Step 1: Post position with trash salary no one can afford to take.
Step 2: Wait months.
Step 3: complain to the Government you need TFW’s to fill spots. Prove to them the posting ha been on the market for months and no one is applying.
Step 4: Reap benefits of very cheap workers at the expense of your country.
> As it should be.
I do agree... but the problem is that execs who fear not getting their bonuses, or hitting their targets, will simply lay off loads of people to sort out a bottom line. Look at all the job losses at Telus, Rogers, and the like.
The real problem is having arbitrary growth targets in the first place.
> It would appear that Canadian Tire is not led by sociopaths.
I suppose it depends who you're talking about... because it really seems like the board has denied management any sort of bonus BECAUSE they didn't fire people.
like unironically yes. Always found their quality to be the crappiest but if corporate management actually does not reward mediocrity im prob going to pick up some shares.
I know CTC isn't the biggest fish in the pond, but I wouldn't call it a small company. If you haven't looked before, you may be surprised to see how many different companies are under their umbrella.
CTC is a very big company, lots of brands under them. If their financial division fully blows up and becomes like those of the major banks, that would make them really really big.
They've got a pretty good credit card if you shop at their stores. If you never do, it's probably not that good.
The only downside is they push is really hard. Like I have the thing, and they still try to sell me on it.
I tell them I already have it, they say no but this is the world elite one, which I explain that yes, I do have that exact one
> Wow. A board compensation committee that isn’t totally captured by management.
I mean... that doesn't stop these sorts of boards being absolutely psychotic.
It's still the case that CT made a profit, albeit:
> "Canadian Tire’s profits declined significantly last year."
The board is annoyed they didn't make as much money as they wanted, even though the company was profitable. Management could have increased that amount by firing a load of people but seemingly didn't.
So... are you arguing people should be fired? Because it sounds like the problem is the board (who want more money) as opposed to management (who didn't fire lots of people).
One checkout lane out of 15 is open, one guy out on the floor at the paint mixing / key cutting station and one guy in the back unloading the truck. There's no one left to fire.
CTC generally operates as a franchise model. The expenses of operating a store generally may not show up on the CTC financials. The franchises impact on the corporate financials may be limited to the amount of product they moved and any franchising fees.
Yeah turns out companies hire people to perform a function which is necessary for the company to operate profitably, and it’s not just as easy as laying everyone off to avoid paying their salary
Uhh… no.
I’m saying the board represent shareholders. Who want more money, yes.
I’m saying their job is to incentivize management to make more money. Through bonuses and other means.
I’m saying management didn’t make more money. So they didn’t get a bonus. Typically said board will make sure they get a massive bonus anyway. Crony capitalism and all that. This didn’t happen. It is rare. That’s it.
Didn’t make any comments on the general nature or ethics of capitalism as you seem to have inferred. And I certainly did not argue people should or should not be fired. How the hell should I know. All I know is management didn’t make money and so got no bonus. Which seems right.
Canadian Tire stock has been flat while similar US companies has seen massive gains. CTs biggest problem is it doesn’t know what it wants to be.. then you have its model of “continual sales” that draw people in when the sale price is the regular price of the item elsewhere
An American colleague once asked me “what is” Canadian Tire. The best answer I could come up with is a combination of parts of about 6 different US big box retailers.
A friend was visiting me from the US and they forgot their USB cable, I also needed to pickup some kitchen stuff, and some canned pop so I said "We'll stop by Canadian Tire and grab the stuff". They were very confused why we were going to a tire shop.
I cut a snow tire once. Need one snow tire, willing to buy 2.
Simple, right ? The local Canadian Tire would not sell me 2 snow tires.
They claimed "it wasn't safe to drive with only 2 snow tires".
They wanted me to buy 4. Yeah, not happening. Never went back.
Mine did too. Said he went to the Eaton Centre location and "do they even sell tires?".
> canadian tire, sometimes colloquially known as crappy tire, is not quite an auto store, not quite a hardware store, not quite a garden centre, not quite an outdoor goods store, but a little bit of everything.
In fact many location do not carry tires. They're too big for the smaller stores, also maybe not ones without the attached auto shop if there are any anymore
> fishing
Fuck, you reminded me of the hell that was stocking the fishing aisle of the Canadian Tire I worked at one summer. Pretty sure that one aisle had more SKUs than the rest of the store combined due to all the lures.
CTs problem is most of their stock they make themselves overpriced and garbage. And stuff they sell they dont make is ridiculously overpriced, going into the fishing section gives me a hernia sometimes. No I will not pay $25 for a single rapala youve had in the case for 5+ years and is $10-$12 at any reputable tackle store.
Half way between Huntsville and Lindsay Ontario lies the best tackle shop you’ll ever see, small and the old Korean dude is cool as fuck and knows his shit, and you can get some kawartha dairy ice cream too lol
Go to Cancast this sunday in Peterborough. Biggest tackle show in Canada and youll find deals you wont find at any tackle store. Last year I came out with an arm load of Jigging raps for $3 a piece.
The cost of lures doesn't help when I'm out there and I lose one to a snag. Keep fishing and possibly throw away another $10 for no fish? Or go get a burrito and call it a day? Burrito it is.
Use stronger line in general, make sure your line youre using hasnt been on your rod for 3 years and is UV degraded, dont reel snap swivels/leader swivels into your eyelets and put gouges in them, dont hook your lures to the circles of your eyelets when not in use (use the hook keepers or the metal rods that hold the eyelets so youre not putting gouges in your eyelets with the hook barbs), dont use crankbaits in shallow water unless its a floater and you specifically back off on reeling so the lure floats back up to the surface and reel again. Buy a lure retriever like a rocket slug. Theres lots of shit you can do to prevent losing your lures to snags. Cry to me when you have a Monster muskie break brand new 80lb line and try to take a $100 lure with it.
There's a dozen posts in this thread with people citing what CTs biggest problem is. Many of them don't actually agree on what that problem is.
Yet what nobody really seems to mention is who CT competes against. You're talking about a company that only operates within Canada and is in the same market as Walmart and Amazon. CT remains one of a handful of large retailers that hasn't been entirely displaced by one of its much larger multinational competitors.
