Towards the end of the Zellers era I went into one of their stores out of desperation looking for something I couldn't find anywhere else. I had my three year old son with me, and as we walked towards the back of the store my son slowed down, looked around, and said: "Daddy, everything here is old and broken." It truly was dismal, merchandise randomly piled everywhere, about half the ceiling lights not working, everything seemingly dingy and dirty. A sad end to a once iconic store.
This is exactly K-mart... Leadership knows when the ship is sinking, they just don't want to give up the executive pay, so they coast until it implodes, not even trying to save the business.
The zellers in saint john nb was pretty good even up untl it closed. And it was in a really bad area too lol, they kept it open for a few years because there was an office building in the back of it, but then closed it and were gonna turn it into a target (lol). Buildings demolished now
Yeah they could have survived if they took care of the stores and innovate. They let everything rot and let Walmart take over. The Zellers nearby in the end was in rough shape yeah it was insane.
I remember going to buy rain boots on one of the last few days it was open… It was so decrepit in there. It really sucked because everyone liked sellers but I remember the one in Mississauga just being one that people walked through to get into the mall rather than an actual destination for shopping.
They’re vulture capitalist. But companies cheap, strip assets like real estate and trademarks then sell them off or send them into bankruptcy. It’s a symptom of late stage capitalism.
@Shaik Corso Only us kids who been through the struggle can appreciate when our parents bought us new clothes and sneakers this new age Generation can never be thankful they want what they can't have and they can't hold down a job I seen so many kids that's 18 to early 20's come and go where I work as temps
*The location where I live closed before it opened (I think)* . I remember the signage at the mall about "COMING SOON: TARGET" and they spent a year or more renovating the mall and extending it specifically for Target and the first time I set foot in it they were having their "liquidation sale". Unbelievable. I've never seen anything like that before in my life.
I still have a sweater that I bought at Zellers in Fall 1998. I no longer wear it, but there are so many memories attached that I cannot get rid of it.
But how? I honestly do not understand how Walmart is able tp do this so consistently. On this channel, any time Jake does a video on a retail store, without fail Walmart gets mentioned as helping to cause said retailer's downfall
@@AllisterH They undercut their competitors on literally everything. With better prices, come better sales. Better sales bring better profits. And better profits cause mass expansion.
@dump lump also there's the effect that people will buy say 2 things that are cheaper and one smaller thing that isn't and they don't save on everything but save enough to justify to themselves it's better to shop there.
Zellers went out of my hometown at the time Target was opening in Canada which was about a year before target pulled out of Canada. Only this year the Mall was purchased by the Corperation that holds Canadian tire, Forced out many stores that were long time staples of our mall and is renovating the space for a Bigger Canadian tire which is currently just right next door to it's current location and pulling the rest of it's franchise stores out to that location.
@@sarah1390 I have a similar story, just last year one of the big grocery stores around here started work on renovating the space that Zellers and Target once occupied in order for them to open another location there
Thank you for this video, absolutely spot on! I worked for Zeller's on and off for 10 years. I worked in the Health and Beauty department, Restaurant and after I completed my studies, I was offered a position in the Human Resources department. As a consumer, I miss Zeller's terribly. There was such a sense of community. The restaurant served as a gathering and meeting place for many local families and seniors. The restaurant food was good too! 3-D Club sandwich. Big Z Burger. Zeller's had great poutine. Also, Zeller's had the cheapest breakfasts in town. I suited up in that Zeddy costume several times too. When Zeller's closed it's doors forever, it was truly an end of an era. It was a time and a place, where community meant something.
great and thoughtful comment, Michelle... It's great Zeller's offered you a full-time permanent job after you worked for them (on and off) for a decade... it means they valued the floor experience you garnered over the years, even though it was "only" entry-level! I well remember the Zellers we had on Sparks Street in Ottawa back in the Nineties. Loved their lingerie assortment! (true! loool) Had I known their restaurant food was so good I definitely would've tried it out (wish i had but i didn't, alas!). Your face actually looks familiar - i don't suppose you ever worked at *Le Chateau* at the Rideau Centre in Ottawa back in the Nineties, did you? That was another "fav" haunt of mine back then! I honestly miss the days of brick-and-mortar shopping back then, the excitement of going into the store to check out new merchandise, before online retail reared it's ugly head!
Ikr after watching the target video, I wanted to learn about Zellers. The closest I got was a coupe news sources and Wikipedia. Glad we get to watch this video.
I miss Zellers too. I miss the decent quality clothing for decent prices. Wal-mart clothing is shit nowadays. The Zellers in my hometown was closing down to be converted into Target. That went out about a year later after it opened when Target Pulled out of Canada. I can remember now as we speak the sound "All Aboard the Zeddy Mobile" which was a single seater Ferris type wheel rides for small kids.
What a mess of a situation. I was really disappointed to see Zellers close, used to go there all the time as a kid. I did really grew to love Target back when I was in college though. They had better prices on some things, and usually had stuff I couldn't find at other stores. It really sucked to see them all close down after only being here for a few years. Now the only general store we have where I live is Wal-mart, it's pretty lame only having one option for that sort of thing now.
Nitro Rad I never watched a single video you’ve made yet but I subbed because of this comment. Real shame zelles closed, they always had a good assortment of stuff and good deals. They didn’t deserve what happened to them. All my child hood memories in stores were all zellers and blockbuster... everything I remember in my childhood is dead now.
Target shot themselves in the foot by trying to expand too far, too fast in Canada. And in the process, they essentially gave Wal-Mart an easy way to dominate the market in many places. Unless there's already something like Canadian Tire established in the local area, good luck finding an alternative to Wal-Mart now!
I worked the last two years zellers was open. I was one of the cashier's on the last day open after we closed that stayed behind and rang in everything to sell to the liquidators. We could only scan 99 items then we'd turn on our lights, the liquidators came over with a company credit card, then we'd start over. They'd have staff loading up our counters in between transactions. I remember having to search in between shelves for items hidden and left behind so the liquidators could buy it all. Leaving the empty store was emotional, we all hugged and cried. RIP
CourtnetGears stores closing down and abandoned stores make me sad. My boyfriend has to go into anything that says that even if he’s never shopped at it before just to see if he can score a deal on something. I always get angry when I am I with him and he does that.
@@CourtneyNVO I get what you are saying but also consider this. All the staff at my local Sears were rude , my husband and friends felt the same way. I had zero interest in shopping at any other Sears based on how my local store treated it's customers ( my money my choice). No one seemed to be to upset when it was announced the store would be closing . People got way more upset when the Kmart closed and still refer the location as " the old Kmart " , even tho the building was torn down and rebuilt into something else.
Target: Lets buy a well known and well liked Canadian retailer. Destroy it, replace it with not only stores that aren’t up to par with our American locations but are worse than the retailer they’re replacing. Plus while we’re at it let’s underestimate the brand loyalty Canadians have to Zellers. I’m sure it’ll work out Also severely underestimating the smothering might of Canadian grocery chains was a whoops.
James Sylvestre Agree. The Canadian grocery retailers (Loblaws, Empire, Metro and London Drugs) plus Walmart/Costco are almost suffocating forces in the Canadian market. They are very competitive and don’t really let anyone else have any air to breath.
5:47 " Non Union prices " This eludes to the likelihood that Zellers was heavily unionized and labor costs were extremely high. This tends to happen to older brands where long term employees get paid far more than the net profit they generate. Changing to Target could have been a way to get out of high labor costs since old contracts would be going away.
James Sylvestre “lets also guarantee interviews but only hire a few people back!” I worked at the Zellers that was the location of the first Target in Canada. I worked with a lot of people who lost their jobs during the 08 stock market crash, most didn’t get hired at Target.
Don’t forget get a new ceo. Let him decide that the old one’s ideas are bad. Kill all initiatives by old ceo. If they would have waited they would have been profitable in a few years. Not sure why target decided that they would be instantly better than Walmart.
I went to one in London, Ontario,it was disappointment for me, being in retail for over thirty years,it will be very hard for them back to good old times
I still remember the Zellers closest to me. After that, it was target (and we know what happened to that) and before Zellers, it was a k Mart. It's safe to say the building hasn't had a good history 😐
we (in ontario, canada)had a zellers for yeeeaaaarrs! then it was renovated for target..... then a year later if that it was renovated to be Lowes to which a few years later it went outta business... so the building is defin doomed id say
Tim Hortons is THEE worst now. They used to be pretty good back when they used to bake in house. I still recall how it was a real treat to go to Tim's and they couldn't keep their doughnuts on the shelf But now everything just gets shipped frozen from factories and gets heated up. I used to go to Hortons regularly, but now? Never. Inedible.
In my hometown, Dawson Creek, BC, our Zellers sat empty for 10 years until a year ago when it was finally converted into a Save On. Didn't think they would ever do anything with it.
I remember having grilled cheese at one years ago. The lot in the mall where the Zellers was hasn’t been used since they closed down a long time ago. I even remember my mom talking about how she heard that it’d become a Target, which never happened.
Ah 'The Skillet'. I started working at Zellers as a waiter in The Skillet when I was 15. Years later I became the 'Food Service Supervisor'; one of the most fun jobs I've ever had. Sooo many great memories! The Big Z burger, the 3D Club and those Early Bird, 2 for 1 breakfast specials.
Some of my best memories as a kid was visiting the Zellers at the mall close to my town. Became a Target and I would just tour the store and try to find evidence of the old layouts. Miss Zellers man. Even more than BiWay
I went to an old department store of my youth which had been converted to a Target. Tried to find the old floor plan just as you described. It wasn't possible. Even the rear door that I used to use was bricked over.
Target in the US: basically an upscale Walmart, and you don’t mind paying a little more to stay away from the people of Walmart. Target in Canada probably didn’t have that benefit because the people of Walmart are probably nicer and not nearly as sketchy.
