🚀 go-pugleaf

Michael Black <mbl...@pubnix.net> wrote in
news:alpine.LNX.2.20.1806301746550.25856@thrush: 

> On Sat, 30 Jun 2018, JimP wrote:
> 
> 
>> Sears nearest me looks like a ghost town... and that is with the
>> employees in there.
>>
> Sears in Canada died last year.  I can't remember if it was a
> bankruptcy or they just decided to shut down. On the other hand,
> apparently Toys 'R Us is doing okay here, so it will remain after the
> US operation shuts down (if that hasn't happened already).

Sears Canada was hollowed out.  It was bought by an investment fund which 
proceded to pay itself dividends and huge management fees even though it was 
losing money.  It also sucked money out of the pension fund.  (Canadian laws 
are rather weak in this regard.)  "Ooops! We're bankrupt! we'll have to pay 
ourselves millions just keep us around for the wind-down.  Too bad about the 
employees pensions..."

> Then there was Target.  A big announcement they were moving to Canada, 
> some years in advance.  They bought the rights to the stores of an 
> existing chain, which slowly closed down over a few years.  Then a wait
> while Target renovated the stores.  About a year later they announced
> they were closing in Canada, it would take too long to be profitable.
>
> They should have thought of that before they started.  I was still
> looking for where things were, the nearest store was just a bit over a
> year old. It takes time to adjust.  They claim people had too much
> expectation, from going to the US along the border and buying there,
> but I'd never been in the place before they opened in Canada.  I'd go
> looking for soemthing in the flyer, and couldn't find it, either
> because it wasn't in stock, or I was still trying to find where things
> were. 

I never went into a Target, but I did read about their troubles.  It seems 
like the planners never quite realized what it means to be operating in a 
different country.
When Walmart moved in to Canada about 20 years ago, it ran into problems.  
Among those being that Canadian shopping preferences are _not_ identical to 
their American neighbours.  (See! we don't even spell the same.)  However 
they figured things out and survived, even without my business.