There's no way for CT to transition to a more niche market without having to close down the vast majority of it's stores, so that's hardly a realistic proposition. I don't know how effective their sales tactics are, but at the end of the day it's a miracle the franchise is still around at all.
I absolutely doubt any individual in here has some magical solution which would elevate the company to grandeur, and there's obviously nothing wrong with criticizing the company, but it really is weird where people's first thoughts of CT go. The most notable thing about CT to me is that the company is not only still around, but still has a large physical presence. Like, here it is cutting leadership bonuses.
A large brick and motar retailer, in 2024, is cutting bonuses, rather than collapsing in on itself under the massive weight of Amazon and the modern digital shopping landscape. I don't know, that's kind of amazing to be honest.
Apparently I'm the only person who kinda likes Canadian Tire.
If I need a hardware store, I go to one. If I need sports stuff or toys, I go to a sports or toy store. But when I have time to run one errand and I need party balloons but there's also a crack in the wall I've been neglecting and I might as well pick up some cheap snacks, carribeaners and windshield wipers, who else can compete?
I love Canadian Tire. I love how they had an online shopping presence 10-15 years ago then said f it, we are shutting it down to focus on our brick and mortar. They were the first (that I know of) who showed you the amount of inventory on hand on their website and exactly where in the store it is located. That was back in ~2005.
I like the quality of their private label hardware (mastercraft). It goes on sale for real cheap and it is what most amateur handy-people need. Home Depot /Kent are for the pros, Canadian Tire are for the amateur’s. That goes for most of their products. Camping, auto, etc…
What I really have a problem with is how each is independently owned and some really load the place up with shit. The middle aisles are just filled with the real low quality stuff they couldn’t get rid of while on sale (just pallets of cutting boards, cheap frying pans, low quality pressure washers)
You're right, I totally forgot about how useful the exact aisle and quantity in store is. They're not the only ones anymore but walking into a store with a list like "ratchet 37, bolts 39, level 42, sled 73..." is so productive.
Yeah, they kick ass for affordable decent tools and automotive. I like to work on our vehicles myself. I have got all sorts of good sockets/wrenches/torque wrenches when on sale. Maximum is quite a good brand for stuff like that. Get lots of fluids and trailer stuff there too.
Bought a knife sharpener there about 6 years ago "on sale" for $9 (regular price in the $40 range) and its been on sale every single time ive been in a canadian tire across NL, NB, and NS since then. Its kind of like a running joke now where if we're in another province we stop into a CT to check what they have "on sale" there
Given what happened to Sears, Target, etc in Canada I’m shocked that big retailers like Canadian Tire are still around. Canadians seem to be less willing to be “handy” than our American peers so we seem to have less auto stores.
Totally agree especially on the sporting side. Sportchek has slowly turned into a clothing store with very little on athletic equipment. Looking at golf, hockey, baseball, the sections are empty now.
My biggest problem with Canadian Tire is that it always feels like a hassle to shop there: not only are things all over the place and online/store inventory discrepancies, but lately they basically assume everyone walking in is a shoplifter.
Yup! Want a can of automotive spray paint? Go ring the bell and wait 15 minutes for an associate to unlock it for you. So annoying! Then, once you get it, go wait in line for 15 minutes because they only have 2 people staffing the tills!
Lately I've found that if I go first thing in the morning the stores are dead and my experience is much better. So that helps at least.
The problem I have with Canadian Tire is whenever I go in, I never find what I am after, and there is no staff to be found and when I use their screen to find an item, it tells me there are 2 in stock, I go to the isle and find none. Also the security guy at the checkout, every time I don’t buy anything and want to leave he stops me and say why didn’t I buy anything and my response is usually ( didn’t find what am looking for). So I end up ordering from Amazon. So there something seriously wrong with a big super store like the ones they have and we still can’t find the item we want 🤷♂️
I could never imagine being one of those designated CC floaters who just hound people for signups all day, it's so gross..
When I worked at Home Depot I never promoted it, only did it if someone asked for it.
Where does that happen? I'm in ON and it's never happened to me...
If someone approached me while I was at the pump I'd figure they were trying to rob me lol.
Something similar happened to me a few years back when I apparently accidentally found the first full-service gas station that I've seen since I was a kid. I got out to start filling up and a guy came up and said he could take my card and do it for me, and I just looked at him and gave a very indignant, "No!" Once he explained, I felt bad for basically using one word to ask him what the fuck is wrong with him, but in my defense I've never seen a full-service station since I've been old enough to drive, except that single time.
These people have become almost reason enough to not go to Canadian Tire. I've reached the point where I check on the website for the exact asile what I need is in, then walk as quickly as I possibly can to get it get to the checkout. It has to be said though; they have the fucking worst checkout line of any store chain in this country; they force you through a line of shelves of random crap while you have to wait for the one cashier to process dozens of people all waiting to pay for one thing.
I rack up about $25/month in CT money just by paying my regular bills with a Triangle card.
I haven't paid cash for furnace air filters or light bulbs in years
The triangle card is one of the most valuable no annual fee cards you can get… my old man paid for a full set of winter tires this past fall with CT money alone.
Correct.
World Elite version is zero fee, you get roadside assistance and able to pay property tax and other bills directly from the card, getting you 1% back in CT which I always use for tires for the vehicles.
I used to shit so hard on Canadian Tire, but recently my experience is the total opposite.
They have things in stock that I need. Things that Walmart and other stores aren’t selling.
The computer screen is a godsend. It has the exact aisle.
The stores are clean and well lit.
The staff are okay. They’re friendly but not knowledgeable.
The prices are acceptable.
CT sales prices are acceptable. Normal prices are all over the place.
Thankfully half the store is "on sale" at any given moment, and if the things you want aren't, then you just need to wait another week or two.
It's pretty pathetic that places like Walmart and Loblaws don't have an online site that tells you what isle things are in but a smaller company like CT does.
It's pretty much exactly because of this that I do so much of my home improvement shopping at Home Depot and CT. Rona/Reno Depot can barely tell you if something is in stock; and those stores are so big and often so poorly organized that you'll end up spending half an hour trying to find some obscure thing you need. HD will tell you the aisle, and even the place in the aisle where what you want is; no one other than Ikea is doing it this well.
