Wal-Mart Canada plans to open 40 supercentres

A correspondent from BNN discusses Wal-Mart's announcement that the company will open 40 supercentres and says there could be a 'retail turf war' in Canada between Target and Wal-Mart.

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A shopper exits a Walmart store during a winter storm on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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CTV.ca News Staff

Date: Wed. Jan. 26 2011 3:51 PM ET

Wal-Mart Canada is about to expand its already considerable footprint in this country, with the addition of 40 new supercentres.

The massive retail outlets offer both groceries and the general merchandise Wal-Mart has become known for, ranging from tires to tools and clothing.

The new stores will be created through a combination of renovations of existing stores, relocations and the construction of new stores.

The $500-million investment will see the supercentres expand into Manitoba and Quebec, though no other details have been released about where the news stores will be located.

It comes on the heels of an announcement from U.S. discount retailer Target earlier this month that it is purchasing 220 Zellers stores from the Hudson's Bay Company and will eventually open 100 to 150 Target stores in Canada.

BNN's Michael Kane said the strong investor interest indicates the Canadian economy is starting to get noticed by outside investors.

And unlike other companies such as home improvement retailer Lowe's, which first tested the Canadian waters by opening one store, Wal-Mart and Target are jumping in with both feet.

"With this announcement that they're going to open 40 new supercentres, we're getting a retail turf war being played out between Wal-Mart and Target," Kane said.

"So obviously the Canadian economy being in relatively good shape is relatively attractive for these big American companies and we believe that's why they're expanding into this country."

Wal-Mart opened its first supercentre in Ontario in 2006.

At the end of February the company will have 325 stores in Canada -- 124 of which will be supercentres.

Wal-Mart said the expansion could result in as many as 9,200 jobs in retail and construction.

Comments are now closed for this story

Jamie D
said
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I did business development projects across the prairies before I went into technology during the first onslaught of Walmarts in Canada. The reaction was usually the disbelief by the local business leaders that their ma&pa business was going to get swallowed up by something that doesn't have a conscience about competition. But on the other side of things, you ask any ma&pa store owner in any locale if they would allow a similar sized like-productmarket store in the same region - they would say "no". They were happy with the monopoly, and when it is threatened, they bark about the unfair trading practices going on. Hmmmmm.....which one is in the right? They both have rights to exist? everyone has money riding on the Sam Walton machine to some degree or other, and this is a big deal. Now how you gonna act? Capitulation seems in order until people stop using facebook to get along and actually go out and build your communities with your friends and neighbors, instead of letting uncontrolled capitalism do it for ya. :)

Jim-Surrey
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They need to pull up there socks from keeping the store tidy, employees that speak ENGLISH clearly and actually smile once in awhile as they all look grumpy, shelves stocked and pricing on EVERYTHING instead of us having to find a scanner to see the cost.And of course the quality could be better in their clothing so we can at least wear them for awhile. AND if they keep buying form China please send them a tape measure so they know what a real inch is because size labeling is wrong to actual clothing size. Getting tired of returning pants when they say the waist is 32" and i is actually 30",would try them on before buying if the immigrants weren't hogging the fitting rooms!!!!That's may 2 cents worth on Wal Mart

Firinn
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The expert Michael Kane Kills me every time with his everthing is just peachy with the Canadian economy. Can't wait till the Euro zone dives deeper in debt like us . Check out the UK debt zone , and this is all before the austerity measures take footing. Yes MR. Kane the Canadian economy looks so attractive to the American economy ( 1 million homes foreclosed last year ), in which we are building more Walmarts. The recovery must be here , woooooow , more Chinese products. As I keep touting - Canada , the Dollar Store Empire.

happy
said
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Wal-Mart sells crap to cheap people who will have to rebuy the items again and again because it's poorly made which is false economy. Do you really need all that junk? Why not buy less but buy better quality? I have never shopped at Wal-Mart and never will because by doing so you're just supporting China and having a Wal-Mart in your neighbourhood is a sure fire way of dragging it down. No one with any taste or style would step foot in one - not even shopping experts!

renaldo
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Wal mart can add store but need to improve in other areas first. I really do not buy anything from Wal Mart of any discount store anymore. I rather paid more money for product that last more longer. What is the purpose of purchasing anything for less when I will be right back in a few month for the same product. No thanks, people say they are saving their pennies but i beg to defer because at the end of the day you will have to return your broken goods just after a few days.

bert
said
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It is a sad day that all our retail profits seem to be going south these day, the unions will sure see this as an opportunity to get a strong foot hold on walmart nation.

