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Victoria merchants launch "Shop Local Victoria" movement


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#61 Mike K.

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Posted 03 June 2012 - 04:40 PM

Consumer Distributors, that's it. I recently listened to a radio show about that company.

Which goes to show, people in general would prefer not to order online or from a catalogue if they can get it right now, in person.


See, this is what further perplexes me when it comes to so many individuals wanting to save a dollar on a physical consumer item (and going to extreme lengths to acquire it like Bob illustrated with his planned trip to the US to then order something online and have it sent to a Washington address, pick it up then transport it back home etc.) but then turning around and overspending on liquor at a pub or restaurant without questioning the outrageous costs. Liquor is entertainment, yes, but consumer items can also give us significant satisfaction.

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#62 Sparky

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Posted 03 June 2012 - 04:50 PM

When Consumer's Distributors closed up shop, they had an "everything must go" sale. I looked behind the counter and they had a commercial waste receptacle with a stainless steel top that swung back and forth and they used it to put their waste in.

I asked the guy at the counter "how much for your waste bin?"

He looked at me like I was nuts.

He got the manager over and $20 later I was hauling it to the car.

I still use it to this day. :)

#63 skeptic

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Posted 03 June 2012 - 05:06 PM

But by the same token why is the booze hyper-inflated in price and not the food? I mean I can go into the fanciest restaurant in town and order a phenomenal meal for a reasonable price. Same service, same atmosphere, same experience.

Throw in a glass of wine and you're paying $9 a pop for a glass from a bottle that cost no more than $20 at a BC Liquor Store.

No kidding. I stopped in at the Penny Farthing the other day for a pint (first time in several months). $8.75 for a pint of London Pride. Add the $1 tip and it's two bits short of $10 for a beer. Ouch! I only stayed for one!

I won't order wine in restaurants. $7-$10 for a glass or or $30-$40 for a bottle of what I would charitably call "plonk."

The situation is less outrageous in many parts of the USA. I spend a lot of time in Phoenix and good draft beer there (locally craft-brewed or imported) is typically $3-$4.50/pint at happy hour or $5-$6 regularly. My favorite joint, appropriately called The Yardhouse, has over 100 draft beers from all over the world (compared to Matt McNeil's dozen or so) and none of them are over $4.50 at happy hour or $6 regularly.

The wine markups in US restaurants are pretty steep, but I was in Seattle recently at a nice Bellevue restaurant and I reckon a bottle I paid $45 for was actually pretty good and probably would have costed close to that in a BC Liquor store.

Whatever the reasons (and there are many contributing factors), stuff costs way less in the USA, and that applies to pretty much everything. No amount of "rah rah" shop local advertising is going to change that.

#64 aastra

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Posted 03 June 2012 - 05:21 PM

There was another Consumers Distributing outlet downtown on Douglas where Chapters is now. Sport Mart replaced them, if I remember correctly.

#65 LJ

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Posted 03 June 2012 - 06:50 PM

No kidding. I stopped in at the Penny Farthing the other day for a pint (first time in several months). $8.75 for a pint of London Pride. Add the $1 tip and it's two bits short of $10 for a beer. Ouch! I only stayed for one!

I won't order wine in restaurants. $7-$10 for a glass or or $30-$40 for a bottle of what I would charitably call "plonk."

The situation is less outrageous in many parts of the USA. I spend a lot of time in Phoenix and good draft beer there (locally craft-brewed or imported) is typically $3-$4.50/pint at happy hour or $5-$6 regularly. My favorite joint, appropriately called The Yardhouse, has over 100 draft beers from all over the world (compared to Matt McNeil's dozen or so) and none of them are over $4.50 at happy hour or $6 regularly.

The wine markups in US restaurants are pretty steep, but I was in Seattle recently at a nice Bellevue restaurant and I reckon a bottle I paid $45 for was actually pretty good and probably would have costed close to that in a BC Liquor store.

Whatever the reasons (and there are many contributing factors), stuff costs way less in the USA, and that applies to pretty much everything. No amount of "rah rah" shop local advertising is going to change that.



One of our favourite Italian restraunts in Phoenix doesn't sell wine but you are welcome to bring your own. They supply the corkscrew and glasses at no charge. Food is plentiful and inexpensive, and you can get a great bottle of wine for under $10, especially when Bev-Mo has their 5 cent sale. Love it.
Life's a journey......so roll down the window and enjoy the breeze.

#66 LJ

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Posted 03 June 2012 - 06:53 PM

^ Because wine is the optional "luxury".


Exactly, it makes it feel like a real "night out on the town".