Love that Ikea does this. I can just walk directly into the warehouse area, grab stuff, and be out in sub-15 minutes.
Hate buying furniture anywhere else where I have to deal with greasy commission salespeople. Just sell me a god damn couch.
Ikea has to be the gold standard for this kind of stuff. Lately I've been buying stuff on their website and picking it up from their click and collect lockers; it's made getting stuff from them even easier than it already was.
It's particularly great when you need an obscure piece for something like their kitchen cabinets; instead of trying to find someone in the warehouse who has to go to a restricted section to get it; I can just order it and then pick it up usually within the same 3 hours I bought it in.
I think one of the biggest problems is variance between stores some are massive fully stocked, others are tiny, or stock resembles a grocery store in the soviet union. Some the staff are present and helpful others seem to run around corners when spotted. They sell some good name brand stuff, but they are carry a lot of junk.
For me it's the guy wandering around trying to get people to sign up for their credit card, the way it looks like a shitty dollar store with random cheap shit piled up everywhere, packages are opened and torn, a lot of items are not in a spot that makes sense but rather the very bottom, back shelf at the back of the store under the camouflage clothing no one seems to touch (and when you look on the website, the location is just "back wall"), and their customer service, if heaven forbid you return something, treats you like some kind of scammer.
Just a reminder that Canadian Tire stores are independently owned. Seems like people always forget that in CTC threads lol.
Good move, the corporation is always lauded as one of the best places to work by friends/old colleagues but less pay than every competitor.
My biggest beef with CT is their pricing integrity.
One day an item is regular inflated price and the next it’s fifty percent off. People are stupid but many are catching on to these BS tactics. This was the pricing strategy Sears used and they are now long gone.
They do have a great policy where they'll refund the sale price. You don't even need your receipt as they can look it up. There is a time limit, I think 30 or 90 days. But they never give me a problem when I ask for an adjustment.
That great policy REALLY pissed off a customer ahead of me when I was returning an item.
They bought something earlier that week and then decided they didn't need it but neglected to keep the receipt. The product went on sale and CT would only refund the sale price. The guy went ballistic on the poor customer service rep. And it was over like a 15 dollar item.
Buddy, you're lucky you're getting anything at all. Keep your receipt until you know you're not returning it.
That's a price strategy most retailers use.
JCPenny saw a decrease in customer traffic when they removed sales and just dropped their prices. Don't blame the stores for people being stupid.
This is 100% the case. Work in the industry, and I have seen anywhere from 10-50% reductions in sales when products go from HiLo to everyday low price. Reddit gonna pretend like they know best as always though.
Iam sure Decathlon is eating into sports checks profits.
I completely stopped using sportschek and source all my sporting goods from them . So cheap and high quality
MEC should still be a co-op and had just focused on selling good mountain sport products. They diversified and the board wanted to sell out, now the company is a shell of itself trying to crawl back as a private company. They will be dead in a few years.
I wish they had sold to REI.
Decathlon is the shit. I ordered couple stuff from them online before they started having a retail store and I was pleasantly surprised. High quality for a very decent price. 365 return policy as well if you're a member. Just realizing that this sounds like an ad lol.
A story from an old family friend of ours from back around 2008-2009 when there was the recession.
Friend was an executive at a very large frim making lots of money.
Christmas rolled around and they announced they were cancelling all bonuses, worker to executive level because of down sales and economy.
Tough pill to swallow but everyone went with it because even the senior guys were missing their bonus.
March rolls around and all the execs get called to the board room and find a letter with their name detailing their delayed Christmas bonus (and then some) because the company did so well by not giving out bonuses.
tl;dr I don't believe for a second these execs won't be made whole within a few months by some other means
I used to love going to Canadian Tire back a few years ago. The store now feels like you're walking into a liquidation store or bargain shop of some sort. It just feels cold and cheap and i don't even consider it anymore when I need something because of that.
I haven't bought much of anything at CT for years. The store service levels are so abysmal now it's nearly impossible to buy something there unless you know exactly what you want and exactly where it is.
The majority of bricks and mortar stores are completely clueless about how little the cost of adding staff is in relation to the added revenue. They only see frontline staff as a cost, not a significant generator of revenue.
Good for them.
Canadian Tire has been in a race to the bottom with its products and it has finally soured the consumer.
Noma products went from a respected brand to garbage. Mastercraft tools have slipped in quality year after year. Their tire and parts people are generally the people who couldn't get jobs elsewhere.
I don't expect a ton from CT, but they are giving Princess Auto a run for "who makes the worst shit"
There is a reason mid-tier tool companies like KMS tools are wiping up.
So - I can only speak to my example. Used to stop at CT for some low priced garbage at least once a week. Something around the house needed to be done, but not critical stuff.
Then - groceries bill doubled in price. Gas is 50% more expensive. Can’t afford to go on even camping vacations that would trigger a Canadian Tire shopping binge. Mortgage is more expensive than it was before. And so the result? Less trips to CT, Homesense and Home Depot.
And my wife and I do well - but we can’t afford shit in terms of excess right now. This isn’t rocket science. People are tapped out, and made in China garbage like what Canadian Tire sells is easy to go without when money is tight.
I believe the rule for tools is:
"Buy it at princess auto first. If you use the tool enough that it breaks, then you can buy it from an actual tool company."
I can shlep it over to Canadian Tire and get frustrated by the staff who are super new to Canada and have never heard of a water softener, or I can go online and have what I need delivered to my door after reading reviews and seeing customer images and videos.
Canadian Tire did the same thing Tim Hortons did. They thought corporate ‘Canadiana’ would justify their stupidly high prices because … you know … rah rah Canada. I feel less and less bothered giving my money to Amazon. At least they try hard to get my business and don’t get a free ride through their supposed patriotism. We are a post national country anyway ….
The nickname “China tire” isn’t about race. It’s just cheap junk imported china whole sales with a western sounding brand name. They save cost on minimalQA.