Ever notice the parking lots of Walmarts are filled with debris, paper trash, discarded soda cans, etc? That tells you what kind of people shop at Walmart.
I gladly pay more to never step foot in a Walmart. They actually closed the Walmart closest to me due to the amount of theft and crime that occurred there... you know it had to be bad.
My local Zellers was at the Erin Mills Town Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. Me and my Grandma would always go there and look around at the Toy department, then we would eat at it's Restaurant known as the Family Diner. The timeline of that store is actually quite funny. It's a massive store with 2 levels. It was one of the stores turned into a Target, with fancy Shopping Cart escalators. During it's short time as a Target, the prices were really high for stock that was never there. Then when they left, it sat vacant for a bit until Walmart of all stores bought the store and has stayed the same for a year or two now
I remember seeing Zeller's cargo containers and trailers on railroad cars in Canada and on occasion they strayed into the U.S. in and out of target stores. Although I think a lot of people tend to agree that Walmart is like a cancer once they move in they strive to put the competition out of business then jack the prices up.
So many good memories. When I came to Canada for 12 years ago as a high school-international student, I have spent so many weekends at Zellers, just browsing for so many merchandises I’ve never seen before. It was my favourite thing to do, especially when I was extremely lonely and struggled my teenage years in a completely new country. Never had I ever imagined that Zellers would vanish one day. I became a Canadian citizen two years ago, things have changed. I still miss Zellers, drastically.
I bought a Zeller’s Restaurant coffee mug for a quarter when our local Zeller’s was closed. It broke last week, I’m so annoyed that I didn’t think to buy more than one!
@@The-r4k Yeah, but stating that is hillarious. Try to find a store in Germany that does that any ppl would ask if they are insane to say it out loud. You only say that youre pro union, nothing else.
Why can’t America have a snazzy retail chain name? ZELLERS is just so much fun to say. Edit; Never mind, I forgot we have Piggly Wiggly, that is objectively the best name for anything ever
Same here, to me they seem to look like a diet Target yet they state Big W as their competition which is funny because Target and Walmart are competitors in the US.
you would've one was cheap and had good brands the same stuff get from wal-mart but the cheaper plus was a diner in for a bite to eat I can remember have a milkshake and eating burger wasn't Mcd lol.
I miss getting the Zellers Christmas wish list when I was little, would search thorough the catalogs choosing the stuff Id want Santa to bring. Good times!
I remember my mom dropping my sister and I off at the restaurant, ordering us food and shopping while we ate, it was a cool 60s diner kind of place. After the Target failure they just tore that part of the mall down and rebuilt it into a Mark's Work Warehouse after trying it as a weird expo hall thing that lasted like one year. The mall hasn't been the same without an anchor at that end, it's kind of dead now even pre-covid
same the restaurant is what i miss most about zellers. i have so many childhood memories of going shopping with my family and then eating lunch or dinner at the restaurant afterwards. now our local small town mall is basically dead.
I remember the "restaurant" in my local retail operation. Always remembered a cashier there named "Mina" as my friend liked her. I think their pizza was about the only thing worthwhile.
@JaNeY KeNnY All the food was actualy pretty good.Kinda more homestyle then most of the junk/chain restaurants today.The breakfasts and burgers were good aswell.
Fun Fact= Zellers is back…..sort of in my Area anyways, and hare’s what I mean about again in my Area at least Hudson’s Bay has Revived Zellers in the form of having a Zellers inside their Hudson’s Bay Store. But in that Mall’s Dictionary it Shows that the Hudson’s Bay is on the Upper Floor, and Zellers is on the Lower Floor. But if you go to the Mall itself The Lower Floor still has the Sign of Hudson’s Bay and when you look inside it even looks like a Hudson’s Bay. And that’s not all if you go on to the Zellers Website itself they have Very Limited Items on their Website. But on a Separate Note I still hear that jingle in my head on occasion. There’s something about that tune “Zellers Where The Lowest Price Is The Law” about how that VO Lady sang it makes it so catchy to me, in all of those Commercials when I was a kid. And on a final note for some reason I could still clearly see the Zellers that I frequented from back in the day as if it is still open. And I think my most clear memory of Zellers from back in the day is me needing to cut through it to get to that Closes Best Buy after crossing the Zellers Parking Lot and a few Streets, and then on my way back I would take a Detour and Head Down to the Lower Floor of Zellers to see what Good Physical Media that they have and want, and then I would head to the Toy Section to see what Yu Gi Oh Products that the they would have in the store at the time. Mostly for my Birthday/Holiday Shopping, but if I happen to go shopping during any other time of the year I would go through the same process.
Sens fan? It boggles my mind how 2 out of the 3 Shopper's Drug Mart locations in my town never carry Maple Leafs wall calendars and only have Senators one. That is one item I always get my grandfather for Christmas/his birthday each year. Problem is the location that gets the Maple Leafs calendars changes for whatever reason.
Love that I'm learning about companies that now don't exist in a country that I don't live in and somehow I still feel sad for them... Also you should do an abandoned on the UK Woolworths
@User It was like a mini version of Walmart here in the UK. Sold everything except food. They went bankrupt in I think 2008 because they didn't keep up with online demand. Well that's what I remember anyway
I learned a lot of new things when watching this video. The analogous reference to K-mart was for me, most helpful in understanding what Zeller's was to Canadians who knew it in its heyday. Thanks for these videos as it reminds me that no matter how grand any venture might be, every Human effort is ultimately ephemeral--a humbling thought, IMHO.
@Insert Name Lol you kids are so poor goddamn I can't believe it. I thought people are getting richer. Like out of 1000 people between age 19-23 80% are already making 100k annually. Lol people are so poor lol
There's still a largely intact abandoned location in Moose Jaw, SK. The rear portion of the store was turned into government offices not even a year ago, but the branded front entrance doors remain, uncovered. I think the old slogan ('The lowest price is the law!') is even still visible on an interior wall.
Yes, i still remember when that store was Woolco before Zellers bought it, so in some way i remember it as that too, Target never aquired it so it has been empty since, Save On foods expressed interest once but the mall wanted to much and didn't want to renovate it i heard, seems like a foolish and stupid move but whatever.
I remember being really confused when Zellers wasn't there anymore. I live in Michigan, but my family normally spends most of the summer at a family cottage in Canada. We'd pass a few Zellers on the way up. Suddenly, when we came back one year, they were just GONE. It was kinda eerie. Also I swear every one of these episodes makes me hate Walmart even more.
🤣🤣🤣 Why hate? Zellers couldn't compete and Walmart provided lower prices. That's how capitalism works. The best product typically wins out. Zellers couldn't survive so they died off. I've honestly no idea why so many hate Walmart. Their prices for staples are among the lowest which means the dollar goes further for the poorest, which is good thing. Even the "Walmart Effect" has been proven to be a myth. People like you are funny. Nostalgia should win over a better business model?
Best childhood memory of Zeller's: My mom paid with a $100 dollar bill and I was like "wow! 100$!!". Then the cashier pulled out and showed me a $1000.00 bill and blew my mind lol
good luck finding a $1000 now, they are tightly controlled and rarely distributed to try and halt the drug trade. That's why in movies you see pallets of bills.....the biggest is $100.00. You can still get them, you have to special order them through the bank and I believe the most you can get is 3 or 5, something like that.
Muskoka Mike the $1000 denomination was discontinued in 2000 by request of the RCMP and bank of Canada. They’re worth more than face value as collector items now.
7:58 I remember that Target location at the newly constructed CF Polo Park outlet building. Before they closed down, and was left vacant for a few years until three other companies bought the rental space. That Target Canada space now resides as a Winners/Homesense, and some other health related company. But man, it's quite odd that I always remembered the one Zellers chain alongside Grant Park Mall (before I went to Grant Park High School) when I was young. Then I remember their closing sale, how it converted to a Target Canada chain, and just a year later, they announced their closure. Then three years after that, Canadian Tire stepped in, and purchased the space. Most of the fixtures and whole exterior were painted a different colour. And to this day, it's still there. Man, how times have changed... Although, I have concerning doubts that the Hudson's Bay Company will go under next.
Hey another Winnipegger! My sister worked at the Henderson Zellers as it was going out of business. I remember the layout of that store like yesterday, and how it had been a KMart before converting to a Zellers. The location was attached to a tiny "mall" and a Safeway. The Zellers was demolished and a newer Safeway was built in the parking lot. Now there's several other businesses that have been built in that same lot and it's so wild to me that there was ever a Zellers there. Still have one of the branded plastic bags!
The Zellers at Grant Park (was actually a Walmart before it became Zellers) was not a bad store. The Zellers near where I live (Fort Richmond) was a total dump
Mike Peters Grant Zellers was pretty decent...first time I walked into the Target replacement it felt the same as zellers but crap prices and merchandise. Never went back to a Canadian Target
Polo Target didn't have the chance to open I believe... It did convert to other stores as mentioned. Looked like it was gonna be a flagship store 🤷♂️ Not from Winnipeg (NWO)
was on a class trip to ottawa in 2019, and our hotel was literally across the street from the ottawa zellers, everyone was losing their shit when they saw it
@@zephyr332 Yes. That would have been the Zellers in Bells Corners, a suburb of Ottawa. The Days Inn is just across the street. As the video says, it closed too.
Thats How we View K Mart in the US, im not Sure if it Still Exists, but I've Heard of Locations Doing OK and of Them Doing Well in Australia, my local k mark closed in 2018 and that space us now a Big Lots and a Gabe's the K mart opened in 1989, and that space layer abandoned for like a year and a half, the Big Lots Moved in in 2019, and the Gane's in 2020, im talking about the old hermitage PA K mart location
The Zellers in my town, Bracebridge, is still intact and hasn’t been painted or anything. You can still read “Zellers the lowest price is the law” in the discolourations of where the signage was.
the location at @9:19 is at the Bayshore Mall in Ottawa right next to where I live. It was a Zellers, then was converted to a Target that, as stated never opened. Target declared they were moving out of Canada only 2 weeks before this store was to open. Ironically its now a Walmart
Walmart is a stain. I loved Zellers as a kid and as an adult it wasn't often the Go-To, but there were somethings they had that I couldn't find anywhere else. True story, I bought my coffee table there in 2006 and it still works great. Thanks for the great video and the trip down memory lane.