Francesco in Pennsylvania
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I live in the USA, and you'd be surprised how many of the things you find in stores here says "Made in Canada"...No, not things like toys, clothing, and hardware, but I'm talking about everything from soft drinks and pasta to lotion and over-the-counter drugs.

Jake
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I have to agree with RG Brook's comment to this Prof Pye Charrt person. I cruise the news during the occassional lunch hour and every time I do I see a comment from this person ( PPC ) that aludes to his/her superior perspective and political correctness. Does he/she sit around on welfare and try to impress the reading audience with "pearls of wisdom" or is he/she in politics, which would afford them to have all this spare time.

Ken S
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@ Prof. Pye Chartt...I'm sure that Giant Tiger will have Wally World quaking in its corporate boots. My small town has both. Apart from size - 140,000 sf vs perhaps 15,000, Wal Mart usually has stock of flyer specials, GT usually does not.

JB in Ontario
said
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Canada is being taken over by the big box stores like Walmart. If they are trying to create jobs why not have Cashiers instead of the automatic self-checkouts??

mllaflam
said
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It is bad news to have that Walmart taking over everywhere. Their presence here and soon in Quebec and in other countries (India,...) is creating havoc for the other local and national stores. Sure, they are creating jobs (especially the lowest paying one with few benefits) but there's never any mention of how many jobs are lost from the other companies. Walmart, stay home.

Marilyn
said
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That's too bad. The super store we have is the pits!

Brenda
said
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You know, people always complain about American companies coming into Canada. Well do something about it then instead of complaining about it. I shop in the States quite frequently and am amazed at how many things have marked on them, "imported from Canada" and are sold at half the price if not more than what we pay for them here. Why we ask? BECAUSE OF THE TAXES !!!!! Until anyone does something about it nothing is going to change. I welcome these companies coming into Canada as it is a wake up call to the rest of the companies here. If they don't like the competition of these American companies then do something. It's the government who's at fault here because they are greedy and keep putting the taxes up and up and up. We have taxes on taxes and to prove it just look at the gas taxes. When are we going to wake up and do something about it? Even groceries are over priced here. How come they can sell a gallon of milk for $1.69 and how much do we pay? The same goes for a dozen of extra large eggs. I can go to Wegmans and buy extra large eggs at any given time for .99 or less and how much do we pay here? Until then I'm going to keep shopping cross border and won't feel one bit guilty about it.

scroogeman
said
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Thnak goodness, maybe we will finally get us a Wal-Mart here in Oliver, BC. I really like the superstores but we are far to small an area to likely get one. I love shopping there as their groceries give us more choices and are most cost efficient and there is more room to shop in those stores than the local ones.

Wayne
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40 stores? It's nice to know they have so much money to spend on new stores, while at the same time they have cut their full time staff hours to 28 hours and part time to 12 hours maximum per week, while only paying minimum wage!!! This is outrageous!!! Next time you're in a Walmart and wonder why the staff doesn't seem interested in helping you, think about that!

Jumpin Jack Flash
said
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I Love Wal-Mart, 'cause I Hate being ripped-off by "small businesses" It's the way-of-the-world! GLOBALIZATION! Why do you think the G20 was here!?

evette victoria bc
said
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I used to shop at Walmart now and then for the clothing prices, mostly. But lately, since they have rebuilt the Walmart in my area and turned it into a supermall, I just quit going. Nothing is cheaper or better in the store. It was bad enough before with their long lineups at the cash register and worse now. I simply refuse to stand in line longer than 10 minutes....my time is worth something and I can easily get whatever Walmart has elsewhere. Even the parking has only gotten worse. It just feels like a waste of time to be there.

Reener
said
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We shouldn't have to worry about lineup issues when Target opens. One of the things I like about them, never more than 2 or 3 people in line.

Fantastic customer service, something Wal Mart seriously lacks.

Ronald
said
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As long as they are not to big and make sure that many of us can walk long distances to get to one item so please understand our situation.