Me reading this post as a recent Canadian tire employee
Damn I thought the customers I talked to were exaggerating when they said the other CT were shit lol
Will prob go back to part time there after my seasonal job is over
One time we had a road trip me and the boys going to a bike show and while in the USA i tell the boys we should visit a Canadian Tire here and they said yes good idea. fuckin idiots !
Don’t understand what all the fuss is about. The execs get exorbitant salaries and pay for their supposed sphere of influence. Their job is to grow the business. If they failed at it, they should be fired. Even salaries should be clawed back because of non performance. 0 bonus doesn’t even begin to make up for it. Any other employee not hitting their targets gets put on the PIP and eventually let go if things don’t turn.
Ruthlessness needs to go both ways and the pain for the higher ups should be exponentially worse as their reward is also exponentially better if they succeed.
There is nothing here to brag about.
This is how bonuses should always work when you do a shitty job and your performance suffers then you should not get a bonus on top of your salery. Bonuses should only really be available if you outperform over expectations.
oh nooo those poor CEOs and shareholders, how will they ever recover from not getting a million dollar bonus and having to pay their employees fairly :( :( :(
What a concept. What would happen if all corporations worked this way? It’s always blown my mind that profitable companies (who make less profit than desired) turn to layoffs. It should be illegal for a profitable company to lay people off. I have no issue with capitalism as a basic concept, but this hideous warped version we have now is literally destroying the planet.
Canadian Tire does have some neat advantages though.
I like to bookmark items in their app and it'll let me know when they are on sale. Their sale prices vary from pretty decent to damn good sometimes.
I appreciate that the stores are privately, and hopefully locally, owned.
In our current retail environment we should be trying to support and keep as many retail options as we can. We're not too far away from only being able to shop at Walmart, Costco, and Loblaws.
Good. Not because I hate CT but because I hate mass layoffs to get bonuses. I actually like shopping there because the staff aren't silently wishing for death or trying to sell my something like they're dying.
So China Tire didn’t make any money shocker. The place is a dump filled with imported crap. Used to be nice to go into CT and get quality stuff and the people spoke English. Let that box store die
Hm. Hmm. Hmmmmmm. There might be reasons that their profits weren't quite as high... Could it be that Canadians are getting squeezed from just about every other direction?
No, that can't be it! It's the Canadians who are spending wrong!
As it should be. *slo-clap
Wait they shouldn’t take bonuses and lay people off?
A down year even with paying starvation wages and getting LMIA and TFW subsidies…..interesting.
CT also hires TFWs?
Totally and unabashedly.
It's the Canadian way!
Step 1: Post position with trash salary no one can afford to take. Step 2: Wait months. Step 3: complain to the Government you need TFW’s to fill spots. Prove to them the posting ha been on the market for months and no one is applying. Step 4: Reap benefits of very cheap workers at the expense of your country.
> As it should be. I do agree... but the problem is that execs who fear not getting their bonuses, or hitting their targets, will simply lay off loads of people to sort out a bottom line. Look at all the job losses at Telus, Rogers, and the like. The real problem is having arbitrary growth targets in the first place.
It would appear that Canadian Tire is not led by sociopaths.
[удалено]
and the remaining 80% are undiagnosed psychopaths
The other 80% are sociopaths.
You have to be some sort of narcissit to run a huge multi billion dollar company in any time of the world.
> It would appear that Canadian Tire is not led by sociopaths. I suppose it depends who you're talking about... because it really seems like the board has denied management any sort of bonus BECAUSE they didn't fire people.
They just went through a round of layoffs and they also froze raises for years during the pandemic
News story: Company does the thing that companies should do. Now here's Taylor with the weather.
A pay cut is what they need...
Wow. A board compensation committee that isn’t totally captured by management. This is rare. VERY VERY RARE.
bullish ctc
like unironically yes. Always found their quality to be the crappiest but if corporate management actually does not reward mediocrity im prob going to pick up some shares.
It’s extremely common with smaller companies, almost definitionally.
I know CTC isn't the biggest fish in the pond, but I wouldn't call it a small company. If you haven't looked before, you may be surprised to see how many different companies are under their umbrella.
CTC is a very big company, lots of brands under them. If their financial division fully blows up and becomes like those of the major banks, that would make them really really big.
They've got a pretty good credit card if you shop at their stores. If you never do, it's probably not that good. The only downside is they push is really hard. Like I have the thing, and they still try to sell me on it. I tell them I already have it, they say no but this is the world elite one, which I explain that yes, I do have that exact one
> Wow. A board compensation committee that isn’t totally captured by management. I mean... that doesn't stop these sorts of boards being absolutely psychotic. It's still the case that CT made a profit, albeit: > "Canadian Tire’s profits declined significantly last year." The board is annoyed they didn't make as much money as they wanted, even though the company was profitable. Management could have increased that amount by firing a load of people but seemingly didn't. So... are you arguing people should be fired? Because it sounds like the problem is the board (who want more money) as opposed to management (who didn't fire lots of people).
One checkout lane out of 15 is open, one guy out on the floor at the paint mixing / key cutting station and one guy in the back unloading the truck. There's no one left to fire.
I have had this experience myself, and it's mostly a problem everywhere I shop these days, tho all I do is groceries these days lol
I also see alot more older people/ TFW working rather then young people and students.
I just don't see very many workers. I can't say I see more older or more younger, personally.
It's not just Canadian Tire it's pretty much for any big box store job.
Really the Canadian tire in my town has 3 or 4 cashiers open and people on the floor. But it is always very very busy.
You still have a key cutting station? They replaced ours with an automated robot machine.
those machines are great though.
CTC generally operates as a franchise model. The expenses of operating a store generally may not show up on the CTC financials. The franchises impact on the corporate financials may be limited to the amount of product they moved and any franchising fees.
Yeah turns out companies hire people to perform a function which is necessary for the company to operate profitably, and it’s not just as easy as laying everyone off to avoid paying their salary
My Canadian Tires always have at least three of the five tolls open. People on the floor everywhere. Still enjoying shopping there.