Man, I remember when our Zellers shut down. Everyone was so hopeful we would get a target. The building died a few years later and it finally came down late last year, all that remains of that plaza is the beer store. EDIT: 10:50 HOLY CRAP THAT'S THE ONE!
I am not Canadian, never been either, but this depressed me. There's something special about a department store in the 80's and 90's. I wish I could have gone; Zeller's looked like such a nice place.
Ah yes, I remember Zellers when I was a kid with shopping malls like Sheridan Centre, Square One and Erin Mills Town Centre having Zellers as one of their anchor stores and then Target came and went in such a short period of time Sheridan Centre's planned location never even opened if I recall while the Square One location not lasting too long either while I am not sure if the Erin Mills Town Centre location never opened or closed. Edit: 12:26 timestamp is the Sheridan Centre location that never opened btw.
Sheridan Centre Target opened October 2014 until March-April 2015. I went to the Sheridan location a few times, it definitely was open for a couple of months before Target went bankrupt.
@@liddlebopeep Oh, I never went to Sheridan Centre during that time period though I did before October usually to go to the EB Games location (which ended up closing by around 2016). Honestly I feel that mall is sort of dead with the Metro grocery store and Shoppers Drug Mart keeping it on life support.
Sheridan Centre is a dead mall. You have the former Target space empty on one side, and the vacated offices of RSA (the former Eaton's store) on the other. The only thing keeping the mall barely alive is Service Ontario, Shopper's Drug Mart and Metro. The rest of the mall is wasted, empty space.
A similar thing happened when Masters tried to enter the Australian hardware market. No research, not understanding the market. Losing about $2 billion dollars. Then the main hardware chain in Australia, bunnings, made the same mistake in the UK.
I remember listening to an interview with some executive or other from Target, after they closed up shop, who stated that they did not understand that Canadians had the expectation when they opened here, they would have US prices as well as the same merchandise. Indeed I remember when Target started to struggle shortly after opening, they were putting out statements indicating they were never going to have US prices, even if it was the same stock as the US. Canadians were expecting something that was never going to materialize, and Target severely misunderstood the market!
Yeah, they said they were going to "price according to the market", which was code for "we're going to charge more because we can." At the time, the Canadian and US dollars were roughly equal in value, making it easier to compare prices.
9:45 I remember going in to that Zeller's even after Target Canada closed down. It was honestly pretty depressing. I think there are plans to turn it into a Winner's or Marshall's now, although I haven't been to that part of town since Covid started, so it might still be empty.
I had a zellers near my house connected to a mall with amazing restaurants but when zellers changed to target it failed immediately and the mall was torn down and i still miss the restaurants and the amazing staff 🥺
Two points. I loved your history and all the photographs. You've done a great job. The one thing that I think you missed was that as a discount store, Zellers didn't discount. Products that were long gone from other stores, were still on Zellers shelves and often full price. There was a time, just pre-internet sales, in 1992 when I could go to Zellers and pick up toys for collectors in the United States. Toys that were long gone from the shelves in the USA. Secondly Zellers did acknowledge the old look of their stores in competition with Walmart and many stores had a major refurbishing. Small town locations stayed the same but even mid-sized cities got new stores. The problem was that they still didn't discount items that weren't selling. Walmart would have an item that if it didn't sell, were discounted to a few dollars and it was gotten rid of. Zellers didn't do that. I remember action figures from some movies that no one bought being cleared out by Walmart but a year later were still on pegs at Zellers. Often at nearly full price. If no one had bought them 1.5 - 2 years ago when the movie was popular, no one is going to buy them now. In retail, you can't have your shelves filled with merchandise that is not moving. I think you are right in the end, Zellers would have gone bankrupt. We saw other chains like Sears go under. One thing that might have saved Zellers if they could have held on, would have been the increase in the "buy Canadian" mentality. As Walmart's reputation for poor employee relations and damaging local producers and retail outlets became more known, more people started to buy elsewhere. People started to buy more Canadian. There was also a political component of that when George W was in the office and certainly in the last 4 years with Trump. I don't shop at Walmart ever and go to places like Giant Tiger and Canadian Tire. If Zellers still existed, it would be my department store.
I remember going into various Zellers stores in the GTA trying to find good deals when they were liquidating everything. It was quite surreal doing the same thing with the Target stores in the same locations only a year later.
Zellers was such a big part of my childhood, throughout my dads career with Bargain Harold's managing stores until the day they closed down in owen sound he moved onto Zellers working insane hours managing and transferring to stores that were not doing so well and his job was to find out why and to fix it, my childhood was spent going to my dads work, the last store he managed was in Mississauga was back in 2008 where he quit to pursue different things, but the stories he would tell me about people stealing, gang "payoffs" to having someone steal all the money out of the safe in his office, Zellers will always have a space in my heart!
8:04 Elgin Mall, St Thomas Ontario, my home town. That location used to be a K Mart before it was Zellars. Now that space houses a Giant Tiger and a Dollarama.
@@jiperlyjiggs7673 yeah they've been talking about that for a while. They announced that hotel at the same time as the Denny's was announced, and at least that place is almost ready to go
Anybody remember Zeller's early 2000's advertising? It was fire, they really latched into the indie music movement of the era. I'll bet a lot of Canadians were introduced to Joel Plaskett, the Salteens and the Be Good Tanyas through Zeller's advertising. For one summer Zeller was the coolest kid on the block.
In my perspective I think Zellers would’ve been bought out by Loblaw‘s if Target didn’t step in Zellers would have sold presidents choice and no name Products in its grocery department & all stores would’ve stayed open it would’ve been renovated to look better. I’d picture that in an alternative reality
I'm kind of glad such a thing didn't happen. Galen Weston is an arrogant ass whose entitlement knows no bounds. Take payers paid for their freezer upgrades. They made profits during the pandemic, but then they complained about paying their workers the hazard pay premium, and then were one of the first to drop it. I kind of see them Loblaw's in certain ways being worse than Walmart, and that says a lot given what most think of that store.
That's what you picture in an alternative reality?? I would picture world peace, no poverty, hunger or disease. Hell, maybe even a harem of nubile babes. But you dream of department stores and I say go for it buddy.
Yeah, but what about the cities and districts that don’t have Loblaws? The company has no presence in those cities, so how would that work? (If you don’t know, some cities in Canada, like mine, don’t have Loblaws, and instead have Fortinos)
We had a Zellers here in Thetford-Mines, QC for a few years, then it closed down in 2004 not long after walmart arrived with their build-in mcdonald, the thing i remember is their build-in restaurant, which was pretty good for a store restaurant, what surprised me is the walmart mcdonald today closed down to gives space for meat storage Zellers is one of those stores i wish stayed in businesses
this channel is great at giving the backstory behind the old products expired for decades I find in the corner of a cupboard with a yellowed "zellers" or "k-mart" or even "sears" tag on them
"Non-union low prices..." That says it all. An unsustainable system built by creating an entire class of working poor. Many working two or three jobs just to get by. Those big box stores are depressing though the new Target stores at least try to provide a more modern upscale feel to the customer.
There was a time when you could make a living in retail. I met a guy that had worked in Woodwards , years ago, and he bought a house and raised a family on the money he made working there, and he was not management.
That "Country Fair Mall" is in my Hometown of Fort Erie. My mother was a manager at the Zellers there most of my childhood... Crazy to see it in one of your videos. Very well done!
This brings me back, Zellers was the #1 place to buy toys as a kid. Being 19 now its sad to see my childhood store go but knowing the business side of why it happened just makes sense. Also target canada was an okay experience since they had great options for items but its true that they never had any stock. My parents tried to buy a couch and and printer, waited 2 months and got refunded.
I live in the US and completely understand how certain companies are have so much sentimental or nostalgic significance and what a tragedy it is to watch them fade away.
There's something we lose when businesses like Zellers, Montgomery Ward, Sears and Toys R Us goes out of business. I miss the Ward and Kay Bee You Store Christmas catalogs
It’s evolve or die for these retailers. K-Mart couldn’t and Eddie finished them (and Sears) off to pocket a few coins. The same has happened to some airlines and well known brands like Circuit City. Jake’s videos are awesome histories of what was and why it is no longer. Unfortunately he may have several new expired companies to cover next year.
Nostalgia at its best.. Canadian kids who grew up with Zellers will never forget the wheel ride outside the front doors or the diner. The small town where I live had one my entire life until mid 2012 and it sat abandoned until Giant Tiger bought the property.. never forget
Kmart and Zellers, were a huge part of my childhood! The Zeddy’s kids club rocked and the food at the diner was so good! The Target at Bayshore in Ottawa never saw the light of day and is now a Wal Mart!
This one is always personal to me, my Grandma would always take me to Zellers while she shopped there, often window shopping, because we were making due with our means. I remember we’d eat at the diner they had there all the time. I miss having those experiences with her, ever since her passing. I always get that nostalgic memories of moments I spent with her there, whenever I seen that logo. For some reason I remember the times we spent at Zellers more than Walmart, even though we spent time at Walmart was more recently, it always felt so impersonal at Walmart, like you get in and get out as fast as possible.
Never thought I would ever hear Simcoe being mentioned in one of your videos! I went to high school in Simcoe and remember passing by their Zellers on the bus rides to and from school. Now I pass by it's husk every time I go to visit my mother's house :P I think there is still an abandoned standalone Zellers in London, ON. Though I could be mistaken as I don't visit that end of town often.