Debbie - Calgary
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I have to agree with RGBrook (on more than one thing, but I will only mention one)

The more discount retailers that get into the market, the more the market is flooded with cheap junk from China, Taiwan, etc. This then leads to recalls.

And before Mr. Pye jumps on me too, I am from a higher class in Calgary, and shop at places like Superstore (Loblaws to you easterners) and places that offer the best price. I do draw the line at paying less for junk. Unfortunately, the less fortunate don't always have the choice on what they can buy, it all comes down to price.

Citizen Crane
said
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@ RGBrook: Actually I read the same thing into your comment as the prof. Your comment about "separation of the classes" being the future of discount stores certainly leads one to believe that is what you are saying. What is more interesting, though is that rather than clarify your remark (as would be polite) you simply launch into an attack on his style "tirades" thinly veiled insults "ass-u-me" etc and such. Bad form for something that clearly was just a miscommunication . . .

Mike in Ottawa
said
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Depending on where these stores are located, you can say farewell to any small local business's. Go to any small town, like Pembroke, and see what Wal-Mart has done to that town's downtown business.....it's dead! Does anyone even think of that?

Archie
said
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It must be remembered why walmart is in business. It's to make the Sam Walton family and friends money. Walmart does this extremely well. They even take out big life insurance policies on their employees. Not for the employees families to collect but for the Walton families to collect. Walmart forces manufacturers wherever they might be in the world to provide products to them at the lowest possible price in order to make higher profits. If you can't cut your manufacturing costs enough (wages,benefits) you lose the contract. No one said capitalism had a conscience.

Marty
said
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Wow. This is good news for a particular company - Walmart uses all of their commercial food equipment (anyone in the know will know what company I mean). Personally, I don't do much food shopping at Walmart - they can be a bit expensive. I work on the equipment at all major grocery chains (Superstore, Sobeys, Safeway, Co-op, Walmart, etc). I'll tell you; there is a reason why some places are cheaper than others. Their food equipment is not well maintained and I've seen meat rooms that are below standard levels of cleanliness (not to mention bakeries, as well). I'll tell you this - Co-op, Safeway, and Walmart are the cleanest and best maintained facilities. Therefore, it's no surprise that they are the most expensive in that order, as well (my opinion). I rarely buy meat from Superstore anymore, after visiting a few meat rooms to work on equipment.

Jim in Ottawa
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Walmart is an excellent business that serves its customers well and rewards its shareholders handsomely. I would encourage all Canadians to seek out their local Walmart for deals that will save their family money, and welcome Target's entry into the Canadian market to help keep Walmart honest and accountable to all stakeholders.

Jill
said
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i am a Walmart employee and to those that say they don't support their staff i beg to differ...I am a full time employee with benefits and I love working at my store... and I have only been there a few months... My store manager is awesome and knows his staff and treats us well...better then most other jobs i have had...yes some prices are not cheaper but we do have many more cheaper prices then other local stores...

Mark in NB
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@ RGBrook - I read your first comment and thought you were saying the same thing that Pie Chart commented on. And then you resort to heckling him when he calls you on it? Perhaps you need to work on the delivery of your ideas. That is something all people seem to need help with these days.

Bemused
said
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I'm keeping this vague in case of retribution. My wife has worked at Wal-Mart for well in excess of 10 years and in that time, there has been zero full time employees hired. Most have been "day to day", some like my wife, were lucky enough to get permanent part time. This means a guaranteed 20 hours per week, but no sick leave, no vacation days, no benefits at all. I could fill volumes with the employee abuses. Why is my wife still working there? Because when Wal-Mart moved in, their predatory practices killed competition, and now there is little employment elsewhere, and we need the money.

BK in Cornwall
said
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What's with all this ranting about made in Canada. We are in the twenty-first century people and it's a global marketplace. Get over it. If you really want more Canadian products then talk to those greedy unions who have succeeded in raising wages so high that other countries can do it better and cheaper. And please don't start talking about child labour and all that other crap...

Greg - Signs and Wonders
said
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Would love to see a union try to organize a store... I have no love for Wal-Mart, but they sure as heck closed the store swiftly in QC a couple years ago.RWDS Union.... Step up anytime ....please....

