanut butter and sometimes name brand cereals. Toilet paper and kleenex are other hot sellers (you can always tell because everyone in the neighbourhood is walking home with a mega pack of TP tucked under their arm). Milk is usually a few cents cheaper than in grocery stores. I used to live close to a Shopper's and went there regularly for milk and always found something else on a hot sale. I usually buy my drug-store products elsewhere though -- oddly enough, at grocery stores where they are cheaper. Go figure.

They do seem to be going everywhere lately. I wonder what impact Loblaws buying them will have on that in the future.

Peanut butter sale !!! : - ) ... I love when they have that. Milk I find is always 3.99/4.27 - and that's actually quite a bit better then say a metro / loblaws where the same bag goes for 5.

 

[khris]

It's also handy to have a half-dozen within walking distance so you can check every single one when they're inevitably out of the basic staple item you're after. (Looking at you, Bloor/Bedford Shoppers. )

Shoppers is the worst for having items out of stock. Drives me bananas.

 

[taal]

meh depends on the location as I don't find that to be a problem ... I find they're the worst for not having enough cashiers !

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Unfortunately, as much as I love books, the bookstore is a dying breed. When I first moved here, that store drew me in like stink to sh*t. I can still remember when Chapters first opened and had racks and racks of rare and hard-to-get titles, it was such an improvement over the smaller WH Smith and Coles stores in the malls. then they removed the plush seating to get rid of people just sitting there to sip coffee and read (guilty) and only stocked more mainstream and quick-moving titles. And now they are becoming mostly a knick-knack and home decor type of store.

Luckily, I have the North York Toronto Public Library, with 6 floors of old and new titles, to browse, with no pressure to buy or leave after an "acceptable" amount of time. And eBooks, which I hated when they first came out, have quickly taken the place of my wall of books. Everything I'm reading or could ever want to read right there on my portable tablet, couldn't ask for anything more.

Though I feel bad that bookstores are on the way out, I'm sure people felt the same sentiment for blacksmiths when their day finally came.

Yup, totally agree with the sentiment - though I do think that the shift towards e-books is a general plus that is a long overdue. That said, I can't see books going away completely - large format, graphics heavy books still have their place in the universe (just thinking that most architectural tomes wouldn't fare too well in a tablet format), and there is still something to be said about high quality hardcovers.

AoD

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

meh depends on the location as I don't find that to be a problem ... I find they're the worst for not having enough cashiers !

Personally their own brands drives me crazy - it's taking up more and more shelf space (and they are not at all shy about understocking their competitor and more or less forcing you to buy their stuff) and the product isn't even that good.

AoD

 

[khris]

Personally their own brands drives me crazy - it's taking up more and more shelf space (and they are not at all shy about understocking their competitor and forces you to buy their stuff) and the product isn't even that good.

AoD

Ya, their Simply Food stuff is awful. I got the frozen wings once when they were on sale. They were 50% fat at least. Not even edible.

 

[PinkLucy]

To me, frozen processed food and edible are oxymorons