Nathalie Bungay Where’s “here”? I live in a small city in British Columbia and Wal-Mart all-purpose store (clothes, food, pets, toys, electronics, etc.) in the area and has been ever since the local Zellers closed a number of years ago.
Ryan M. Whitehorse, Yukon it never has upgraded since the day our family moved here. My mum moved here when 14 years ago and she also said it hasn’t changed, the only subtle change is self check out lol and thats basically it.
It's so weird seeing all these old Zeller's locations that were like 15 minutes from where you grew up in B-roll on a huge RUclips channel you watch 😂 At 5:05 my jaw just about hit the floor because that building now sells ridiculously overpriced furniture and I bought a couch there a couple years ago. Moved to the city long after the building had changed ownership so my head almost exploded when I saw it 😂
I actually live pretty close to the Bells Corners Zellers in Ottawa, which I think was one of the two last in the world. I still have that nostalgic feeling every time I hear about Zellers. Kids these days will never understand the times we actually had fun.
Brings a tear to my eye! The memories of the single seat carousel at the entrances. Zeddy the bear and the restaurant. 😢. Woodbine mall….Zellers entrance. Best way to enter the mall with amazing smells coming from the restaurant
In a town called Hanover in southwestern Ontario, our Zellers actually was one of the 87 that was sold off. It's now a Giant Tiger, and it actually does rather well even though there's a Walmart right down the road.
11:00 is in the small town I live in, and seeing that building every time I go grocery shopping next door is a very eery reminder of my childhood growing up in Canada in the 90s...
The last time I recall visiting a Zeller's was shortly after Easter. It was very telling of how bad things were when their clearance table for Easter chocolates had a hollow soccer ball made of chocolate that that shattered in the bottom of the box, and while discounted, they still wanted $10 give or take (I snapped a photo that is on a hard drive somewhere. I ended up getting a decent deal on a shopping cart (that I still have) as I had needed one given I was now more mobile. I have fond memories of going to Zeller's with my grandmother. She didn't drive so it was either my mom or my grandfather who took us (the latter of which always stayed in the car and would later complain about how long we spent in there, haha). I kind of miss Z Cola and their other flavours of store branded pop. My grandmother usually got the 3D club sandwich if we ate at the diner (otherwise it was usually McDonald's). As for Target Canada...you kind of knew right from the get go they were doomed. When the first shoppers came out and told reporters common items were cheaper even not on sale at Walmart something was amiss. Sort of a pity honestly given they didn't want to spend 5 years to get themselves into profitable territory. Sort of the same thing with Walmart opting not to compete with Costco and shuttering up Sam's Club here quickly.
I remember them still trying to sell Super Mario Bros 3 for full price, well into the lifespan of the N64 / Gamecube. I always thought it was funny that they expected full price for such an old game at the time.
My Mom worked for Zellers during the Christmas season in 2008. It was the best job that she ever had in retail. Zellers treated their employees very well, as compared to Walmart. I will always remember going to the Zellers stores throughout Durham Region along with the ones in Cobourg, Lindsay and Peterborough. Cobourg had the largest Zellers store between Toronto and Ottawa. The Cobourg store also did more business than that of all of the major locations in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver back in the 1990's. What I loved about Zellers: the stores were always well kept, always had products on the shelf and the staff who worked there were always eager to help you. January 26, 2020 was a sad day for all Canadians, it was the last day that we could shop at this retail giant, one last walk around the store, one last chance to browse through each department, one last chance to purchase something new. We miss you, Zellers.
As a European, where Walmart is just not a thing, Walmart my families’ mind was always amazing, until I started reading stories on the internet and seeing pictures of ‘only at Walmart
I don't know if its the same as the US, but the Walmart near me in Canada has a blood stain on the side of the building, and theres always homeless people at the front. the parking lot is always littered with soda cups and other junk, however its still always packed for some reason
Ken Belmont Sometimes I wonder if I was drunk when I wrote that comment, yes. Then again, most Europeans don’t have English as a first language so be grateful for us trying
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
Towards the end of the Zellers era I went into one of their stores out of desperation looking for something I couldn't find anywhere else. I had my three year old son with me, and as we walked towards the back of the store my son slowed down, looked around, and said: "Daddy, everything here is old and broken." It truly was dismal, merchandise randomly piled everywhere, about half the ceiling lights not working, everything seemingly dingy and dirty. A sad end to a once iconic store.
Same. Was walking thru one store and couldnt even stay inside. Apparently there was a pipe leak and the smell was so bad it was keeping people out.
This is exactly K-mart... Leadership knows when the ship is sinking, they just don't want to give up the executive pay, so they coast until it implodes, not even trying to save the business.
The zellers in saint john nb was pretty good even up untl it closed. And it was in a really bad area too lol, they kept it open for a few years because there was an office building in the back of it, but then closed it and were gonna turn it into a target (lol). Buildings demolished now
Yeah they could have survived if they took care of the stores and innovate. They let everything rot and let Walmart take over. The Zellers nearby in the end was in rough shape yeah it was insane.
I remember going to buy rain boots on one of the last few days it was open… It was so decrepit in there. It really sucked because everyone liked sellers but I remember the one in Mississauga just being one that people walked through to get into the mall rather than an actual destination for shopping.
"...acquired by a private equity firm..." Famous last words of so many once proud and established stores.
They’re vulture capitalist. But companies cheap, strip assets like real estate and trademarks then sell them off or send them into bankruptcy. It’s a symptom of late stage capitalism.
Please not Bain Capital. They kill childhoods
@@sominboy2757 they also pretty much killed anything interesting about the weather channel
“Leveraged buyout”
"Effective Liquidation Strategy"
Getting your back to school shoes from Zellers in the 80's and 90's was an instant "not cool" death sentence for young kids.
@Shaik Corso Only us kids who been through the struggle can appreciate when our parents bought us new clothes and sneakers this new age Generation can never be thankful they want what they can't have and they can't hold down a job I seen so many kids that's 18 to early 20's come and go where I work as temps
@@static_Tricolor_camry Ok boomer
@@rallycar6922 I was born in the late 80's dipshit now go change your diapers little boy
@@rallycar6922 This is coming from a little 10yo that plays video games
@@static_Tricolor_camry no u
Target Canada left so fast I’m surprised there was even a sign scar on those buildings.
Friction burn.
Yah they really sucked here and weren't prepared at all. In October they had no winter clothes wtf
Poor supply chain = empty shelves on daily basis
I never even got to visit it, lol.
*The location where I live closed before it opened (I think)* . I remember the signage at the mall about "COMING SOON: TARGET" and they spent a year or more renovating the mall and extending it specifically for Target and the first time I set foot in it they were having their "liquidation sale". Unbelievable. I've never seen anything like that before in my life.
I was cleaning out my closet the other day and found a zeller’s hanger. Oh the nostalgia
ME TOOOOO AHH
Ohh, that's sad. Weird how we go back in the past when we look at something that's old.
I still have a sweater that I bought at Zellers in Fall 1998. I no longer wear it, but there are so many memories attached that I cannot get rid of it.
Canada
Any department store: exists
Walmart: I’m sorry, but you have exceeded your trial of existence.
But how?
I honestly do not understand how Walmart is able tp do this so consistently. On this channel, any time Jake does a video on a retail store, without fail Walmart gets mentioned as helping to cause said retailer's downfall
@@AllisterH that’s what I was saying
@@AllisterH They undercut their competitors on literally everything. With better prices, come better sales. Better sales bring better profits. And better profits cause mass expansion.
@Sylvain Robichaud that's leaving out a bunch of reasons, and oversimplifying.
@dump lump also there's the effect that people will buy say 2 things that are cheaper and one smaller thing that isn't and they don't save on everything but save enough to justify to themselves it's better to shop there.
You did Canada well Zellers
lasting longer than the target
1931-2019
Zellers went out of my hometown at the time Target was opening in Canada which was about a year before target pulled out of Canada. Only this year the Mall was purchased by the Corperation that holds Canadian tire, Forced out many stores that were long time staples of our mall and is renovating the space for a Bigger Canadian tire which is currently just right next door to it's current location and pulling the rest of it's franchise stores out to that location.
Yep and did you know sellers took over many kmart Canada locations
I miss Zellers. I have so many memories of picking up DBZ action figures & Hot Wheels at Zellers growing up.
@@sarah1390 I have a similar story, just last year one of the big grocery stores around here started work on renovating the space that Zellers and Target once occupied in order for them to open another location there
My local zellers became target back in 2012 or somthing and now it's a Walmart for a while now..
RIP Zellers, I still miss that store and everyone definitely took it for granted
Thank you for this video, absolutely spot on! I worked for Zeller's on and off for 10 years. I worked in the Health and Beauty department, Restaurant and after I completed my studies, I was offered a position in the Human Resources department. As a consumer, I miss Zeller's terribly. There was such a sense of community. The restaurant served as a gathering and meeting place for many local families and seniors. The restaurant food was good too! 3-D Club sandwich. Big Z Burger. Zeller's had great poutine. Also, Zeller's had the cheapest breakfasts in town. I suited up in that Zeddy costume several times too. When Zeller's closed it's doors forever, it was truly an end of an era. It was a time and a place, where community meant something.
great and thoughtful comment, Michelle... It's great Zeller's offered you a full-time permanent job after you worked for them (on and off) for a decade... it means they valued the floor experience you garnered over the years, even though it was "only" entry-level! I well remember the Zellers we had on Sparks Street in Ottawa back in the Nineties. Loved their lingerie assortment! (true! loool) Had I known their restaurant food was so good I definitely would've tried it out (wish i had but i didn't, alas!). Your face actually looks familiar - i don't suppose you ever worked at *Le Chateau* at the Rideau Centre in Ottawa back in the Nineties, did you? That was another "fav" haunt of mine back then! I honestly miss the days of brick-and-mortar shopping back then, the excitement of going into the store to check out new merchandise, before online retail reared it's ugly head!