Prof. Pye Chartt
said
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@ RGBrook: Goodness gracious. Unfortunately, as you avoided disclosing what you, supposedly, DID mean, and, in an earnest effort, I have re-read your comment, along with my lovely wife and two business colleagues currently standing in my home office -- and still cannot take your comment any other way -- I'm struggling to offer up a heartfelt apology. Perhaps you'd like to set the record straight with what you, supposedly, actually meant. Much appreciated. Thank-you kindly, my friend.

Carl
said
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We should be allowing these stores in our country, it kill small Canadian business. WM came to my town & all of the small retailers closed shop. No thanks to the US Harper wants for Canada.

Damon
said
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I try not to ship at Walmart whenever possible. I much rather support a company like Canadian Tire than the US goliath known as Walmart. I like good deals and discount prices but there are options out there, Walmart is not the only place you can get good prices.

Uncle Freeze
said
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Awesome! Now I don't have to drive to the U.S. to get some decent shopping done. Looking forward to this very much.

eddytoronto
said
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Walmart has more than 700 plants in CHINA!Nothing in a Walmart store that comes from North America, despite all the Maple Leafs and Eagles on the wall. http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20110121/man-only-using-canadian-products-110123

Cambridgeman
said
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I think walmart is great!! Canadian made or chineese made whatever, every place sells chineese crap so that really doesn`t matter. I find their prices on most stuff cheaper than any place. Basic hardware they sell is cheaper than home depot. Also their groceries are a lot cheaper than zehrs(loblaws, superstore), between food basics and walmart our family of 4 saves a ton of money on our monthly grocery bill. also they price match with competitor flyers,,, i don`t see any of the other big companies doing that.. kraft dinner at superstore or walmart is the same kraft dinner so why not pay 50 cents at walmart instead of 1.00 at other locations. As for jobs pfff, these jobs they are taking from other companies do you think their employees doing the same job (cash, stocking etc) are making bigger bucks and pensions, I think not!! Thanks Cambridge Wal-mart!

Val
said
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We frequently travel to the US and Walmart there is no comparison to Walmart here. In the US prices are better and so is quality. I've never gone out of my way to go to Walmart here and unless they clean up their stores ,get more cashiers and better quality products I won't be rushing to a supercenter any time soon.

My2cents
said
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@ RGBrook.....just to comment on your original statement about discount stores being the way of the future and that "at least we have Canadian Tire"....about the only thing about Canadian Tire that is Canadian is the name on the building. CTC does as much business with China as all other retailers (US or Canadian). I won't say much more than that because I don't know if you were making a joke about it or not, but I think the majority of people believe that CTC is all Canadian content which is simply untrue for close to 85% of the items they currently sell.

DAVID
said
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To thoses frogs on the bottom of the well. Chinese are not making $ 40 a month, millions of them making the money a month you need to work your whole life.

Doug # BC
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WOW.THere's nothing greedy about us,eh!.All we want is the lowest price,the highest quality, sold to us by the best paid,most highly trained staff,offering the best service,with the longest warranty,in one convenient location that sells Canadian or North American products. LOL!! How hard can that be? Retailers don't set the rules.Consumers create the markets,and the way they shop determines which retailers succeed,and which ones fail.Now that won't satisfy every individual,but it's not individuals that a business has to satisfy.It has to satisfy the "average" shopper.The ones that make up the majority of the sales. Decades ago we had Canadians retailees like Hudsons Bay,Eatons, and Woodwards.Their service was great.They sold higher quality,and mosty Canadian or North American products.But as companies like K-Mart moved north to with lower prices,we moved to them.So if the higher quality retailers are gone,we have no one to blame but oursleves. Typically,it seems to me,that people want to buy at the lowest price.Not because they can add a few dollars to their savings account,but because they can buy more "stuff".For that,China thanks us very much. Actually,before China,our cheaper,low end stuff came from Japan.It was before them that we in North America had an edge.It was then that local retailers fought for market share with quality products and better service. The work is smaller now.It has benefits.But the downside may be hard to overcome if it's a job or a quality product at a fair price that you're looking for.As someone already said,price and value are NOT the same thing.

