Archived Target pulling out of Canada

[commiecorvus]

Some interesting pictures from Slate.
My question is, how do not have anything for One Spot?

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox...canada_these_pictures_show_why_it_failed.html

 

[AllThingsTarget101]

Buy stock in a couple months!

Also really disappointed, was hoping it would turn around. Was open to transferring to Canada!

 

[Amaazingdude]

Buy stock in a couple months!

Also really disappointed, was hoping it would turn around. Was open to transferring to Canada!

Do you know FRench? My ETL helped out during a store opening...not knowing French she felt lost. Some guests up there refuse to speak English and French is the primary on the walkies for the team members. You are only allowed to speak English if a guest asks "do you speak English"

 

[commiecorvus]

I'm genuinely curious if Spot ever has plans to venture into Mexico. Sounds like Wally World does all right there.

After this I don't expect Spot will be doing any expanding into another country for a very long time.

 

[AllThingsTarget101]

Do you know FRench? My ETL helped out during a store opening...not knowing French she felt lost. Some guests up there refuse to speak English and French is the primary on the walkies for the team members. You are only allowed to speak English if a guest asks "do you speak English"

I could learn. I didn't know it was that prominent! That's amazing.

 

[zio paperone]

Do you know FRench? My ETL helped out during a store opening...not knowing French she felt lost. Some guests up there refuse to speak English and French is the primary on the walkies for the team members. You are only allowed to speak English if a guest asks "do you speak English"

I could learn. I didn't know it was that prominent! That's amazing.

I would assume that would be only in Quebec. They completely messed up Quebec. I heard a lot of complaints from Anglo-Canadians regarding French only signs/self checkouts/customer service. In BC, I did not see one French sign in Target and there was 0 use of French.

​

 

[zio paperone]

Some interesting pictures from Slate.
My question is, how do not have anything for One Spot?

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox...canada_these_pictures_show_why_it_failed.html

If they were out of eggs, or milk, or shirts, they had to hope those things would show up on a truck full of mystery merchandise that arrived each morning.

The information about the DC in the Slate article is wrong. We were very much able to tell DC and if we ran out of goods. However, that doesn't mean that they actually sent anything back. I (and others!) received replies back all the time, they just didn't do anything about it. I took care of consumables and we were definitely able to control the eggs (although not directly). I was able to talk to National Egg (?) and get information and they were able to help out in ensuring I had enough. Unfortunately, because distribution was inconsistent, I would have to talk to them all the time and just didn't have the time to deal with them and eventually just left it be. Finally, milk, that was ordered by ourselves. Even when I was swamped and messed up the order, my sales rep would fix it for me. If stores ran out they only had themselves to blame. Saputo/Dairyland never once shorted me.

the company's rulebook prevented employees from filling the barren shelves with whatever else they had on hand

While technically true, after the first few times our DTL did a store walk and was embarrased by how out of stock we were, we were allowed to flex the shit outta everything.

But hey, they did so something right in that article. The store they showed looked more stocked than my store!

 

[commiecorvus]

I would assume that would be only in Quebec. They completely messed up Quebec. I heard a lot of complaints from Anglo-Canadians regarding French only signs/self checkouts/customer service. In BC, I did not see one French sign in Target and there was 0 use of French.

​

Isn't it the law there that everything has to be in both languages?
How the hell did they mess that up?
One of the TMs at my store grew up in Quebec and he didn't speak English until he was 20.
They can't assume just because they aren't in Quebec that the people don't speak French.

 

[zio paperone]

Isn't it the law there that everything has to be in both languages?
How the hell did they mess that up?
One of the TMs at my store grew up in Quebec and he didn't speak English until he was 20.
They can't assume just because they aren't in Quebec that the people don't speak French.

From my understanding that law only applies to government services and in Quebec. //As far as I know there isn't even a requirement to have French on the labels unless it is being sold in Quebec or passing through Quebec (or something like that) and that it's just cheaper to have 1 label instead of an English label and a French label for different parts of Canada.// wrong -- it is a requirement. I just happen to see a lot of products that only have English. Out here I don't think people care at all. I don't remember where I read that but I swear it's a thing.

