There's been a lot of hype for the past year or so surrounding the opening of Target in Canada. I visited the Shoppers' World location at Vic Park and Danforth today and have mixed feelings about it. In no way did I expect the prices to be as cheap as those in the US and I was not disappointed. Unfortunately a lot of other things did disappoint me.
A 11:00 on a Tuesday morning the place was already really busy but I was able to get a shopping cart that are unusually wide so I was quite puzzled by the numerous narrow aisles that could barely fit one cart let alone allow two carts to pass each other. Semi-fail.
Started out in the food section hoping to find snacks you can only get in the US and apparently it's going to stay that way. Fail.
Next I visited the women's clothing department and was underwhelmed by the selection. Many items didn't have price tags on them or the prices were printed so small you could barely see them. The Massimo line had some great items but they weren't competitively priced. Fail.
Planned to leave the store at this point but decided to check at the shoe section as I was passing by. This is where Target slightly redeems itself. Not a lot of selection but the shoes are reasonably priced and they carry size 10 and 11. I struggle to find shoes that fit both my feet and my budget (size 10 wide, $60 or under). I had to go up a size in the pumps I tried on but the 10's in the sandals fit fine. Three pairs of shoes for just over $100. A+
On to the linen department to look at sheets and saw nothing but the limited selection Zellers used to carry. Housewares was pretty much the same too. Fail.
Thankfully the cosmetics department turned out to be another good surprise. They carry the Sally Hansen polish strips I like in the newest designs at a reasonable price as well as Im-Press nails in designs other stores don't have. The one disappointment was no Sonia Kashuk cosmetics, only brushes and bags even though the SK sign above showed lip liner (that's kinda false advertising). A-
Check out was quick but it's poorly laid out, the self-serve line was a disaster and the mall entrance/exit is cluttered and too narrow. There's lots of staff on the floor to help out customers and are easy to find thanks to their squawking walkie-talkies. Semi-fail.
Despite my overall disappointment, I will return to Target but only to purchase items in the beauty department and check out what's new in the shoe department.