This is excellent Jake. I think this history would fall through the cracks if people like you didn’t cover it.
onyourjackjones yeah
Ikr after watching the target video, I wanted to learn about Zellers. The closest I got was a coupe news sources and Wikipedia. Glad we get to watch this video.
for sure, this was a great video.
Yes, along with ancient philosophy, poetry and other unrecoverable assets for our future babies: Zellers must be passed down!
There are times I really miss Zellers. If only for the alternative to Walmart. Great Video!
Yeah, it was a nice place. Not as crowded compared to Walmart, was pretty quiet as far as I've experienced.
We had place like it in the US called Pamida. We got a Walmart in my hometown in 95 and pamida was closed in 96.
Agreed
I miss Zellers too. I miss the decent quality clothing for decent prices. Wal-mart clothing is shit nowadays. The Zellers in my hometown was closing down to be converted into Target. That went out about a year later after it opened when Target Pulled out of Canada. I can remember now as we speak the sound "All Aboard the Zeddy Mobile" which was a single seater Ferris type wheel rides for small kids.
@@divaboy posted as private link sent to patreon supporters for early access
Who remembers the 6 foot tall, quarter operated, Zeddy Ferris wheel in the entrance ways.
OMG yes 😂
I was one of the people CBC interviewed when Zellers in Etobicoke closed down. It was really sad to see a brand I grew up with disappear.
What a mess of a situation. I was really disappointed to see Zellers close, used to go there all the time as a kid. I did really grew to love Target back when I was in college though. They had better prices on some things, and usually had stuff I couldn't find at other stores. It really sucked to see them all close down after only being here for a few years. Now the only general store we have where I live is Wal-mart, it's pretty lame only having one option for that sort of thing now.
Nitro Rad I never watched a single video you’ve made yet but I subbed because of this comment. Real shame zelles closed, they always had a good assortment of stuff and good deals. They didn’t deserve what happened to them. All my child hood memories in stores were all zellers and blockbuster... everything I remember in my childhood is dead now.
Target shot themselves in the foot by trying to expand too far, too fast in Canada. And in the process, they essentially gave Wal-Mart an easy way to dominate the market in many places. Unless there's already something like Canadian Tire established in the local area, good luck finding an alternative to Wal-Mart now!
Ya I'll miss them
Subject Delta it’s zelers
exaclty. for the short itme we had Target they were great, same prices and better items but they didnt do their market research.
It's back baby! Hudson Bay is bringing Zellers back to online and bricks and mortar next year.
I worked the last two years zellers was open. I was one of the cashier's on the last day open after we closed that stayed behind and rang in everything to sell to the liquidators. We could only scan 99 items then we'd turn on our lights, the liquidators came over with a company credit card, then we'd start over. They'd have staff loading up our counters in between transactions. I remember having to search in between shelves for items hidden and left behind so the liquidators could buy it all. Leaving the empty store was emotional, we all hugged and cried. RIP
CourtnetGears stores closing down and abandoned stores make me sad. My boyfriend has to go into anything that says that even if he’s never shopped at it before just to see if he can score a deal on something. I always get angry when I am I with him and he does that.
@@DioneN thats because you are a huge bitc*
@Bill Williams you realize there was hundreds of employees all over Canada right? Quite the generalization
@Bill Williams Yes every employee at every Zellers in Canada was rude! *Eyeroll*
Loved shopping at our Zellers, I sure wish it was still open.
@@CourtneyNVO I get what you are saying but also consider this.
All the staff at my local Sears were rude , my husband and friends felt the same way. I had zero interest in shopping at any other Sears based on how my local store treated it's customers ( my money my choice). No one seemed to be to upset when it was announced the store would be closing . People got way more upset when the Kmart closed and still refer the location as " the old Kmart " , even tho the building was torn down and rebuilt into something else.
Target: Lets buy a well known and well liked Canadian retailer. Destroy it, replace it with not only stores that aren’t up to par with our American locations but are worse than the retailer they’re replacing. Plus while we’re at it let’s underestimate the brand loyalty Canadians have to Zellers. I’m sure it’ll work out
Also severely underestimating the smothering might of Canadian grocery chains was a whoops.
James Sylvestre Agree. The Canadian grocery retailers (Loblaws, Empire, Metro and London Drugs) plus Walmart/Costco are almost suffocating forces in the Canadian market. They are very competitive and don’t really let anyone else have any air to breath.
Pretty much the biggest butterfingers moment of catching a ball, dropping it, crying about it and going home. What a terrible waste.
5:47 " Non Union prices " This eludes to the likelihood that Zellers was heavily unionized and labor costs were extremely high. This tends to happen to older brands where long term employees get paid far more than the net profit they generate. Changing to Target could have been a way to get out of high labor costs since old contracts would be going away.
James Sylvestre “lets also guarantee interviews but only hire a few people back!” I worked at the Zellers that was the location of the first Target in Canada. I worked with a lot of people who lost their jobs during the 08 stock market crash, most didn’t get hired at Target.
Don’t forget get a new ceo. Let him decide that the old one’s ideas are bad. Kill all initiatives by old ceo. If they would have waited they would have been profitable in a few years. Not sure why target decided that they would be instantly better than Walmart.
I'm so glad Zellers is coming back in 2023. I miss that store.
There is one opening in my city i cant wait to get a zeddy
I went to one in London, Ontario,it was disappointment for me, being in retail for over thirty years,it will be very hard for them back to good old times
It’s coming back? 😮That’s awesome for Canada 🎉🎉
@@shanemullen2512prepare for dissapointment. They're popup stores within other stores. Nothing changes but some signage
@@adambonesaw3689 Yep, Hudson's Bay is basically doing it to hold onto the Zellers copyright so no one else can start their own stores called Zellers.
I still remember the Zellers closest to me. After that, it was target (and we know what happened to that) and before Zellers, it was a k Mart. It's safe to say the building hasn't had a good history 😐
Was it ever a Sears?
Could be worst, it could be a Walmart in the future.
@@nickrustyson8124 nah, that would've just been too much for the for little building
It has now been turned into a Dollarama, Boston pizza, and two clothing stores
we (in ontario, canada)had a zellers for yeeeaaaarrs! then it was renovated for target..... then a year later if that it was renovated to be Lowes to which a few years later it went outta business... so the building is defin doomed id say
Sad to see how many iconic canadian companies get swallowed up by American ones in recent times. Hell, Tim Hortons isn't even Canadian anymore.
As an American who loved Tim Horton's before we took it over, allow me to extend our deepest apologies. We ruin everything we touch nowadays.
Tim Hortons is THEE worst now. They used to be pretty good back when they used to bake in house. I still recall how it was a real treat to go to Tim's and they couldn't keep their doughnuts on the shelf But now everything just gets shipped frozen from factories and gets heated up. I used to go to Hortons regularly, but now? Never. Inedible.
Even roll up the rim sucks never win at least a coffee anymore.
They even switched coffee bean provider. McDonalds Canada now uses the provider, but not the bean Tim Horton's used (since it's copyrighted to TH).
@Thora Friganza STOP SHOPPING AT WALMART AND AMAZON THEN!!
In my hometown, Dawson Creek, BC, our Zellers sat empty for 10 years until a year ago when it was finally converted into a Save On. Didn't think they would ever do anything with it.
oh man... zeller's diner gives me such a nostalgic feeling
I remember having grilled cheese at one years ago. The lot in the mall where the Zellers was hasn’t been used since they closed down a long time ago.
I even remember my mom talking about how she heard that it’d become a Target, which never happened.
I remember the hamburger and fries combo. That was a treat! Even got served by a waitress!
Ah 'The Skillet'. I started working at Zellers as a waiter in The Skillet when I was 15. Years later I became the 'Food Service Supervisor'; one of the most fun jobs I've ever had. Sooo many great memories! The Big Z burger, the 3D Club and those Early Bird, 2 for 1 breakfast specials.
A
A
Some of my best memories as a kid was visiting the Zellers at the mall close to my town.
Became a Target and I would just tour the store and try to find evidence of the old layouts.
Miss Zellers man. Even more than BiWay
BiWay was terrible though. Useful and quirky, but terrible. The other one that has been on my mind lately is the It Store.
I went to an old department store of my youth which had been converted to a Target. Tried to find the old floor plan just as you described. It wasn't possible. Even the rear door that I used to use was bricked over.
There’s still an abandoned Zeller’s in my hometown. Target never came in and replaced it so it’s still just there.
Same! It just sits there abandoned
Really?! Where?! Ours were converted.. in Calgary.
Same, ours was in a mall
I was at the Etobicoke one several times over the past decade
my ex-wife liked it too
Sad to see it go😭
Target in the US: basically an upscale Walmart, and you don’t mind paying a little more to stay away from the people of Walmart. Target in Canada probably didn’t have that benefit because the people of Walmart are probably nicer and not nearly as sketchy.
Walmart is trash here as well.
@@NintendoPsycho lol! Goid to know.
Ever notice the parking lots of Walmarts are filled with debris, paper trash, discarded soda cans, etc? That tells you what kind of people shop at Walmart.
I gladly pay more to never step foot in a Walmart. They actually closed the Walmart closest to me due to the amount of theft and crime that occurred there... you know it had to be bad.
Food basics whoopin'
My local Zellers was at the Erin Mills Town Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. Me and my Grandma would always go there and look around at the Toy department, then we would eat at it's Restaurant known as the Family Diner. The timeline of that store is actually quite funny. It's a massive store with 2 levels. It was one of the stores turned into a Target, with fancy Shopping Cart escalators. During it's short time as a Target, the prices were really high for stock that was never there. Then when they left, it sat vacant for a bit until Walmart of all stores bought the store and has stayed the same for a year or two now
Why hello gta 😂
I’m from that area and went to the exact same Zellers!