We have stopped buying any alcohol when we go out, firstly because of the gouging and secondly the drinking-driving laws.
Life's a journey......so roll down the window and enjoy the breeze.

#67 Holden West

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Posted 03 June 2012 - 08:17 PM

OMG:

http://www.consumersdistributing.ca/
"Beaver, ahoy!""The bridge is like a magnet, attracting both pedestrians and over 30,000 vehicles daily who enjoy the views of Victoria's harbour. The skyline may change, but "Big Blue" as some call it, will always be there."
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#68 Dan

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Posted 03 June 2012 - 08:37 PM

I'll actually be handing this out to all the local businesses I can find in Victoria in response to a few of the comments here about websites. I think multiple inventory databases with aggregating functionality provided through a simple API would really boost local economy a lot. Leave a comment, it's a Google Doc.
https://docs.google....TP58ELPYdU/edit

#69 Bob Fugger

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Posted 03 June 2012 - 08:37 PM

OMG:

http://www.consumersdistributing.ca/


From the FAQ:

If your (sic) back, why haven't I heard about you on the new?
A: Because we know how to market ourselves and we have a marketing plan. We feel if people hear a story and then nothing after that, then it gets dull. Besides we like to play peek -a- boo.


Whoa, these guys must be so good that they need neither a professional looking website nor proofreading!

#70 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 03 June 2012 - 08:46 PM

OMG:

http://www.consumersdistributing.ca/


Consumers Distributing Ltd sought bankruptcy protection in 1996, which many felt this was a huge blow to the Canada and United States market. People felt Consumers Distributing was a head of its time, and with the company making over $500 million in 1995 and over a billion the year pervious, the company just need a leader that would take the company by the horns.

Argos, a UK company, which was modelled on the format of Consumers Distributing Ltd, continues to thrive in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

Consumers Distributing was plagued by the current owner not giving the company its efforts and lack of purchasing inventory, the perception of things “always being out of stock” due to the catalogue shopping nature of the store. With the catalogue concept, the customer selects the item either at home while looking through the company catalogue, or by a group of catalogues in the showroom of every store.


:rtfm:
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#71 aastra

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Posted 03 June 2012 - 09:22 PM

"Modelled" and "Modeled" are both correct. Some would say the American spelling is a head of its time, but it's still legit.

#72 aastra

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Posted 03 June 2012 - 09:39 PM

That "a head of its time" thing doesn't even make any sense since they used the British spelling, but I was just trying to work "a head of its time" in there somehow.

I bought a fair bit of stuff from Consumers Distributing back in the day. I know I bought a couple of basketballs from them. They were a bit cheaper than the local sporting goods stores. The same basketball that was packaged inside a box at a sporting goods store was sold at Consumers Distributing just wrapped in plastic.

#73 Holden West

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Posted 03 June 2012 - 09:43 PM

^I was going to mention how moronic that concept is in the 21st Century until I realized that's pretty much how Apple stores operate.

But the wacky website was gook for a laugh. Franchise a retail store? As they say on Dragon's Den, "I'm out--with extreme prejudice".


"Beaver, ahoy!""The bridge is like a magnet, attracting both pedestrians and over 30,000 vehicles daily who enjoy the views of Victoria's harbour. The skyline may change, but "Big Blue" as some call it, will always be there."
-City of Victoria website, 2009

#74 Sparky

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Posted 03 June 2012 - 09:50 PM

That's not nice Holden.....making your cat read VHF.... :)

#75 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 03 June 2012 - 09:51 PM

"Modelled" and "Modeled" are both correct. Some would say the American spelling is a head of its time, but it's still legit.


I don't accept this.

^ ^ That cat has some kind of good taste.
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#76 sebberry

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Posted 03 June 2012 - 09:56 PM

He looked at me like I was nuts.

He got the manager over and $20 later I was hauling it to the car.

I still use it to this day. :)


One man's trash bin is another man's treasure.

Now that Blockbuster has gone bust, I wonder if I can take the TVs still hanging on the wall in their store. Hmmm..

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#77 Sparky

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Posted 03 June 2012 - 09:58 PM

^ You should have gone to their closeout sale with $20. :)

#78 sebberry

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Posted 03 June 2012 - 10:01 PM

Maybe I could have had the little chute you put the videos in when you return them after hours. Would have been endless hours of fun for Holden's cat to slide down.

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#79 Mike K.

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Posted 11 October 2012 - 02:55 PM

Anything new on this front? Since the initial media event celebrating the launch of this effort I don't recall hearing much from the group.

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#80 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 11 October 2012 - 03:07 PM

Anything new on this front? Since the initial media event celebrating the launch of this effort I don't recall hearing much from the group.


I know they had a board meeting recently, does that count?
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

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