[T.E.C.II]

I dropped by the Bay today, thinking there might be some deals, but didn't really see anything I wanted to buy. I did notice the Hugo Boss section was completely gone and taped off, which makes me wonder what they do with the more expensive brands if they're not putting them on the salesfloor.

 

[gabe]

I dropped by the Bay today, thinking there might be some deals, but didn't really see anything I wanted to buy. I did notice the Hugo Boss section was completely gone and taped off, which makes me wonder what they do with the more expensive brands if they're not putting them on the salesfloor.

Just like Sears, Nordstrom, Target...etc. There will be zero deals. Never assume that the price at a closeout sale is a good value. Always shop around. What's left over will be returned to wholesalers or sold in bulk to places like Winners, T.J. Maxx, Marshalls..etc.

 

[Brian S-W]

There is no liquidation sale yet. The case is still in the courts. If HBC collapses it will be publicly announced when the clearance sales start. The sales on now are a Spring Home Sale and a Spend More, Save More.

 

[Bayer]

I bought great Zegna and Versace shirts at Winners on College. But then I once saw a whole display of cheap-looking (but not actually cheap) Prada sneakers.

 

[Northern Light]

There is no liquidation sale yet. The case is still in the courts. If HBC collapses it will be publicly announced when the clearance sales start. The sales on now are a Spring Home Sale and a Spend More, Save More.

You are, of course, 100% correct.

But to add some context......

Some vendors have pulled product and/or refused to resupply leading to empty displays/shelves.

This is exasperated by sales that are actually up as people worry this is it for 'The Bay' and so are buying unique product they like, particularly the heritage/striped stuff which is selling right out.

That, in combination with routine sales.......and a few extra that a bit more aggressive than normal lead to a misimpression.

 

[matrix]

Which is why I find Winners kind of exhausting - I'd rather pay more for certainty, and I generally prefer to shop less but shop well for things that will last.

Absolutely valid hahaha. A lot of people I know don't like Winners for that reason, either.

 

[junctionist]

The Bay is still relevant as a trendy downtown clothing and shoe store. I love not having to walk through a mall’s worth of stores to be able to cross-shop brands and browsing a wide variety of fashionable clothing from European and Canadian brands without leaving the store. A lot of people like it for that reason.

But the old model of also buying your furniture, appliances, and electronics at the same store doesn’t work for a more upmarket department store. I don’t trust a clothing store in an old and expensive downtown location to also have the best furniture and appliances at the best prices. There are stores that specialize in these products that are a lot more credible and effective at selling them.

The size of the Bay’s stores reflects the old days when department stores sold a bit of everything you might need in the house. It seems economically inefficient from a leasing perspective and outdated nowadays.

Another problem for the store is its dual identity. It was an average and decidedly boring clothing store in places like Windsor or the smaller malls in the GTA patronized by an older demographic. It’s far more interesting at Queen Street and Yorkdale. I get that they wanted to keep the store viable in a wide variety of markets, but the dual identity likely confused shoppers.

A lot of young people grow up around a downmarket Bay location either in a small town or in a suburb and know how boring and irrelevant it is. They don’t bother with the Queen Street location thinking they’re going to get more of the same. Also, for all the money HBC reportedly spent on their website, it’s subpar. Try sorting by brand. You can’t CTRL click a bunch of brands at a time—the page has to reload for every brand you select. Not good for a store whose advantage is having many brands under one roof. It only reinforces a perception that they’re outdated and slow to change.

It’s a shame that the Bay hasn’t really kept up with the times. There’s so much cultural value in the company that it would be nice to see some government intervention. An actual bailout seems silly given that it was basically a mismanaged clothing store hollowed out by American private equity until it became insolvent. But the company represents so much of the nation’s history. At least try to keep the downtown operations with the most potential going and bring it back into Canadian hands.

 

[matrix]

Winners used to have a week where they would get real luxury brands, and they were all in this one section. The items would still be way more expensive than anything in the store, but drastically reduced from their original price. I don't know if they do that anymore. The craziest thing I saw was a pair of Lanvin sneakers, which retailed for about $600, on sale for $90. I saw a Mackage parka for around $450 a few years back, but the zipper was wonky.

You're talking about the Red Carpet (Marshalls)/Runway (Winners) events I think? I don't think those have been done for a while. Instead, the Runway namesake has been reduced to a sign on a few racks with higher-end items on it. These days I know there are a few locations that get first dibs on luxury items though. Yonge + College, Heartland, Leaside, Bathurst + Lawrence, Sherway all get higher-end items like Chanel or Gucci bags, and I heard they have been routing some more expensive product to the Eaton Centre as well.

That being said, you still need to get lucky, and I think that's why they stopped the Runway events- customers looking for luxury will come in more often if you don't squeeze all that stock into a promotional event.

 

[matrix]

It’s a shame that the Bay hasn’t really kept up with the times. There’s so much cultural value in the company that it would be nice to see some government intervention. An actual bailout seems silly given that it was basically a mismanaged clothing store hollowed out by American private equity until it became insolvent. But the company represents so much of the nation’s history. At least try to keep the downtown operations with the most potential going and bring it back into Canadian hands.

I agree with this. I'm betting on someone snapping up the rights to the stripes and namesake, to at least keep that going on. But their debt is just far too big, it's very hard to stay positive about the possibility of any physical location remaining unscathed. It's gonna take a miracle for someone to swoop in today.