Ellie
said
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I think people don't see the bigger picture. All they see is the lure of saving some money, but do not see the social, economic and environmental ramifications that are associated with the opening of walmarts (especially towards small businesses). Short term gain vs long term loss.

2busygal
said
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I shop around and compare prices. Because I live in the Greater Toronto Area I am fortunate that there is lots of selection. Walmart, like most stores, is cheaper on some things and more expensive on others. Their produce is often not the greatest. I have noticed that as they convert our Walmarts to Superstores, we have lost a lot of selection on non-grocery items - not a good thing from my point of view! Also, more and more I'm finding only their GV brand available. For the most part I've found GV products to be inferior in quality and won't buy them, causing me to have to shop elsewhere. In summary, I much preferred the regular Wal-mart format with only basic food items available.

ThoughtfulShopper
said
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Right, because what we REALLY need now is more bigbox retailers in our cities and communities, and having them compete even more.I personally avoid shopping at Walmart, Zellers and will avoid Target as well. They choke out small family owned businesses in the area because they can't keep up, especially in smaller towns. Not to mention that a good portion of Walmarts brands are made so cheep through underpaid workers in Asia. No Thanks! Not for me!

HeyHH
said
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Wal-mart is not cheap anymore
When Canadian Tire & Coop challenge by consumer of prices, they match or lower some of their primitive items
I don't even bother to check & match in 2011 for items with Wal-Mart anymore as, they are more expensive

Liz Wheeler
said
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Walmart states that it will be providing 9200 minimum pay, no benefit jobs to the community. What they fail to mention is that within a couple of years 4600 other people will lose their jobs as local stores are forced to close against the competitionIn fifty years or less, the employees that it hires will be forced to turn to the government (taxpayers) for help in their old age. Who can save on the wages they provide?Is it right for an American conglomerate to take over Canadian markets destroying any Canadian store that stands in its way and, destroying good farm land in the process.At one time Walmart claimed to use Canadian industries as suppliers but when I look through the stores, most products seem to be made in China.Soon there will be nothing left of Canadian industries as the Government allows more and more companies to have products made in foreign countries. Free enterprise seems to be exploiting Canadian workers in the name of greed.Thank you Walmart, but we don't need you or your superstores in our communities.

Jim in the Kawarthas
said
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A WM of some type is pending in Lindsay. My wife can't wait as she maintains the big Z is out of touch and too pricey (?!?!)imho their selection is mediocre and many times went to one looking for something and buying it elsewhere.This whole thing just goes to prove how rabid consumerism is, thanks to that if we regulated Canadian content would most consumers buy those things?

Al in Orillia
said
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1-Can't get a parking spot on weekends so people ARE supporting these stores, whether you do, or not. 2-If you shop specials, there are some really great features every week on their flyers and they DO have a huge selection, you're almost always sure to find what you want.3-Customer service varies from store to store, but so does local attitudes, culture, and affluence. Communities aren't all friendly and neither are all Walmarts.4-Yes affluent people shop for value too, how do you think they continue to be affluent?5-The fall of Canadian manufacturing, was consumer driven, so stop blaming retailers for trying to survive.6-They employ a ton of people and their wages compete with any other service type job in the country, plus there is quick advancement available if you have any ambition. Don't see anybody here crapping on Tim Horton's or Macdonald's employees!!! Not everybody will become Prime Minister!Conclusion? Free market economies are driven by consumers and most of you are encouraging the opening of these new stores!

Anonymous Al
said
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Why Regina, with a population of under 200,000, needs THREE Wal Marts (2 of them super centres), I will never know.

Reece C
said
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Here we go again. We used to have choice and a mall in Brooks, Alberta... that is, until Walmart came to town. I guess there will be more photo ops for PeopleofWalmart but less choices to shop. And.... the electronics at Walmart is always the low end crap no one in their right mind would spend money on if they knew anything about electronics. Walmart is a disease in my opinion that should be stopped before they are they only place left to shop.

Gary
said
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No surprise here. The only Wal-mart Supercentre in Vancouver, BC (east side) attracts shoppers from all over the city, some of whom have to drive 30+ to get there. It'll be interesting to see how Canada Safeway reacts to this.