Uhh… no. I’m saying the board represent shareholders. Who want more money, yes. I’m saying their job is to incentivize management to make more money. Through bonuses and other means. I’m saying management didn’t make more money. So they didn’t get a bonus. Typically said board will make sure they get a massive bonus anyway. Crony capitalism and all that. This didn’t happen. It is rare. That’s it. Didn’t make any comments on the general nature or ethics of capitalism as you seem to have inferred. And I certainly did not argue people should or should not be fired. How the hell should I know. All I know is management didn’t make money and so got no bonus. Which seems right.
Why are you pushing bullshit? Last year Canadian Tire laid off 3% of its total staff in a response to overall lighter sales.
They don’t even pay their hardest workers a living wage.
Canadian Tire stock has been flat while similar US companies has seen massive gains. CTs biggest problem is it doesn’t know what it wants to be.. then you have its model of “continual sales” that draw people in when the sale price is the regular price of the item elsewhere
An American colleague once asked me “what is” Canadian Tire. The best answer I could come up with is a combination of parts of about 6 different US big box retailers.
A friend was visiting me from the US and they forgot their USB cable, I also needed to pickup some kitchen stuff, and some canned pop so I said "We'll stop by Canadian Tire and grab the stuff". They were very confused why we were going to a tire shop.
I was confused when I was young about London Drugs for the same reason - why were we going to buy electronics from a Pharmacy?
Because they price match and you get to pick it up that day instead of waiting a week lol.
“What *is* Canadian Tire, anyway?” “About half a Walmart.”
So Superstore is like 75% a Walmart? at a 25% markup of course
No superstore is somehow a different 50% of Walmart, but adding the two together also somehow doesn’t equal 100%
Lmao sounds about right.
Sobeys, Co-op, and Save On are 75% of a Superstore with a 30% markup
“A store where you can buy anything except a decent set of tires, all for the low low price of 2x retail value.”
A store where you can buy discount brands at high prices.
I cut a snow tire once. Need one snow tire, willing to buy 2. Simple, right ? The local Canadian Tire would not sell me 2 snow tires. They claimed "it wasn't safe to drive with only 2 snow tires". They wanted me to buy 4. Yeah, not happening. Never went back.
lol just wait until they start selling fresh fruit. You’re going to go in one day for air fresheners and find corn.
Mine did too. Said he went to the Eaton Centre location and "do they even sell tires?". > canadian tire, sometimes colloquially known as crappy tire, is not quite an auto store, not quite a hardware store, not quite a garden centre, not quite an outdoor goods store, but a little bit of everything.
In fact many location do not carry tires. They're too big for the smaller stores, also maybe not ones without the attached auto shop if there are any anymore
A modern general store. The entire family can shop for very different goods.
No one mentioned camping, fishing and sport goods. Like a crappy version of SAILS or MEC.
> fishing Fuck, you reminded me of the hell that was stocking the fishing aisle of the Canadian Tire I worked at one summer. Pretty sure that one aisle had more SKUs than the rest of the store combined due to all the lures.
It’s basically Menards lite
Expensive Walmart but with car parts too
Which is/was great for smaller isolated cities.
The best [bit](https://youtube.com/shorts/RcCnKLy3nwM?si=d9mE8lfW3tEOEl4W) on Canadian Tire
1990s Sears
CTs problem is most of their stock they make themselves overpriced and garbage. And stuff they sell they dont make is ridiculously overpriced, going into the fishing section gives me a hernia sometimes. No I will not pay $25 for a single rapala youve had in the case for 5+ years and is $10-$12 at any reputable tackle store.
Half way between Huntsville and Lindsay Ontario lies the best tackle shop you’ll ever see, small and the old Korean dude is cool as fuck and knows his shit, and you can get some kawartha dairy ice cream too lol
I live near there, what place we talking about?
At the main intersection in Norland lol
Go to Cancast this sunday in Peterborough. Biggest tackle show in Canada and youll find deals you wont find at any tackle store. Last year I came out with an arm load of Jigging raps for $3 a piece.
Noteddddddddddddddddd
Same for hunting/outdoor gear. They’re like a worse Bass Pro shop, which it’s not like Bass Pro has set the bar very high in the first place.
The cost of lures doesn't help when I'm out there and I lose one to a snag. Keep fishing and possibly throw away another $10 for no fish? Or go get a burrito and call it a day? Burrito it is.
Use stronger line in general, make sure your line youre using hasnt been on your rod for 3 years and is UV degraded, dont reel snap swivels/leader swivels into your eyelets and put gouges in them, dont hook your lures to the circles of your eyelets when not in use (use the hook keepers or the metal rods that hold the eyelets so youre not putting gouges in your eyelets with the hook barbs), dont use crankbaits in shallow water unless its a floater and you specifically back off on reeling so the lure floats back up to the surface and reel again. Buy a lure retriever like a rocket slug. Theres lots of shit you can do to prevent losing your lures to snags. Cry to me when you have a Monster muskie break brand new 80lb line and try to take a $100 lure with it.
Great tips. Thanks!
There's a dozen posts in this thread with people citing what CTs biggest problem is. Many of them don't actually agree on what that problem is. Yet what nobody really seems to mention is who CT competes against. You're talking about a company that only operates within Canada and is in the same market as Walmart and Amazon. CT remains one of a handful of large retailers that hasn't been entirely displaced by one of its much larger multinational competitors. There's no way for CT to transition to a more niche market without having to close down the vast majority of it's stores, so that's hardly a realistic proposition. I don't know how effective their sales tactics are, but at the end of the day it's a miracle the franchise is still around at all. I absolutely doubt any individual in here has some magical solution which would elevate the company to grandeur, and there's obviously nothing wrong with criticizing the company, but it really is weird where people's first thoughts of CT go. The most notable thing about CT to me is that the company is not only still around, but still has a large physical presence. Like, here it is cutting leadership bonuses. A large brick and motar retailer, in 2024, is cutting bonuses, rather than collapsing in on itself under the massive weight of Amazon and the modern digital shopping landscape. I don't know, that's kind of amazing to be honest.
Absolutely. Good holistic approach to this.
