The End of The Bay

[CLOUD 500]

The fall of Hudson’s Bay Co., a Canadian retail icon

Declining department store traffic, a failed e-commerce strategy, stores in disrepair and mounting debts are all factors in the decline of Canada’s oldest retailer

www.theglobeandmail.com

^^^^^ I am surprised no one mentioned this. As many are aware, The Bay has not been doing well for several years. The Department Store is now under creditor protection. Apparently the company owes close to $1 billion to various creditors, suppliers like Ralph Lauren, Levis, and many others, owe money in rent to various landlords, etc.. The Bay would be the last department store. This brings back the ghost of Eatons. I myself shopped regularly from The Bay. I bought all my socks, underwear, appliances, and dress pants from The Bay. But the last two years I hardly bought anything. The merchandise became so limited, they stopped selling 100% wool classic fit dress pants, I had to go elsewhere. Clothes also became uninteresting. This is the end of an era. Sad to see it go.

 

[CLOUD 500]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/hudsons-bay-jobs-store-closures-1.7489551

The Bay got approval to liquidate all stores except six Bay stores which they hope to save. This is six stores, the flagship store at the Toronto Eaton Center, the one at Yorkdale mall, one in Richmond Hill, and the remaining three in Quebec, the Montreal store, Carrefour Laval, and Pointe-Claire.

 

[MCTJ]

Personally I'm a bit of an oddball in my generation, I am a millennial and I enjoyed shopping at The Bay. I like the experience of browsing the aisles of a large department store and I did buy some of my clothes from there, until recently, so I am a bit sad to see it go (although not surprised given the circumstances). Hopefully the Montreal store will remain open as alluded to above, but I wonder what brands they'll keep.

 

[Rebaynia]

I have seen the bay stores, don't think I ever baught anything in one of them. Saw them as over priced items that looked rather basic. There was always something better at a more affordable cost elsewhere. It was good for those who liked plain and drab. Only time I ever went in was because the parking in front was bare, and passed threw it to get to the rest of the mall that was so much more vibrant.

 

[gaby]

Quand même une page d'histoire qui disparaît au Centre Ville de Montréal.....faisait partie de notre patrimoine.......habitant au Centre Ville la BAIE faisait partie de mon quotidien depuis des décennies....MAIS ça sentait la fin depuis longtemps....n'avait plus
d'attrait....complètement dépassé et même mortuaire....lol....une page se tourne....quand même triste....qui prendra la relève?????......probablement de futurs condos réservés à une classe privilégiée......ainsi va notre vie maintenant...

 

[Mandouke]

Quality items, their Black & Brown label was excellent. You always got top quality here a little more expensive than elsewhere, but it lasted. I still have several items that are classic men's wear that look like they were bought yesterday and still fit properly.

My mother always told me to spend more money and buy quality rather than cheap clothing and products. When I asked, "Why?", she responded that I would be spending much more money buying cheap because it was poor quality and I would have to replace it shortly, buying quality meant it would last for years, decades, or even a lifetime. She was right!

The 7th-floor restaurant (closed since Covid) was to die for and a well-kept secret to many Montrealers. You got a top-notch home-cooked meal for $20, including soup, salad and coffee. The last time I ate there it was Salmon, just delicious. Working across the street, I ate many times there.

 

[CLOUD 500]

Hudson's Bay is liquidating. Here's what you need to know

Hudson’s Bay is due to liquidate all but six of its stores starting on Monday. Here’s how the process will unfold.

www.ctvnews.ca

^^^^^ What you need to know about the liquidation.

 

[Skym]

Meh. They were overpriced and had a boring selection of clothing.

 

[Thor Jr]

So, final verdict, the bay is now closing all stores. I stopped in to their location in Lasalle this weekend. Bought 400$ worth of clothing for 111$. If you had a points card, forget it, it's all gone, you have list them. I was told by a manager that all stores will close, not even the 6 originally mentioned will close. So this is why the points are gone.
I acquired some good final deals, I am happy. I wanted a belt, but all out. I wanted cologne, but at 20% off it was not appealing.

Good bye la Baie.

 

[Batista Mason]

Before the pandemic happened, I used to shop there when they had sales but since, it seem their Calvin Klein section died. I just lost interest visiting it regularly. Still sad to see it go, it been a part of my childhood.

 

[CLOUD 500]

Meh. They were overpriced and had a boring selection of clothing.

There are far more overpriced stores like Harry Rosen, Holt and Renfrew, and Nordstrom. How are they surviving?

 

[Thor Jr]

Before the pandemic happened, I used to shop there when they had sales but since, it seem their Calvin Klein section died. I just lost interest visiting it regularly. Still sad to see it go, it been a part of my childhood.

Been shopping there for a long time, they always had what I wanted off the clearance racks, and I always hit those first. 40-50-60% off was appealing. And when you get to the register, sometimes more was taken off.

 

[Thor Jr]

I really wished they would of taken more then 20% off on the colognes . They had some nice ones left, but I did find their prices for colognes in past to be too high anyway.

 

[wtvmark]

Last time I ever shopped there i got terrible service while buying watches. Clerk kept blowing me off for other clients (downtown location). Made a comment about cheaper stuff being elsewhere in the store and I can look there. I guess I looked poor or something.
Bought what I wanted online and left before they ever got back to me.
Don't care much that it's closing.

 

[LC18]

There are far more overpriced stores like Harry Rosen, Holt and Renfrew, and Nordstrom. How are they surviving?

What killed The Bay is the astronomical amounts they had to pay in rent to the guy that bought the company

 

[kstanb]

The stores are in liquidation sale; very good deals if you can find something that fits you ; most left overs are in odd sizes
last weekend I bought some shirts and pants at 50% discount

 

[CLOUD 500]

What killed The Bay is the astronomical amounts they had to pay in rent to the guy that bought the company

I think you are right. The company started going down when it was bought by an American investor. Also the new CEO was not investing in the stores.

 

[Mandouke]

There are several reasons for the Bay's demise, many of which have been noted.

Perhaps the most crucial one is that the Bay did not stay current in the personnel that they hired to do purchasing for fashion. This did not serve the company well in the long run.

In short, they kept on senior purchasers who were decades behind the curve in terms of recent fashion trends instead of letting them go and hiring new personnel.

It was a great place to go if you like the classic look, but not so great if you wanted to stay current and trendy, which, in essence, is what fashion is about.

 

[LC18]

In short, they kept on senior purchasers who were decades behind the curve in terms of recent fashion trends instead of letting them go and hiring new personnel.

Going there often felt like using a Time Machine

 

[Mandouke]

Going there often felt like using a Time Machine

That was one of the reasons I enjoyed it.

The classic look, for a man or woman, never goes out of style, and this was the place to find that look. Ultimately, they did not diversify enough, and it cost them, along with several other key factors.

If you never had the opportunity to experience a meal at the 7th floor cafeteria before it closed you missed out on one of the best kept secrets that Montreal had to offer.