Have you never been to Western Canada? I don't know a single person that knows French and I have lived in Canada my whole life. I know some people that are impressed that I can count to 20 and say useless phrases like "can I open the window" and don't stop chasing your dreams" lol

 

[Bosch]

Do you know FRench? My ETL helped out during a store opening...not knowing French she felt lost. Some guests up there refuse to speak English and French is the primary on the walkies for the team members. You are only allowed to speak English if a guest asks "do you speak English"

Have you ever been out of Quebec or Montreal? Cause I have and BC, Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto speak English just fine. And my Newfie buddies don't know French at all.

And most stuff is labeled in english/french. As in cars, groceries. Places and signs, not so much.

 

[commiecorvus]

I have many friends who live all over Canada and most of them took French in high school.
I've noticed the Fred Meyers gets a lot of their store brand food from Canada and it has labels in both English and French.

I have one friend from Hong Kong who moved to Canada when he was 8.
So by the time he graduated from High School he spoke fluent English, French, and Cantonese.
Americans by and large seem to be lucky if they can master one language.

 

[Bosch]

My husband born and raised in BC speaks some basic French, but my Spanish from my growing up in LA has him beat by a country mile.

And yes I believe about your friend from Hong Kong it was very popular to buy property in BC in the 80's 90's and raise their kids in BC.

 

[Backroom81]

Do you know FRench? My ETL helped out during a store opening...not knowing French she felt lost. Some guests up there refuse to speak English and French is the primary on the walkies for the team members. You are only allowed to speak English if a guest asks "do you speak English"

Parlez-vous 'Murican?

 

[Ringwraith917]

I hope Target US is allowed to buy equipment and the like from Target Canada during this liquidation. Upgrade a few US stores while they're shutting down Canadian ones.

 

[Noiinteam]

I hope Target US is allowed to buy equipment and the like from Target Canada during this liquidation. Upgrade a few US stores while they're shutting down Canadian ones.

Yes, I'll take 1 backroom tm for light duty, 1 for the bulk side and 1 for electronics. Oh and I need an Etl logistics, mine just quit.

 

[oath2order]

I hope Target US is allowed to buy equipment and the like from Target Canada during this liquidation. Upgrade a few US stores while they're shutting down Canadian ones.

Can my store get like all their make-up I want their NYX stuff to fill my shelves.

Their online site sucked btw.

 

[RunForACallBox]

Can we get fixtures, like seriously!

 

[Kaz]

It did come as a big shock to us, and one thing that i have to say i am most disappointed as is the Canadian Guest these past few days. A TM from Ontario captured it quite perfectly in this Reddit post: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/01/16/target-layoffs-job-cuts_n_6486118.html

There are definitely a lot more things i would like to say about the situation but i know my bounds and the sensitivity of the situation so i will be professional in what i answer.

To answer a question from earlier in the thread about how we can be empty in stock such as those pictures. I can tell you my Store has never looked like that, the only time it would look like that is if we were mid transition or AMG and had the product getting pulled from the back on it's way up there.

I am an ETL, feel free to ask me anything and i will respond with what i can.

Thank you for your support, it is a shame we have to close our doors, this was honestly something amazing.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

@Kaz, I am so sorry for you. How is Costco doing up there?

 

[Kaz]

Costco is doing fine here as far as i know, they just changed to Mastercard and booted out Amex which was a big move for them.

 

[redeye58]

I'm so sorry for you & all your TMs, Kaz.

 

[FlowbieCanuck]

Yes, I'll take 1 backroom tm for light duty, 1 for the bulk side and 1 for electronics. Oh and I need an Etl logistics, mine just quit.

Oh man. If it was possible for me to relocate to the US, I'd pick you up on that, too.

Sears is supposedly extending a hand to us up here. That's very nice of... wait... aren't they not doing so hot either?

 

[Guest]

People still use American Express? Lol

 

[Kaz]

Apparently they did.

 

[ineedhours]

After this I don't expect Spot will be doing any expanding into another country for a very long time.

We have a tough time here with our "foreign" TM's helping guests that speak english. I can only imagine the frustration in Canada. When I offered to back-up a non english speaking TM one day, a guest said to me, "oh good, maybe YOU can understand, I'm looking coffepots"...