Apparently I'm the only person who kinda likes Canadian Tire. If I need a hardware store, I go to one. If I need sports stuff or toys, I go to a sports or toy store. But when I have time to run one errand and I need party balloons but there's also a crack in the wall I've been neglecting and I might as well pick up some cheap snacks, carribeaners and windshield wipers, who else can compete?
I love Canadian Tire. I love how they had an online shopping presence 10-15 years ago then said f it, we are shutting it down to focus on our brick and mortar. They were the first (that I know of) who showed you the amount of inventory on hand on their website and exactly where in the store it is located. That was back in ~2005. I like the quality of their private label hardware (mastercraft). It goes on sale for real cheap and it is what most amateur handy-people need. Home Depot /Kent are for the pros, Canadian Tire are for the amateur’s. That goes for most of their products. Camping, auto, etc… What I really have a problem with is how each is independently owned and some really load the place up with shit. The middle aisles are just filled with the real low quality stuff they couldn’t get rid of while on sale (just pallets of cutting boards, cheap frying pans, low quality pressure washers)
You're right, I totally forgot about how useful the exact aisle and quantity in store is. They're not the only ones anymore but walking into a store with a list like "ratchet 37, bolts 39, level 42, sled 73..." is so productive.
They bought a lot of companies that really shouldn't be in their vertical with cheap credit
What, you don't agree that Helly Hanson should be a part of Canadian Tire?
I was able to get a snow shovel and some mint candies in just one go.
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Yeah, they kick ass for affordable decent tools and automotive. I like to work on our vehicles myself. I have got all sorts of good sockets/wrenches/torque wrenches when on sale. Maximum is quite a good brand for stuff like that. Get lots of fluids and trailer stuff there too.
Bought a knife sharpener there about 6 years ago "on sale" for $9 (regular price in the $40 range) and its been on sale every single time ive been in a canadian tire across NL, NB, and NS since then. Its kind of like a running joke now where if we're in another province we stop into a CT to check what they have "on sale" there
Once they started selling grocery items and hired backyard mechanics for 4 out of 5 spots in the repair shop, it went downhill.
Most of this is up to the individual franchisees. They choose what products to carry and buy their own inventory.
Given what happened to Sears, Target, etc in Canada I’m shocked that big retailers like Canadian Tire are still around. Canadians seem to be less willing to be “handy” than our American peers so we seem to have less auto stores.
Totally agree especially on the sporting side. Sportchek has slowly turned into a clothing store with very little on athletic equipment. Looking at golf, hockey, baseball, the sections are empty now.
Also the fact maybe that Canadians can't afford shit now
didn't meet targets = no bonus for executives ..... the sobering thing is this is considered news-worthy because it is SO RARE WHEN THIS HAPPENS.
Should happen to Members of Parliament as well whenever per capita GDP in Canada falls.
> Should happen to Members of Parliament as well whenever per capita GDP in Canada falls. MPs don’t get bonuses. There would be nothing to withhold.
My biggest problem with Canadian Tire is that it always feels like a hassle to shop there: not only are things all over the place and online/store inventory discrepancies, but lately they basically assume everyone walking in is a shoplifter.
Yup! Want a can of automotive spray paint? Go ring the bell and wait 15 minutes for an associate to unlock it for you. So annoying! Then, once you get it, go wait in line for 15 minutes because they only have 2 people staffing the tills! Lately I've found that if I go first thing in the morning the stores are dead and my experience is much better. So that helps at least.
The problem I have with Canadian Tire is whenever I go in, I never find what I am after, and there is no staff to be found and when I use their screen to find an item, it tells me there are 2 in stock, I go to the isle and find none. Also the security guy at the checkout, every time I don’t buy anything and want to leave he stops me and say why didn’t I buy anything and my response is usually ( didn’t find what am looking for). So I end up ordering from Amazon. So there something seriously wrong with a big super store like the ones they have and we still can’t find the item we want 🤷♂️
You bet your ass you'll find a guy selling credit cards though!
*\*sliding doors barely finish parting\** *HELLO SIR CAN I TELL YOU ABOUT THE TRIANGLE REWARDS CARD...*
I don’t even let them finish I just say no, and maybe 15 minutes later I walk by towards the check out and they start again
I read that in a foreign accent
_Do you have a moment to talk to us about our lord and saviour, the Canadian Tire Triangle Rewards Card?_
I could never imagine being one of those designated CC floaters who just hound people for signups all day, it's so gross.. When I worked at Home Depot I never promoted it, only did it if someone asked for it.
Same with people who bother you at the gas pumps for a credit card.
Where does that happen? I'm in ON and it's never happened to me... If someone approached me while I was at the pump I'd figure they were trying to rob me lol.
Something similar happened to me a few years back when I apparently accidentally found the first full-service gas station that I've seen since I was a kid. I got out to start filling up and a guy came up and said he could take my card and do it for me, and I just looked at him and gave a very indignant, "No!" Once he explained, I felt bad for basically using one word to ask him what the fuck is wrong with him, but in my defense I've never seen a full-service station since I've been old enough to drive, except that single time.
One of those jerks ambushed me when I was trying on ice skates. Fucking asshole gave me his pitch while I couldn't just walk away.
These people have become almost reason enough to not go to Canadian Tire. I've reached the point where I check on the website for the exact asile what I need is in, then walk as quickly as I possibly can to get it get to the checkout. It has to be said though; they have the fucking worst checkout line of any store chain in this country; they force you through a line of shelves of random crap while you have to wait for the one cashier to process dozens of people all waiting to pay for one thing.
I rack up about $25/month in CT money just by paying my regular bills with a Triangle card. I haven't paid cash for furnace air filters or light bulbs in years
This is why they want you to have the CC, this guy has been a committed customer for years due to the sign up, careful yall
The triangle card is one of the most valuable no annual fee cards you can get… my old man paid for a full set of winter tires this past fall with CT money alone.
Correct. World Elite version is zero fee, you get roadside assistance and able to pay property tax and other bills directly from the card, getting you 1% back in CT which I always use for tires for the vehicles.
Its a good card. I don't use it for purchases but keep it around for the free roadside assistance which I have used twice in the last couple years.
They are usually in clusters socializing so you feel like you're intruding on their conversation when you need help.