@@silversunset Wait really?! What part? I'm from the Meadowvale Town Centre area
This was our Zellers, too! The restaurant was always a treat. I used to love Erin Mills.
@@alannabanana6255 Erin Mills really looks great after it's renos
I remember seeing Zeller's cargo containers and trailers on railroad cars in Canada and on occasion they strayed into the U.S. in and out of target stores. Although I think a lot of people tend to agree that Walmart is like a cancer once they move in they strive to put the competition out of business then jack the prices up.
I remember we got a mini explanation of Zellers when he was covering Target Canada. Now Zellers has its own episode. Thanks, Jake!
Hudson’s Bay Company coming into the story is like when an old protagonist from a different show cameoing in another series.
Eaton's > The Bay
So many good memories. When I came to Canada for 12 years ago as a high school-international student, I have spent so many weekends at Zellers, just browsing for so many merchandises I’ve never seen before. It was my favourite thing to do, especially when I was extremely lonely and struggled my teenage years in a completely new country. Never had I ever imagined that Zellers would vanish one day. I became a Canadian citizen two years ago, things have changed. I still miss Zellers, drastically.
The zellers restaurants weren’t too bad! My grandad used to like going a lot.
My grandmother liked going to the K-mart restaurant.
I bought a Zeller’s Restaurant coffee mug for a quarter when our local Zeller’s was closed. It broke last week, I’m so annoyed that I didn’t think to buy more than one!
I loved the restaurants, they had pretty good foods.
I miss the club sandwich
Milkshake+ grill cheese
The Walmart Canada sign having the tagline "non-union low prices always" is insidious
They advertise it like not having a union is going to solve climate change.
Zellers didn't pay there employees any better as far as I know
@@The-r4k Yeah, but stating that is hillarious.
Try to find a store in Germany that does that any ppl would ask if they are insane to say it out loud. You only say that youre pro union, nothing else.
@@Braamsery1992 Canada is pretty pro-union too. Very bizarre for Walmart to think declaring themselves non-union would be a selling feature.
Zellers staff were unionized.
"Non union lower prices" on the walmart sign. I didnt know that was a selling point 😂
Why can’t America have a snazzy retail chain name? ZELLERS is just so much fun to say.
Edit; Never mind, I forgot we have Piggly Wiggly, that is objectively the best name for anything ever
We have K-mart
Drunken stepfather ew K-Mart
HEB in Texas
I mean, Target is called "Tar-jay" by many....
@@SLone3251 coz it sounz fan-cey
Interesting! Not being Canadian, I had never heard of Zellers, but I think I would have loved it!
Kristine PFS it really was amazing in the most 90’s way possible
Same here, to me they seem to look like a diet Target yet they state Big W as their competition which is funny because Target and Walmart are competitors in the US.
you would've one was cheap and had good brands the same stuff get from wal-mart but the cheaper plus was a diner in for a bite to eat I can remember have a milkshake and eating burger wasn't Mcd lol.
Zellers was more basic than Walmart standards. Solid store growing up!
Zellers was lit, they all had a zellers restaurant in side, i miss it
Zellers did make a comeback inside select Hudsons bay stores in Ontario
not just Ontario, all provinces
I have one at my local Hudson’s bay, I’m in BC
I miss getting the Zellers Christmas wish list when I was little, would search thorough the catalogs choosing the stuff Id want Santa to bring. Good times!
The restaurants were actually quite good.I used to love the fish&chips.Many memories with mom bringing all of us to Zellers.
I remember my mom dropping my sister and I off at the restaurant, ordering us food and shopping while we ate, it was a cool 60s diner kind of place. After the Target failure they just tore that part of the mall down and rebuilt it into a Mark's Work Warehouse after trying it as a weird expo hall thing that lasted like one year. The mall hasn't been the same without an anchor at that end, it's kind of dead now even pre-covid
same the restaurant is what i miss most about zellers. i have so many childhood memories of going shopping with my family and then eating lunch or dinner at the restaurant afterwards. now our local small town mall is basically dead.
I remember the "restaurant" in my local retail operation. Always remembered a cashier there named "Mina" as my friend liked her. I think their pizza was about the only thing worthwhile.
Stinkletoes I loved the restaurants always friendly and never a bad meal
@JaNeY KeNnY All the food was actualy pretty good.Kinda more homestyle then most of the junk/chain restaurants today.The breakfasts and burgers were good aswell.
Fun Fact= Zellers is back…..sort of in my Area anyways, and hare’s what I mean about again in my Area at least Hudson’s Bay has Revived Zellers in the form of having a Zellers inside their Hudson’s Bay Store. But in that Mall’s Dictionary it Shows that the Hudson’s Bay is on the Upper Floor, and Zellers is on the Lower Floor. But if you go to the Mall itself The Lower Floor still has the Sign of Hudson’s Bay and when you look inside it even looks like a Hudson’s Bay. And that’s not all if you go on to the Zellers Website itself they have Very Limited Items on their Website.
But on a Separate Note I still hear that jingle in my head on occasion. There’s something about that tune “Zellers Where The Lowest Price Is The Law” about how that VO Lady sang it makes it so catchy to me, in all of those Commercials when I was a kid. And on a final note for some reason I could still clearly see the Zellers that I frequented from back in the day as if it is still open. And I think my most clear memory of Zellers from back in the day is me needing to cut through it to get to that Closes Best Buy after crossing the Zellers Parking Lot and a few Streets, and then on my way back I would take a Detour and Head Down to the Lower Floor of Zellers to see what Good Physical Media that they have and want, and then I would head to the Toy Section to see what Yu Gi Oh Products that the they would have in the store at the time. Mostly for my Birthday/Holiday Shopping, but if I happen to go shopping during any other time of the year I would go through the same process.
8:14 "They made terrible distribution decisions..."
*shows Maple Leafs apparel*
Me: "Well there's your first mistake right there."
You suck go leafs
@@noobmaster-wj3qm the only place the Leafs are going is the golf course.
Sens fan? It boggles my mind how 2 out of the 3 Shopper's Drug Mart locations in my town never carry Maple Leafs wall calendars and only have Senators one. That is one item I always get my grandfather for Christmas/his birthday each year. Problem is the location that gets the Maple Leafs calendars changes for whatever reason.
Love that I'm learning about companies that now don't exist in a country that I don't live in and somehow I still feel sad for them... Also you should do an abandoned on the UK Woolworths
@User It was like a mini version of Walmart here in the UK. Sold everything except food. They went bankrupt in I think 2008 because they didn't keep up with online demand. Well that's what I remember anyway
Same Here
Woolworths is still one of the main grocery stores in Australia weirdly enough
I learned a lot of new things when watching this video. The analogous reference to K-mart was for me, most helpful in understanding what Zeller's was to Canadians who knew it in its heyday. Thanks for these videos as it reminds me that no matter how grand any venture might be, every Human effort is ultimately ephemeral--a humbling thought, IMHO.
Bruh target Canada was a joke, nothing ever on the shelf’s and you could always go across the street to a Walmart and get everything cheaper,
You kids sound very poor lol.
You kids also don't know much about business lol
@Don Avan Lol people are so stingy and very poor lol
@Insert Name Lol you kids alwyas join forces everytime lol.
Can't believe how weak people these days are lol
@Insert Name Lol you kids are so poor goddamn I can't believe it. I thought people are getting richer.
Like out of 1000 people between age 19-23 80% are already making 100k annually.
Lol people are so poor lol
@Don Avan have you watched his Target Canada video?
There's still a largely intact abandoned location in Moose Jaw, SK. The rear portion of the store was turned into government offices not even a year ago, but the branded front entrance doors remain, uncovered. I think the old slogan ('The lowest price is the law!') is even still visible on an interior wall.
Yes, i still remember when that store was Woolco before Zellers bought it, so in some way i remember it as that too, Target never aquired it so it has been empty since, Save On foods expressed interest once but the mall wanted to much and didn't want to renovate it i heard, seems like a foolish and stupid move but whatever.
Strange. The same thing happened in London, On.
I remember being really confused when Zellers wasn't there anymore. I live in Michigan, but my family normally spends most of the summer at a family cottage in Canada. We'd pass a few Zellers on the way up. Suddenly, when we came back one year, they were just GONE. It was kinda eerie.
Also I swear every one of these episodes makes me hate Walmart even more.
🤣🤣🤣 Why hate? Zellers couldn't compete and Walmart provided lower prices. That's how capitalism works. The best product typically wins out. Zellers couldn't survive so they died off. I've honestly no idea why so many hate Walmart. Their prices for staples are among the lowest which means the dollar goes further for the poorest, which is good thing. Even the "Walmart Effect" has been proven to be a myth. People like you are funny. Nostalgia should win over a better business model?
Can’t blame you
can't blame you, but can't blame walmart too because they're just better
@@spoppy3060 It's an awful megacorporation that treats its employees like trash. I can blame it all I want 🤷♀️
@@The_LadyAJ oow I didn't know about how they thereat their employees tho, just know Walmart outside image bcs I'm from Indonesia.
Best childhood memory of Zeller's: My mom paid with a $100 dollar bill and I was like "wow! 100$!!". Then the cashier pulled out and showed me a $1000.00 bill and blew my mind lol
good luck finding a $1000 now, they are tightly controlled and rarely distributed to try and halt the drug trade. That's why in movies you see pallets of bills.....the biggest is $100.00. You can still get them, you have to special order them through the bank and I believe the most you can get is 3 or 5, something like that.
Muskoka Mike the $1000 denomination was discontinued in 2000 by request of the RCMP and bank of Canada. They’re worth more than face value as collector items now.
7:58 I remember that Target location at the newly constructed CF Polo Park outlet building. Before they closed down, and was left vacant for a few years until three other companies bought the rental space. That Target Canada space now resides as a Winners/Homesense, and some other health related company.