Huh?!!?
said
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Prof PyeChartt said: "@ RGBrook: If you're asserting that "people with money" aren't thrifty and don't shop at any type of discount store, such as Wal-Mart, well, then, you're completely out-to-lunch, and too wrapped up in a moronic left-wing "class warfare" perspective. " Now for my question: Dear Professor, since RGBrook wasn't asserting anything of the sort, who is the out-to-lunch moron now, and whose spouse is still standing around clucking ? - A little lesson is perhaps in order dear professor: it's not nice to name call, and it's not smart to jump to conclusions. As a learned professor you no doubt also realize that it's not a logical conclusion to indicate that if a person doesn't belong to one group, in this case 'those who can recognize thrifty shoppers', then he automatically belongs to the group "moron". That's simply a non sequitur, and not good manners.

B. Kelley, Ontario
said
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Walmart has been the single biggest factor in methodically driving consumer products manufacturing jobs out of Canada and the U.S. Walmart has an entire corporate department dedicated to negotiating contracts with manufacturers in China to take over production from the North American facilities of their suppliers. That's how they herd their suppliers into lowering their wholesale prices of name brand products to Walmart. They also hold tremendous power over those businesses in China and use it to force them to keep their workers' wages at rock bottom. The result? Those lower everyday prices and the disappearance of well-paid manufacturing jobs from our economy. If you want to see the classic example look up the recent history of Levi Strauss. A few short years ago all their jeans were made in North American factories. They started selling to Walmart and were then forced by them to shut every one of those factories down and contract all the work to Chinese firms or lose Walmart's business. I have looked behind that smiley face and I now refuse to shop there no matter how much I might save because I don't want to support that kind of business philosophy and practice.

Pat
said
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More jobs for us...I think not. Sounds like more jobs in China.

Doug
said
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Opening up more stores in Canada is smart business for a smart retailer like Wal Mart.Canadian retailers are very successful at overcharging for items that are also overtaxed and then insulting us by asking us to grovel for prizes by filling out on line surveys.Check out prices for identical products at Wal Marts in Watertown or Buffalo and you will see why it makes more sense to snort at the profit trough in Canada.

David in Dartmouth
said
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Hey people...get a grip and ignore the HYPE.....!!!!!! We have 2 of these in the Halifax Regional Municipality......and they are no great shakes....!!! They are simply NOt competitive...!!! Wayyyyy to much overhead....which is priced into the few things that they manage to selll.....a big rasberry ....:(

Sam C
said
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I consider myself a careful shopper, and as a result I do not shop exclusively at any one store. Some items ARE cheaper at Wal-mart, some are cheaper at other retailers or grocery stores. Read the flyers and shop around for the best deals. And let me know if you find any "Made in Canada" labels -- anywhere! They are few and far between.

Thomas Barth
said
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Walmart is not for me. I will support anything that encourages competition. Only competition keeps price and service in balance and at an acceptable level. Walmart sometimes sells for less, but at a price. Once the competition has been eliminated, so is the " We Sell For Less". Thousands of jobs created? Perhaps, but how many thousands are eliminated due to the lack of competition? Are Walmart jobs of the desireable kind with living wages? I leave the answer to someone with first hand experience. Service in most Walmarts is the self service type, except at the check out. I avoid line ups where ever I can. Life is all about choices. My choice is clear. Walmart, for me, is a choice of last resort.

Prof. Pye Chartt
said
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@ RGBrook: Interesting response. Quite the argumentative copout. You avoided telling me what, supposedly, you DID mean. (Having read your comment again, in earnest, the same opinion keeps flashing.) Feel free to set the record straight, then. Kindly go ahead. Much appreciated. Thanks.

Pwufessir Pie Chawt
said
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Duh U see it's the Liberals! Complainings! All issues are left vs right and I looooooove the right! And I want EVERYBODY to know, regardless of how irrelevant it is!

