8289 replies to this topic

[Midnightly]

i will admit i'm a dog owner who regularly takes their dog to hillside mall and i am disappointed when i read that it would be stopping, on bad weather days it was one of the few places i could take him for a walk (he's 9lbs and hates the rain and really windy days) it also allowed me to work on his behavior (how to act around other dogs and in public places)

 

i was one who was always respectful of the rules, i carried poop bags and paper towel incase of an accident (and will admit once he peed on the floor, i pulled out the paper towel and cleaned it right up) i stayed away from the food court and always asked if i could bring him into the store (often carrying him so he wouldn't get under foot of other customers)

 

we're going to miss our mall time when it's gone.. my biggest concern is that if i need to run into the store and having to leave him in the car for all of 5 minutes i'm going to come back to a broken window and to be publicly shamed because he was "left alone in a car" and he "sounds like he could be in distress" when i can assure he's not he just hates being left alone and can be very vocal about it (and we're working on that he is only 7 months old)

[Brantastic]

I take a walk downtown everyday and I'd say calling it a ghost town is pretty ridiculous. I don't have updated stats from 2019 but retail vacancy is way down from its peak in 2014. I'd say the one street that's looking pretty grim though is Quadra (though technically in Harris Green). With Ming's and Floyd's closed and fenced off, not to mention the vacancies at Quadra and View as well as next to Starbucks, it's looking really sad.

[Mike K.]

Right! Quadra does look bleak from Pandora to Fort, for sure.

Two major developments are moving forward there so that’ll spruce things up (1400 Quadra and Parc at Fort).

[Matt R.]

https://www.timescol...iler-1.24056786

MEC to make major changes to try to return to profitability.


How long until they close the unionized downtown Victoria store?

I’m a bit fat and lazy, but my wife leads both the scouts and guides here, my son is actively involved and my daughter loves wilderness backpacking and is both a Ranger and Trex member. Between all of that, there is a LOT of gear purchased and maintained around our house. MEC is ok, but most of the spending goes to Capital Iron and especially Robinson’s, where the service is extremely knowledgeable and the prices are very competitive to MEC.

I don’t think downtown Vic would miss the MEC outlet too much.

Matt.

Edited by Matt R., 20 January 2020 - 07:21 PM.

[qv]

MEC in Victoria always has a decent crowd, pretty much every day of the week.

I do think they've made some weird moves in recent years, like the push to get into bikes. That doesn't seem like a very profitable area, and it's a hugely crowded space in cities like Victoria.

Edited by qv, 20 January 2020 - 10:59 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

very anecdotal. Immigrants have less dogs

 

 

https://www.timescol...pets-1.24057117

 

Tabarek Al-Musawi, who moved to Victoria from Lebanon about a year ago, said she doesn’t mind the policy change, because she’s a little afraid of dogs.

Where she’s from, most dogs are strays and unpredictable, said Al-Musawi, who works at the Canadian Tire at Hillside.

Canadian Tire said Hillside’s policy change will not affect the store, and dogs will still be allowed inside.

 

[spanky123]

MEC in Victoria always has a decent crowd, pretty much every day of the week.

I do think they've made some weird moves in recent years, like the push to get into bikes. That doesn't seem like a very profitable area, and it's a hugely crowded space in cities like Victoria.

 

That is one store unfortunately. They lost $11M last year and are projecting a 10% decline in member activity this year. That can't continue.

[Victoria Watcher]

i'll admit to not being a customer.  are they just losing sales to walmart and/or online retailers?  i mean they are just a retailer of others' products right?  and i'd guess most high end campers and climbers take time to research brands (and inevitably compare prices while there).

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 21 January 2020 - 08:12 AM.

[qv]

MEC is also known for its house brand items, which generally offer pretty good quality to price ratio. They also have an excellent return policy, and (unless this has changed) will take back pretty much anything in any of condition.

i'll admit to not being a customer. are they just losing sales to walmart and/or online retailers? i mean they are just a retailer of others' products right? and i'd guess most high end campers and climbers take time to research brands (and inevitably compare prices while there).

[lanforod]

I think they've been moving away from their house brand somewhat, or have less of them. That's hurting their sales, as people can get the same stuff elsewhere, often for cheaper. Can't get MEC brand stuff anywhere else except used.

[Mike K.]

very anecdotal. Immigrants have less dogs

 

https://nationalpost...o_autoplay=true

LONDON —  Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have issued a warning over harassment by paparazzi photographers in Canada after agreeing to give up their royal duties to start their new life outside Britain, according to Sky News.

 

The warning comes after Meghan was photographed on Monday in North Hill Regional Park on Vancouver Island, carrying eight-month-old son Archie in a baby sling and walking her two dogs, Guy and Oz.

[Nparker]

Do we know if the royals are immigrants yet or still visitors to Canada?

Edited by Nparker, 21 January 2020 - 09:13 AM.

[Mike K.]

That's odd. You didn't ask if the woman from Lebanon was an immigrant.

[Brantastic]

With regard to bikes at MEC, it seems like a smart move. I remember reading in Douglas Magazine that MEC has had “a ton of extra business” since the opening of the Pandora bike lanes.

[Mike K.]

Do you think that might have been exaggerated a little?

[Brantastic]

I don’t see why it’s such a stretch to believe that a doubling of daily cyclists on Pandora would increase bicycle and bicycle parts sales at a store whose bike shop faces onto Pandora.

[UDeMan]

There were more bike stores in the downtown core years ago, before MEC expanded their bike section.  Where the bike section at MEC is now used to by a coffee shop, I can't remember the name of it now.

 

Once MEC expanded their bike section, selling bikes and more bike parts, all the other bike shops shut down.

 

There were two on Yates I can remember, Reckless and another one.  I few others too.

[Rob Randall]

There were more bike stores in the downtown core years ago, before MEC expanded their bike section.  Where the bike section at MEC is now used to by a coffee shop, I can't remember the name of it now.

 

The one near the red dragon statue. It was called, er, The Red Dragon Bistro.

Once MEC expanded their bike section, selling bikes and more bike parts, all the other bike shops shut down.

 

There were two on Yates I can remember, Reckless and another one.  I few others too.

 

 

I think the number has been stable. Giant on Yates (former A&B Sound) and Broad St Bikes have opened since Reckless closed. Pit Stop Bikes on Cook near Fort has used bikes. 

[Coreyburger]

How long until they close the unionized downtown Victoria store?

They just announced that they are ADDING permanent staff, not reducing them. So my guess is we see further unionization across the company.

[Danma]

If MEC downsizes, I doubt it will be closing the Victoria store.

MEC has expanded all over the place and some of those expansions have not gone as well as expected, I suspect, where the MEC name doesn't carry much weight, or where there were already MEC stores nearby, like in Edmonton and Calgary. Those stores are also, like, 8x as big as Victoria's, and they need to move inventory to stay profitable due to the rent and staff needed to maintain those stores.

 

As for the bike shop... as a frequent customer to the store, I'd say its bike shop keeps busy. The repair shop is always hustling and helps to bring customers through the door into their bike shop where they might buy a helmet or gear since they're getting a tire replaced.

 

I agree that MEC is having some difficulties, but I think it's because of their decisions to go mass market and competing against the likes of Sport Chek instead of staying focused on the specialist gear.