Target is dead
 

Well in Canada, at least. Target Canada filed for bankruptcy protection, last month, and will be liquidating its assets. They'll be leaving the country and owing suppliers.

The simple fact is they screwed up. Canadians were expecting a shopping experience like the one they get in US Target stores. What we got, instead, was stores with a red and white logo and empty shelves. I went into a half dozen different Canadian Target stores and there was no selection, lots of empty space on the shelves, and the prices weren't that great.

By way of comparison when Wal-Mart entered the Canadian market, a little over 20 years ago, they went in whole hog. They opened large, fully stocked stores with good prices. They not only brought in the cheap crap, but also sourced product from Canadian companies. They're going strong today and are a part of the landscape.

Target has no one to blame but themselves.

I wonder who they'll blame? We had a local restaurant open up in our downtown area. They were ridiculously high-priced and only open a few hours per day. They shut down and put a huge editorial in the paper blasting the city for not supporting them. I always wonder who's to blame when according to everybody, it's not their fault!?

I can't see who else they can blame. Maybe "Blame Canada"? You promise the shopping experience of the American stores and then don't come close on price expectations, while also failing to stock stores, and it makes it look like you planned to fail.

Some people just have to find others to blame. Why would you support a business that was that was part time, like that restaurant?

We had a motorcycle accessories shop that had been around for 20 years, that closed two years ago. In a Facebook post the owner, a former national racer who I'd known for those 20 years and who had taught me during at least 5 of my 8 track school days, blamed the customers for shifting their purchases to the internet, to the detriment of brick and mortar local stores. I had to say something. I had tried to give him my business. His shop was virtually on my way home. He never had what I wanted in stock. When I ordered something it would take 2+ weeks to arrive and his staff wouldn't call to let me know that it was in. On one occasion his #1 front counter guy told me that a certain accessory was no longer made. I went online, when I got home, and found it in literally 30 seconds. It was at my door 5 days later.

Some people just don't realize that they are the reason for their own failure.

That's what makes it tough to support brick and mortar stores sometimes. I try to shop locally. I'll even pay a few more bucks to support the little guy. But when I hear "we can order it". Ya, well so can I. And have at my door step 2 days later...for free.

Exactly. I was willing to pay more in order to touch and test the product, rather than ordering it sight unseen. That requires stock though. I understand that carrying stock is a big expense but on one occasion I wanted a set of heavy weight KTM bar end weights, for alloy bars, that are a standard item (this shop was a KTM dealer). They had a box for a pair that only had one weight in it, so I had to wait 3 weeks for mine to come in.

Wow. I like shopping at Target (in the US), sucks they weren't the same in Canada. Although they disappointed me this Christmas with the lack of selection in sizes. I had found the perfect pajamas for my niece. I bought her size 10 and we needed 12, they don't make them :( trying to find something comparable else where has been nearly impossible.

Well to show that they understand our market, Wal-Mart is using the Target closure as an opportunity to expand their operations.

So NOW they find a business model that works in Canada?

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/02/13...rampton-target