Dennis
said
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This is not exactly good news. By Walmart expanding, it means that it will have an even worse effect on smaller, privately owned stores that try to make a go of it. If you say, well who cares though we still get the low prices at Walmart? What about the idea that Walmart is a private capitalist corporation on the road to trying to create a monopoly(we are almost at an oligopoly.) The more stores that close down, the more they can bring up their own prices and maximize their profits. One other comment, said something about getting the best value for your dollar... How can you even say that? By supporting Walmart, it means they are able to outsource more and more manufacturing to places like China. This is bad for numerous reasons, the ones being it takes away large amounts of jobs for Canadians and those workers in China are exploited as much as possible(many of them work 7 days a week, 12-14 hours a day, and get paid 15-20 cents an hour). Now that we have less jobs in Canada because of Walmart, it means less people paying taxes, and when stuff is shipped back from China it is barely taxed. So it means a huge lack in funds for the government as well. Bob, do you use the Canadian Health Care System, drive on the roads that the government built, are subjected to taxation and see it not being returned to the cities and towns properly? Because of corporations like Walmart cheating out governments of jobs and the ability to tax on imported "goods" it means our government is using our tax dollars in ways that are less practical. This is not a good thing.

RGBrook
said
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@ Prof. Pye Chartt... No I am not asserting anything of a kind. Poor assumption on your part indeed! Someone should breakdown the word ass-u-me" for both you and your "shopping expert" wife. You might actually learn something from reading as opposed to typing tirades all day long. Sorry to you.

Walmart out of reach
said
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In Ottawa east, the first WM was on a major bus route. They built both new WMs outside of major bus routes and away from their target demographics. Also, when a food item is on sale, they usually don't have anymore in stock and give you bs about when it will be in stock again, making it impossible to obtain the item unless you drive a car.

AnnaR
said
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There are very few times we go to Wal-Mart. I can find better prices at other stores. We have a Price Choppers in our area and we go there for basic groc. As for electronics, etc., I wouldn't buy at Wal-Mart since better selection and prices are available at retail stores. Some people live for Wal-Mart - whatever floats your boat. Not my cup of tea.

Paul
said
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People don't get rich by making money. People get rich by not spending money. It is controlling your out that matters, regardless of the in. Walmart allows my family to eat. I spend about $900/month on grocery items including diapers for the baby. If I went to other stores it would probably hit $1200 or more. $300/month is a lot to save.

Lorne
said
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" We sell for less " is a crock. Grocery items are generally higher then what you find in other stores.Line-ups at the cash register are longer then ever.I remember when Wal-Mart came into town, there was a sign - "if more then three people in a line-up, we will open another cash register. That's gone by the wayside - there can be thirty people in a line-up and you don't see another cash register opened up. Where have I experienced this type of service - Swift Current, Medicine Hat, Yorkton and Moose Jaw are some of the places.Jobs Wal-Mart offer are only part-time - they don't give you hours where they may have to pay some benefits for the employee.

Bob
said
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If you think " Canadian Tire" sells Canadian products you haven't been looking very closely at the labels.Like others, I try to get the best value for my dollar. I don't really care if it made by a Chinese who earns $40 a month or some Union layabout who gets $40 an hour !

Poohbear
said
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"we sell for less" - I beg to differ. A superstore opened on the weekend, checked out the grocery section and found the prices high. For example a 48g can of Tetley Earl Grey tea sells for 2.19 at Zehrs and Walmart sells it for $3.00. I'll stick to Zehrs for groceries.

Richard in New Brunswick
said
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Where are the "Can Con" police when we need them. Way back in the 70s I think, it was declared that all radio stations that played music must have at least 30% of their airtime devoted to Canadian Content. We should do the same thing with stores (where possible) - 30% of everything in the Wal-Marts, etc., should be required to be "Made in Canada." (And that doesn't mean some workaround such as the product being imported in bulk and packaged here - I mean MADE IN CANADA by Canadians). That said, Wal-Mart isn't some evil demon - they're doing a legal business for those who KNOW THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING and the VALUE OF LITTLE. (I'd credit the originator of that line but I don't know who it is.)

james wombat
said
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walmart kills jobs. on top of that, they hire foreign workers in large numbers.

j
said
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Hello from Kentucky
We in the states in smaller town see Wal-mart super centers as Killers of small bussiness. Wal-mart has been known to pull some shady bussiness pratices. Any community that has a super Wal-mart coming should really and i mean really understand the ramifications of Wal-mart coming to any of your towns.

chel in the Peg
said
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@Jorg - I agree with your comment about Home Depot. Here in Winnipeg I've noticed that the smaller home supply and lumber stores (ie McDiarmid Lumber, Windsor Plywood, McMunn and Yates) continue to be very popular, proving that consumers are still drawn to knowledgable staff and good customer service versus a million square feet of stuff you don't want or need.