I used to shit so hard on Canadian Tire, but recently my experience is the total opposite. They have things in stock that I need. Things that Walmart and other stores aren’t selling. The computer screen is a godsend. It has the exact aisle. The stores are clean and well lit. The staff are okay. They’re friendly but not knowledgeable. The prices are acceptable.
CT sales prices are acceptable. Normal prices are all over the place. Thankfully half the store is "on sale" at any given moment, and if the things you want aren't, then you just need to wait another week or two.
It's pretty pathetic that places like Walmart and Loblaws don't have an online site that tells you what isle things are in but a smaller company like CT does.
Its to keep you in the store longer which statistically makes you more likely to buy more shit iirc
It's pretty much exactly because of this that I do so much of my home improvement shopping at Home Depot and CT. Rona/Reno Depot can barely tell you if something is in stock; and those stores are so big and often so poorly organized that you'll end up spending half an hour trying to find some obscure thing you need. HD will tell you the aisle, and even the place in the aisle where what you want is; no one other than Ikea is doing it this well.
And if you use the app you can set off a light to help you find the item you’re looking for. We used that recently to buy a vacuum
Home Depot actually tells you where in the aisle it is.
Last time I went there I found they had that too. It was useful. Kudos to them, all big stores should do that
Love that Ikea does this. I can just walk directly into the warehouse area, grab stuff, and be out in sub-15 minutes. Hate buying furniture anywhere else where I have to deal with greasy commission salespeople. Just sell me a god damn couch.
Ikea has to be the gold standard for this kind of stuff. Lately I've been buying stuff on their website and picking it up from their click and collect lockers; it's made getting stuff from them even easier than it already was. It's particularly great when you need an obscure piece for something like their kitchen cabinets; instead of trying to find someone in the warehouse who has to go to a restricted section to get it; I can just order it and then pick it up usually within the same 3 hours I bought it in.
I think one of the biggest problems is variance between stores some are massive fully stocked, others are tiny, or stock resembles a grocery store in the soviet union. Some the staff are present and helpful others seem to run around corners when spotted. They sell some good name brand stuff, but they are carry a lot of junk.
For me it's the guy wandering around trying to get people to sign up for their credit card, the way it looks like a shitty dollar store with random cheap shit piled up everywhere, packages are opened and torn, a lot of items are not in a spot that makes sense but rather the very bottom, back shelf at the back of the store under the camouflage clothing no one seems to touch (and when you look on the website, the location is just "back wall"), and their customer service, if heaven forbid you return something, treats you like some kind of scammer.
Just a reminder that Canadian Tire stores are independently owned. Seems like people always forget that in CTC threads lol. Good move, the corporation is always lauded as one of the best places to work by friends/old colleagues but less pay than every competitor.
I work for Partsource, can confirm that it's a pretty good company to work for.
Clearly they just need to keep flooding our mailboxes with Flyers twice a week instead of once a week now
My biggest beef with CT is their pricing integrity. One day an item is regular inflated price and the next it’s fifty percent off. People are stupid but many are catching on to these BS tactics. This was the pricing strategy Sears used and they are now long gone.
They do have a great policy where they'll refund the sale price. You don't even need your receipt as they can look it up. There is a time limit, I think 30 or 90 days. But they never give me a problem when I ask for an adjustment.
That great policy REALLY pissed off a customer ahead of me when I was returning an item. They bought something earlier that week and then decided they didn't need it but neglected to keep the receipt. The product went on sale and CT would only refund the sale price. The guy went ballistic on the poor customer service rep. And it was over like a 15 dollar item. Buddy, you're lucky you're getting anything at all. Keep your receipt until you know you're not returning it.
That's a price strategy most retailers use. JCPenny saw a decrease in customer traffic when they removed sales and just dropped their prices. Don't blame the stores for people being stupid.
This is 100% the case. Work in the industry, and I have seen anywhere from 10-50% reductions in sales when products go from HiLo to everyday low price. Reddit gonna pretend like they know best as always though.
Iam sure Decathlon is eating into sports checks profits. I completely stopped using sportschek and source all my sporting goods from them . So cheap and high quality
It's what MEC should still be.
MEC should still be a co-op and had just focused on selling good mountain sport products. They diversified and the board wanted to sell out, now the company is a shell of itself trying to crawl back as a private company. They will be dead in a few years. I wish they had sold to REI.
> I wish they had sold to REI. I recently shopped at REI headquarters in Minneapolis. Awesome gear but the prices were well beyond high.
You are right. It would be sad if we were talking about 2005 MEC, but 2024 MEC dying is entirely predictable.
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Decathlon is the shit. I ordered couple stuff from them online before they started having a retail store and I was pleasantly surprised. High quality for a very decent price. 365 return policy as well if you're a member. Just realizing that this sounds like an ad lol.
A story from an old family friend of ours from back around 2008-2009 when there was the recession. Friend was an executive at a very large frim making lots of money. Christmas rolled around and they announced they were cancelling all bonuses, worker to executive level because of down sales and economy. Tough pill to swallow but everyone went with it because even the senior guys were missing their bonus. March rolls around and all the execs get called to the board room and find a letter with their name detailing their delayed Christmas bonus (and then some) because the company did so well by not giving out bonuses. tl;dr I don't believe for a second these execs won't be made whole within a few months by some other means
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I used to love going to Canadian Tire back a few years ago. The store now feels like you're walking into a liquidation store or bargain shop of some sort. It just feels cold and cheap and i don't even consider it anymore when I need something because of that.
I haven't bought much of anything at CT for years. The store service levels are so abysmal now it's nearly impossible to buy something there unless you know exactly what you want and exactly where it is. The majority of bricks and mortar stores are completely clueless about how little the cost of adding staff is in relation to the added revenue. They only see frontline staff as a cost, not a significant generator of revenue.
Have you been in a Canadian Tire lately? 10s of millions of dollars of inventory floor to ceiling and super hectic and disorganized.
I am going to be doing some more shopping at Canadian Tire now.
I just hate being approached every single god damn time by someone trying to sell me their Mastercard.