 

[Richard White]

The Bay is still relevant as a trendy downtown clothing and shoe store. I love not having to walk through a mall’s worth of stores to be able to cross-shop brands and browsing a wide variety of fashionable clothing from European and Canadian brands without leaving the store. A lot of people like it for that reason.

But the old model of also buying your furniture, appliances, and electronics at the same store doesn’t work for a more upmarket department store. I don’t trust a clothing store in an old and expensive downtown location to also have the best furniture and appliances at the best prices. There are stores that specialize in these products that are a lot more credible and effective at selling them.

The size of the Bay’s stores reflects the old days when department stores sold a bit of everything you might need in the house. It seems inefficient and outdated nowadays.

Another problem for the store is its dual identity. It was an average and decidedly boring clothing store in places like Windsor or the smaller malls in the GTA patronized by an older demographic. It’s far more interesting at Queen Street and Yorkdale. I get that they wanted to keep the store viable in a wide variety of markets, but the dual identity likely confused shoppers.

A lot of young people grow up around a downmarket Bay location either in a small town or in a suburb and know how boring and irrelevant it is. They don’t bother with the Queen Street location thinking they’re going to get more of the same. Also, for all the money HBC reportedly spent on their website, it’s subpar. Try sorting by brand. You can’t CTRL click a bunch of brands at a time—the page has to reload for every brand you select. Not good for a store whose advantage is having many brands under one roof. It only reinforces a perception that they’re outdated and slow to change.

It’s a shame that the Bay hasn’t really kept up with the times. There’s so much cultural value in the company that it would be nice to see some government intervention. An actual bailout seems silly given that it was basically a mismanaged clothing store hollowed out by American private equity until it became insolvent. But the company represents so much of the nation’s history. At least try to keep the downtown operations with the most potential going and bring it back into Canadian hands.

This.

When I go to the Bay, I go for clothes, accessories (watches) and housewares like plates, dishes and frying pants. I don't go to buy furniture or electronics.

If I want furniture or electronics, I go to Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Sleep Country or Leons.

For certain stores it works like with Harrods or Liberty in London, UK. Those stores have high end designer furniture and small appliances catering to wealthy clientele but in places like Toronto that simply does not jive with the customers they have coming in.

 

[Northern Light]

This.

When I go to the Bay, I go for clothes, accessories (watches) and housewares like plates, dishes and frying pants. I don't go to buy furniture or electronics.

If I want furniture or electronics, I go to Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Sleep Country or Leons.

For certain stores it works like with Harrods or Liberty in London, UK. Those stores have high end designer furniture and small appliances catering to wealthy clientele but in places like Toronto that simply does not jive with the customers they have coming in.

Frying Pants?

You are an original Richard...... LOL

 

[Richard White]

Frying Pants?

You are an original Richard...... LOL

LOL I did not even notice the typo!

Well.. those would be a nifty idea although the idea of third degree burns is not entirely appealing.

 

[Northern Light]

The Bay is still relevant as a trendy downtown clothing and shoe store. I love not having to walk through a mall’s worth of stores to be able to cross-shop brands and browsing a wide variety of fashionable clothing from European and Canadian brands without leaving the store. A lot of people like it for that reason.

It could be.......but based on my college going niece..........not so much in recent years. (on trend)

But the old model of also buying your furniture, appliances, and electronics at the same store doesn’t work for a more upmarket department store. I don’t trust a clothing store in an old and expensive downtown location to also have the best furniture and appliances at the best prices. There are stores that specialize in these products that are a lot more credible and effective at selling them.

I'm not sure that I ever thought department stores gave you the best price on these, at least in the post category-killer age.

What I think they did well was package things, in their larger stores.

'The Bay' Queen, early on (right after rebranding from Simpson's) still had furniture galleries. That is they did whole rooms, say a bedroom, and you saw the furniture, done with 3 walls, in a given colour, full linens/dressings, side table lights, area rug etc.

Likewise a dining room would be the table and chairs, but also the overhead light, the tableware, and table cloth and napkins, the dish-displaying china cabinet or bar etc.

I think they did a great job on that.........at one point.......and that would be the strong suit, likely focused on higher-end products and maybe one house brand.

***

I don't see why I would trust Leon's or Home Depot on Fridges/Stoves more than 'The Bay'.....they would be manufactured by the same people. Again, I think its more about the shopping environment, the level of service, etc.

Another problem for the store is its dual identity. It was an average and decidedly boring clothing store in places like Windsor or the smaller malls in the GTA patronized by an older demographic. It’s far more interesting at Queen Street and Yorkdale. I get that they wanted to keep the store viable in a wide variety of markets, but the dual identity likely confused shoppers.

I agree this was an issue, and I think it should have been addressed by splitting the banner into 'Hudson's Bay Company' for flagship stores and 'The Bay' for smaller suburban offerings.

I also think there was a market for a well run version of Zellers........but that is water under the bridge.

 

[Towered]

Frying Pants?

You are an original Richard...... LOL

That said, I do have pants with flames on them.

 

[RGB_11]

It's funny how Sears bought Eatons just to go out of business themselves. Further back, Bay bought Simpson's.
Simons isn't interested in buying up Bay store leases? (in places where they are not already present)
That's too bad. Bay is stuck, unlike Eaton's and others who were at least able to cash in on a buy out.
I would have loved to see a SIMONS clearance centre at Eglinton square or Woodbine mall...assuming Bay really is making it's final exit...