Jerry
said
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We have two Super Walmarts close to us, and generally find the food prices to be costlier than other supermarkets, especially Food Basics and No Frills. Also, the quality of WM's produce is poorer, and the prices are higher. When we camp in the US, we find the same, and will pick a traditional supermarket over the Walmart SuperCenter if we have the choice.

Dylan
said
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Wal-Mart's 9200 part-time, minimum-wage, below-subsistence 'jobs' don't qualify as jobs. Wal-Mart can keep their supercentres. I never have and never will shop there.

Prof. Pye Chartt
said
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@ RGBrook: If you're asserting that "people with money" aren't thrifty and don't shop at any type of discount store, such as Wal-Mart, well, then, you're completely out-to-lunch, and too wrapped up in a moronic left-wing "class warfare" perspective. As someone who lives in an affluent part of the Greater Toronto Area, I can tell you that Wal-Mart does a TON of business with folks who could easily afford to shop elsewhere. For household items, groceries, and kids' clothes, Wal-Mart is the ticket. A Giant Tiger is going to open soon in our municipality, and there's quite a buzz. My wife -- a retail "expert" -- is standing over my shoulder right now, and chuckling at your comment. (Sorry.)

misscit
said
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Why is it that everyone thinks that we should be selling "Canadian made" products regardless of whether we can make them competitively. Perhaps....just a thought....if we could get our taxes and unions on track we could actually make some of the products at a far more reasonable price. You make it seem like Chinese made is crap from a third world - hello...it is 2011 and they actually make great products!

jack
said
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Just because a store is Canadian owned are they giving you any extra money just because your a Canadian? I think not.All this I only shop at Canadian stores is rubbish. In this day and age it is about saving money at the end of the day, so I could care less if my store is owned by a US or Chinese company, if it is giving me the better value for my hard earned money. That is what counts.

Caper88
said
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If you want to stop WAL-MART have one of the Supercentres Unionized.

Patrick
said
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I completely agree with "windex" about the longer line-ups that necessitate additional cashiers.I will not buy produce from Wal-Mart as their quality is terrible. One example - (2) 10 lb. bag of potatoes were 30% rotten (I mean really bad) when I opened them 2 days later.In addition, our Wal-Mart decided to renovate the existing store to include the grocery section instead of putting on an addition, which meant they stopped carrying items that I normally buy.

Mark
said
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Hopefully Canada will get Target soon. A much better alternative.

Jorg
said
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I agree with the comment regarding cashiers. I had a Wal Mart employee stand beside me for 10 minutes while I complained that the store manager clearly wasn't doing their job. We had 27 people in line and only ONE express cashier. (there was only one regular cashier on duty in addition to this). The employee nodded and agreed as I learned SHE was the manager ! Isn't that the epitome of pompous ! I am going elsewhere with my business for now. Home Depot does the same thing. 18 million square feet of "echo chamber". You can't find anyone to help since it looks like they run their stores with 5 people per store.

gallis
said
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The only reason we have nothing left that is made in Canada is because people have been to easily lured to the cheap crap that the Walmarts sell. People now feel that Walmart offers quality and Canadian products are over priced. What a sad state we are in.

DANIEL H
said
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And how many jobs will be lost in the stores that end up closing when the competition starts. We have a Price Chopper store closing in Sarnia after a Wal-Mart supercentre opened just down the street from it. I don�t know why the general public thinks Wal-Mart is so great. They do not offer any more for money than any other business. Most of the lower prices they offer is lower quality or less features. Other items like televisions are priced like other stores.

windex
said
0 0

To be honest if Wal-Mart does not hire more cashiers they are losing my business. Since they brought in the supercenter in our area and added the groceries our line-ups at the registers are too long and simply not worth it and I often do not make the trip out to Wal-mart for things that I can get elsewhere!

RGBrook
said
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There's not much left in retail that's Canadian anymore. "Made in Canada" is hard to find on any label now that China is the manufacturer of so many cheap and useless things we seemingly can't live without. Sad really. These discount stores are the future thanks to the separation of the classes. At least we have Canadian Tire.

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