But man, it's quite odd that I always remembered the one Zellers chain alongside Grant Park Mall (before I went to Grant Park High School) when I was young. Then I remember their closing sale, how it converted to a Target Canada chain, and just a year later, they announced their closure. Then three years after that, Canadian Tire stepped in, and purchased the space. Most of the fixtures and whole exterior were painted a different colour. And to this day, it's still there.
Man, how times have changed... Although, I have concerning doubts that the Hudson's Bay Company will go under next.
Hey another Winnipegger! My sister worked at the Henderson Zellers as it was going out of business. I remember the layout of that store like yesterday, and how it had been a KMart before converting to a Zellers. The location was attached to a tiny "mall" and a Safeway. The Zellers was demolished and a newer Safeway was built in the parking lot. Now there's several other businesses that have been built in that same lot and it's so wild to me that there was ever a Zellers there. Still have one of the branded plastic bags!
The Zellers at Grant Park (was actually a Walmart before it became Zellers) was not a bad store. The Zellers near where I live (Fort Richmond) was a total dump
Mike Peters Grant Zellers was pretty decent...first time I walked into the Target replacement it felt the same as zellers but crap prices and merchandise. Never went back to a Canadian Target
Polo Target didn't have the chance to open I believe... It did convert to other stores as mentioned. Looked like it was gonna be a flagship store 🤷♂️ Not from Winnipeg (NWO)
Miroslav Tom it did open for a short period of time
ZELLERS IS BACK BABY!!!
was on a class trip to ottawa in 2019, and our hotel was literally across the street from the ottawa zellers, everyone was losing their shit when they saw it
Isn't that one closed now?
@@zephyr332
Yes.
That would have been the Zellers in Bells Corners, a suburb of Ottawa. The Days Inn is just across the street.
As the video says, it closed too.
Why must you dash my hope
@@WinterShinobi Sorry, it was the Tequila.
Thats How we View K Mart in the US, im not Sure if it Still Exists, but I've Heard of Locations Doing OK and of Them Doing Well in Australia, my local k mark closed in 2018 and that space us now a Big Lots and a Gabe's the K mart opened in 1989, and that space layer abandoned for like a year and a half, the Big Lots Moved in in 2019, and the Gane's in 2020, im talking about the old hermitage PA K mart location
The Zellers in my town, Bracebridge, is still intact and hasn’t been painted or anything. You can still read “Zellers the lowest price is the law” in the discolourations of where the signage was.
the location at @9:19 is at the Bayshore Mall in Ottawa right next to where I live. It was a Zellers, then was converted to a Target that, as stated never opened. Target declared they were moving out of Canada only 2 weeks before this store was to open. Ironically its now a Walmart
Walmart is a stain. I loved Zellers as a kid and as an adult it wasn't often the Go-To, but there were somethings they had that I couldn't find anywhere else. True story, I bought my coffee table there in 2006 and it still works great. Thanks for the great video and the trip down memory lane.
Man, I remember when our Zellers shut down. Everyone was so hopeful we would get a target. The building died a few years later and it finally came down late last year, all that remains of that plaza is the beer store. EDIT: 10:50 HOLY CRAP THAT'S THE ONE!
Mmmmmmm. Beeeeeeeer
If anyone is wondering, the property is going to be used for a senior centre. And yeah, with the beer store next door.
Ghoststudios mmmm. Beer
I am not Canadian, never been either, but this depressed me. There's something special about a department store in the 80's and 90's. I wish I could have gone; Zeller's looked like such a nice place.
I miss large dept stores, not really any left in in my part of Canada anymore. Even Walmart is starting to look like Zellers during its' final years.
Ah yes, I remember Zellers when I was a kid with shopping malls like Sheridan Centre, Square One and Erin Mills Town Centre having Zellers as one of their anchor stores and then Target came and went in such a short period of time Sheridan Centre's planned location never even opened if I recall while the Square One location not lasting too long either while I am not sure if the Erin Mills Town Centre location never opened or closed.
Edit: 12:26 timestamp is the Sheridan Centre location that never opened btw.
Well hello mississauga😉
It actually open and probably haunted a construction worker died when it was being built
Sheridan Centre Target opened October 2014 until March-April 2015. I went to the Sheridan location a few times, it definitely was open for a couple of months before Target went bankrupt.
@@liddlebopeep Oh, I never went to Sheridan Centre during that time period though I did before October usually to go to the EB Games location (which ended up closing by around 2016). Honestly I feel that mall is sort of dead with the Metro grocery store and Shoppers Drug Mart keeping it on life support.
Sheridan Centre is a dead mall. You have the former Target space empty on one side, and the vacated offices of RSA (the former Eaton's store) on the other. The only thing keeping the mall barely alive is Service Ontario, Shopper's Drug Mart and Metro. The rest of the mall is wasted, empty space.
i still remember going to Zellers with my mom in Bedford Nova Scotia going to the restaurant having lunch.
i was only 10 at the time
That Zellers was where I got my first job!
Hey that's my town.
A similar thing happened when Masters tried to enter the Australian hardware market. No research, not understanding the market. Losing about $2 billion dollars. Then the main hardware chain in Australia, bunnings, made the same mistake in the UK.
12:36 that was the Zellers I used to work at when I was a teenager. I have worked there for 6 years... until it closed. So many good memories!
Montreal represent!
I remember listening to an interview with some executive or other from Target, after they closed up shop, who stated that they did not understand that Canadians had the expectation when they opened here, they would have US prices as well as the same merchandise.
Indeed I remember when Target started to struggle shortly after opening, they were putting out statements indicating they were never going to have US prices, even if it was the same stock as the US.
Canadians were expecting something that was never going to materialize, and Target severely misunderstood the market!
Yeah, they said they were going to "price according to the market", which was code for "we're going to charge more because we can."
At the time, the Canadian and US dollars were roughly equal in value, making it easier to compare prices.
9:45 I remember going in to that Zeller's even after Target Canada closed down. It was honestly pretty depressing. I think there are plans to turn it into a Winner's or Marshall's now, although I haven't been to that part of town since Covid started, so it might still be empty.
I had a zellers near my house connected to a mall with amazing restaurants but when zellers changed to target it failed immediately and the mall was torn down and i still miss the restaurants and the amazing staff 🥺
Two points. I loved your history and all the photographs. You've done a great job. The one thing that I think you missed was that as a discount store, Zellers didn't discount. Products that were long gone from other stores, were still on Zellers shelves and often full price. There was a time, just pre-internet sales, in 1992 when I could go to Zellers and pick up toys for collectors in the United States. Toys that were long gone from the shelves in the USA. Secondly Zellers did acknowledge the old look of their stores in competition with Walmart and many stores had a major refurbishing. Small town locations stayed the same but even mid-sized cities got new stores. The problem was that they still didn't discount items that weren't selling. Walmart would have an item that if it didn't sell, were discounted to a few dollars and it was gotten rid of. Zellers didn't do that. I remember action figures from some movies that no one bought being cleared out by Walmart but a year later were still on pegs at Zellers. Often at nearly full price. If no one had bought them 1.5 - 2 years ago when the movie was popular, no one is going to buy them now. In retail, you can't have your shelves filled with merchandise that is not moving. I think you are right in the end, Zellers would have gone bankrupt. We saw other chains like Sears go under. One thing that might have saved Zellers if they could have held on, would have been the increase in the "buy Canadian" mentality. As Walmart's reputation for poor employee relations and damaging local producers and retail outlets became more known, more people started to buy elsewhere. People started to buy more Canadian. There was also a political component of that when George W was in the office and certainly in the last 4 years with Trump. I don't shop at Walmart ever and go to places like Giant Tiger and Canadian Tire. If Zellers still existed, it would be my department store.
I remember going into various Zellers stores in the GTA trying to find good deals when they were liquidating everything. It was quite surreal doing the same thing with the Target stores in the same locations only a year later.
Where in the gta? Burlington? Milton? Oakville?
YellowSuperNintendo GTA the game?
@@Transit0422 greater Toronto area
YellowSuperNintendo ohhh
Ugh I miss Zellers 😢 my grandma used to take me to buy VHS tapes and toys every time I stayed at her house. Plenty of good memories there 💕
Zellers was such a big part of my childhood, throughout my dads career with Bargain Harold's managing stores until the day they closed down in owen sound he moved onto Zellers working insane hours managing and transferring to stores that were not doing so well and his job was to find out why and to fix it, my childhood was spent going to my dads work, the last store he managed was in Mississauga was back in 2008 where he quit to pursue different things, but the stories he would tell me about people stealing, gang "payoffs" to having someone steal all the money out of the safe in his office, Zellers will always have a space in my heart!
8:04 Elgin Mall, St Thomas Ontario, my home town. That location used to be a K Mart before it was Zellars. Now that space houses a Giant Tiger and a Dollarama.
They've also announced theyre sliding a hotel in the corner too! Near the outdoor shopping centre of the building
@@jiperlyjiggs7673 yeah they've been talking about that for a while. They announced that hotel at the same time as the Denny's was announced, and at least that place is almost ready to go
Our old Zellers location in Hanover, ON is also a Giant Tiger / Dollarama
I would like to see Giant Tiger survive, as I have the same fondness for them, as I did Zellers.
Interesting. The Bell's Corners Ottawa Zellers location used to be a K-Mart in the 1980's.
Anybody remember Zeller's early 2000's advertising? It was fire, they really latched into the indie music movement of the era. I'll bet a lot of Canadians were introduced to Joel Plaskett, the Salteens and the Be Good Tanyas through Zeller's advertising. For one summer Zeller was the coolest kid on the block.
Sure do!
As a 90s kid from Canada, Zellers is a whole mood. We even have a local band named 1995zellers out here in the East coast.
In my perspective I think Zellers would’ve been bought out by Loblaw‘s if Target didn’t step in
Zellers would have sold presidents choice and no name Products in its grocery department & all stores would’ve stayed open it would’ve been renovated to look better.