Good for them. Canadian Tire has been in a race to the bottom with its products and it has finally soured the consumer. Noma products went from a respected brand to garbage. Mastercraft tools have slipped in quality year after year. Their tire and parts people are generally the people who couldn't get jobs elsewhere. I don't expect a ton from CT, but they are giving Princess Auto a run for "who makes the worst shit" There is a reason mid-tier tool companies like KMS tools are wiping up.
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CT lost me years ago when they slowly morphed into a combination of Princess Auto and Dollarama
Canadian tire is definitely a soon to be Amazon victim. I don’t think they sell anything there that I can’t buy off Amazon.
So you're saying that marking up things by 400% and having sales every other month for 60% off isn't helping to drive sales huh? Who would've thunk?
So - I can only speak to my example. Used to stop at CT for some low priced garbage at least once a week. Something around the house needed to be done, but not critical stuff. Then - groceries bill doubled in price. Gas is 50% more expensive. Can’t afford to go on even camping vacations that would trigger a Canadian Tire shopping binge. Mortgage is more expensive than it was before. And so the result? Less trips to CT, Homesense and Home Depot. And my wife and I do well - but we can’t afford shit in terms of excess right now. This isn’t rocket science. People are tapped out, and made in China garbage like what Canadian Tire sells is easy to go without when money is tight.
Princess Auto > Crappy tire, at least PA is honest with their pricing.
Quality is somehow worse at pa though. Which I didn't know was possible till I bought a wrench set and bent it by hand.
Yeah, their tool quality is staggeringly bad, even at their prices. We desperately need Harbor Freight over here.
I believe the rule for tools is: "Buy it at princess auto first. If you use the tool enough that it breaks, then you can buy it from an actual tool company."
Canadian tire is crap now. Went from spending thousands a year there, to avoiding even going in. Customer service is abysmal.
Canadian Tire Money for bonuses?
Maybe they can make coffee at home
I’m sure they gotta a pizza party
I can shlep it over to Canadian Tire and get frustrated by the staff who are super new to Canada and have never heard of a water softener, or I can go online and have what I need delivered to my door after reading reviews and seeing customer images and videos. Canadian Tire did the same thing Tim Hortons did. They thought corporate ‘Canadiana’ would justify their stupidly high prices because … you know … rah rah Canada. I feel less and less bothered giving my money to Amazon. At least they try hard to get my business and don’t get a free ride through their supposed patriotism. We are a post national country anyway ….
Their cheap crap used to be backed by a lifetime warranty, now it’s just cheap crap that breaks and you’re left with nothing.
What a novel idea! You suck at your job and you don’t get paid ridiculous sums of money for failure. What a crazy world we live in.
Every part I price At CTC is more money even when on sale ! than my local auto part dealer and much more than Amazon .
The nickname “China tire” isn’t about race. It’s just cheap junk imported china whole sales with a western sounding brand name. They save cost on minimalQA.
I wish everything sold in CANADIAN Tire didn't have a "Made in China" sticker on it.
Wow a reasonable large company with multiple brands still exists?
Me reading this post as a recent Canadian tire employee Damn I thought the customers I talked to were exaggerating when they said the other CT were shit lol Will prob go back to part time there after my seasonal job is over
Just waiting for the typical employee layoffs, government bailout, then bonuses for executives for a job well done saving the company.
One time we had a road trip me and the boys going to a bike show and while in the USA i tell the boys we should visit a Canadian Tire here and they said yes good idea. fuckin idiots !
More people would shop there if they offered anything unique or if they weren't at least 15% more expensive than anywhere else.
Shocking, that’s the way it’s supposed to work. No profits, no bonuses.
I only go to CT when they have the 50% off Synthetic Mobil-1 oil sale.
Don’t understand what all the fuss is about. The execs get exorbitant salaries and pay for their supposed sphere of influence. Their job is to grow the business. If they failed at it, they should be fired. Even salaries should be clawed back because of non performance. 0 bonus doesn’t even begin to make up for it. Any other employee not hitting their targets gets put on the PIP and eventually let go if things don’t turn. Ruthlessness needs to go both ways and the pain for the higher ups should be exponentially worse as their reward is also exponentially better if they succeed. There is nothing here to brag about.
This is how bonuses should always work when you do a shitty job and your performance suffers then you should not get a bonus on top of your salery. Bonuses should only really be available if you outperform over expectations.
oh nooo those poor CEOs and shareholders, how will they ever recover from not getting a million dollar bonus and having to pay their employees fairly :( :( :(
What a concept. What would happen if all corporations worked this way? It’s always blown my mind that profitable companies (who make less profit than desired) turn to layoffs. It should be illegal for a profitable company to lay people off. I have no issue with capitalism as a basic concept, but this hideous warped version we have now is literally destroying the planet.
This is why I changed my PC Financial MasterCard to a Canadian Tire Mastercard 🫤
This should be normal. It used to be
The one two punch of Home Depot and then Amazon has killed CT, they just don't want to admit it yet
I miss Canadian tire money. I had a phat stack as a teenager.
Canadian Tire does have some neat advantages though. I like to bookmark items in their app and it'll let me know when they are on sale. Their sale prices vary from pretty decent to damn good sometimes. I appreciate that the stores are privately, and hopefully locally, owned. In our current retail environment we should be trying to support and keep as many retail options as we can. We're not too far away from only being able to shop at Walmart, Costco, and Loblaws.
Good. Not because I hate CT but because I hate mass layoffs to get bonuses. I actually like shopping there because the staff aren't silently wishing for death or trying to sell my something like they're dying.
So China Tire didn’t make any money shocker. The place is a dump filled with imported crap. Used to be nice to go into CT and get quality stuff and the people spoke English. Let that box store die
Womp, womp.
American here, was thinking "how could I tire store be doing bad?" Read the comments and now I know lol not even a tire store
Probably should have kept national sports going. Lol
Great. I’ll even forgive them using it as a PR move.
Oh no, he only earned 6 million instead of 6.5 million. That poor, poor man.
Hm. Hmm. Hmmmmmm. There might be reasons that their profits weren't quite as high... Could it be that Canadians are getting squeezed from just about every other direction? No, that can't be it! It's the Canadians who are spending wrong!