I’d picture that in an alternative reality
I'm kind of glad such a thing didn't happen. Galen Weston is an arrogant ass whose entitlement knows no bounds. Take payers paid for their freezer upgrades. They made profits during the pandemic, but then they complained about paying their workers the hazard pay premium, and then were one of the first to drop it. I kind of see them Loblaw's in certain ways being worse than Walmart, and that says a lot given what most think of that store.
That's what you picture in an alternative reality?? I would picture world peace, no poverty, hunger or disease. Hell, maybe even a harem of nubile babes. But you dream of department stores and I say go for it buddy.
Yeah, but what about the cities and districts that don’t have Loblaws? The company has no presence in those cities, so how would that work? (If you don’t know, some cities in Canada, like mine, don’t have Loblaws, and instead have Fortinos)
@@bediebysstar1939 Fortinos is Loblaws
You’re basically describing the modern day Super Store
We had a Zellers here in Thetford-Mines, QC for a few years, then it closed down in 2004 not long after walmart arrived with their build-in mcdonald, the thing i remember is their build-in restaurant, which was pretty good for a store restaurant, what surprised me is the walmart mcdonald today closed down to gives space for meat storage
Zellers is one of those stores i wish stayed in businesses
You should really look for another restaurant, McDonald's is crap.
this channel is great at giving the backstory behind the old products expired for decades I find in the corner of a cupboard with a yellowed "zellers" or "k-mart" or even "sears" tag on them
"Non-union low prices..."
That says it all. An unsustainable system built by creating an entire class of working poor. Many working two or three jobs just to get by.
Those big box stores are depressing though the new Target stores at least try to provide a more modern upscale feel to the customer.
There was a time when you could make a living in retail. I met a guy that had worked in Woodwards , years ago, and he bought a house and raised a family on the money he made working there, and he was not management.
I saw that during the video, had to rewind to make sure it was real. Fuck Walmart
That "Country Fair Mall" is in my Hometown of Fort Erie. My mother was a manager at the Zellers there most of my childhood... Crazy to see it in one of your videos. Very well done!
I use to go there as a kid when I lived in Fort Erie! Bought so many N64 games there! Like what are the odds!
@@xvxvcaspervxvx we probably know of each other. Lol
This brings me back, Zellers was the #1 place to buy toys as a kid. Being 19 now its sad to see my childhood store go but knowing the business side of why it happened just makes sense. Also target canada was an okay experience since they had great options for items but its true that they never had any stock. My parents tried to buy a couch and and printer, waited 2 months and got refunded.
Target CEO: I DECLAREE BANKRUPTCCYYYY
No one: I don’t have a video to watch
Bright sun films: **Uploads**
I live in the US and completely understand how certain companies are have so much sentimental or nostalgic significance and what a tragedy it is to watch them fade away.
There's something we lose when businesses like Zellers, Montgomery Ward, Sears and Toys R Us goes out of business. I miss the Ward and Kay Bee You Store Christmas catalogs
Well... Toys R Us at least is thriving in Canada, whereas it's closed all other locations.
It’s evolve or die for these retailers. K-Mart couldn’t and Eddie finished them (and Sears) off to pocket a few coins. The same has happened to some airlines and well known brands like Circuit City. Jake’s videos are awesome histories of what was and why it is no longer. Unfortunately he may have several new expired companies to cover next year.
Don't forget about Eatons!
My internet died not even a few minutes ago and this is the first thing I see when it turned back on, this is amazing!
Nostalgia at its best.. Canadian kids who grew up with Zellers will never forget the wheel ride outside the front doors or the diner. The small town where I live had one my entire life until mid 2012 and it sat abandoned until Giant Tiger bought the property.. never forget
Kmart and Zellers, were a huge part of my childhood! The Zeddy’s kids club rocked and the food at the diner was so good! The Target at Bayshore in Ottawa never saw the light of day and is now a Wal Mart!
Cool to see the change of cars over the years in the parking lot
This one is always personal to me, my Grandma would always take me to Zellers while she shopped there, often window shopping, because we were making due with our means. I remember we’d eat at the diner they had there all the time. I miss having those experiences with her, ever since her passing.
I always get that nostalgic memories of moments I spent with her there, whenever I seen that logo. For some reason I remember the times we spent at Zellers more than Walmart, even though we spent time at Walmart was more recently, it always felt so impersonal at Walmart, like you get in and get out as fast as possible.
YES! I COMMENTED THIS ON THE OLD TARGET CANADA VIDEO! IVE WANTED THIS FOR YEARS!!!
Never thought I would ever hear Simcoe being mentioned in one of your videos!
I went to high school in Simcoe and remember passing by their Zellers on the bus rides to and from school. Now I pass by it's husk every time I go to visit my mother's house :P
I think there is still an abandoned standalone Zellers in London, ON. Though I could be mistaken as I don't visit that end of town often.
East end of London, on Commissioners Road. It's still standing.
@@copies2010 Yup that's the one I was thinking of.
I’m Canadian. Thank you for this. ❤️ brings back so many memories from when I was kid in the late 80’s early 90’s.
Oh yeah! This is that store from the Target episode
It is
Canadian Brands: - exist -
Walmart: I'm about to end their whole careers.
Thats multinationals with any smaller company... corporatism ruins capitalism...
Canadian companies cause their own demise by not evolving with the times. Poor, out of date business practices, then blame Walmart lol
Our Walmart here is pretty crappy lol no produce or any of shit, rarely restocked and very small. Walmart here isn't that well known.
Nathalie Bungay Where’s “here”? I live in a small city in British Columbia and Wal-Mart all-purpose store (clothes, food, pets, toys, electronics, etc.) in the area and has been ever since the local Zellers closed a number of years ago.
Ryan M. Whitehorse, Yukon it never has upgraded since the day our family moved here. My mum moved here when 14 years ago and she also said it hasn’t changed, the only subtle change is self check out lol and thats basically it.
It's so weird seeing all these old Zeller's locations that were like 15 minutes from where you grew up in B-roll on a huge RUclips channel you watch 😂
At 5:05 my jaw just about hit the floor because that building now sells ridiculously overpriced furniture and I bought a couch there a couple years ago. Moved to the city long after the building had changed ownership so my head almost exploded when I saw it 😂
I've waited for this video ever since we learned out what happen to Zeller's on Target Canada Episode... God bless you jake!!
There’s one thing that no retail store had that would beat our iconic store…..THE ZELLERS CAFE 🤩
I actually live pretty close to the Bells Corners Zellers in Ottawa, which I think was one of the two last in the world. I still have that nostalgic feeling every time I hear about Zellers. Kids these days will never understand the times we actually had fun.
Brings a tear to my eye! The memories of the single seat carousel at the entrances. Zeddy the bear and the restaurant. 😢. Woodbine mall….Zellers entrance. Best way to enter the mall with amazing smells coming from the restaurant
In a town called Hanover in southwestern Ontario, our Zellers actually was one of the 87 that was sold off. It's now a Giant Tiger, and it actually does rather well even though there's a Walmart right down the road.
11:00 is in the small town I live in, and seeing that building every time I go grocery shopping next door is a very eery reminder of my childhood growing up in Canada in the 90s...
The last time I recall visiting a Zeller's was shortly after Easter. It was very telling of how bad things were when their clearance table for Easter chocolates had a hollow soccer ball made of chocolate that that shattered in the bottom of the box, and while discounted, they still wanted $10 give or take (I snapped a photo that is on a hard drive somewhere.
I ended up getting a decent deal on a shopping cart (that I still have) as I had needed one given I was now more mobile.
I have fond memories of going to Zeller's with my grandmother. She didn't drive so it was either my mom or my grandfather who took us (the latter of which always stayed in the car and would later complain about how long we spent in there, haha). I kind of miss Z Cola and their other flavours of store branded pop. My grandmother usually got the 3D club sandwich if we ate at the diner (otherwise it was usually McDonald's).
As for Target Canada...you kind of knew right from the get go they were doomed. When the first shoppers came out and told reporters common items were cheaper even not on sale at Walmart something was amiss. Sort of a pity honestly given they didn't want to spend 5 years to get themselves into profitable territory.
Sort of the same thing with Walmart opting not to compete with Costco and shuttering up Sam's Club here quickly.
I remember them still trying to sell Super Mario Bros 3 for full price, well into the lifespan of the N64 / Gamecube. I always thought it was funny that they expected full price for such an old game at the time.
Zellers trips were the best as a kid, they had a nice location at our local mall which was later replaced by Target, and now it's a Walmart
My Mom worked for Zellers during the Christmas season in 2008. It was the best job that she ever had in retail. Zellers treated their employees very well, as compared to Walmart. I will always remember going to the Zellers stores throughout Durham Region along with the ones in Cobourg, Lindsay and Peterborough. Cobourg had the largest Zellers store between Toronto and Ottawa. The Cobourg store also did more business than that of all of the major locations in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver back in the 1990's. What I loved about Zellers: the stores were always well kept, always had products on the shelf and the staff who worked there were always eager to help you. January 26, 2020 was a sad day for all Canadians, it was the last day that we could shop at this retail giant, one last walk around the store, one last chance to browse through each department, one last chance to purchase something new. We miss you, Zellers.
As a European, where Walmart is just not a thing, Walmart my families’ mind was always amazing, until I started reading stories on the internet and seeing pictures of ‘only at Walmart
I don't know if its the same as the US, but the Walmart near me in Canada has a blood stain on the side of the building, and theres always homeless people at the front. the parking lot is always littered with soda cups and other junk, however its still always packed for some reason
@@gurkaransahota9785 I can confirm that USA Walmart locations are just as bad
@@reallyretro940 Highly dependant on location. But overall pretty crummy company.
And as a Canadian, I have no idea what you just said.
Ken Belmont
Sometimes I wonder if I was drunk when I wrote that comment, yes. Then again, most Europeans don’t have English as a first language so be grateful for us trying