As shoppers lined up for liquidation bargains by 8 a.m. on Feb. 5, Target employees were preparing for the final days of their employment.
The East Hamilton store was also affixed with signs detailing Target’s closure, and noting that some items would be up to 30 per cent off their original ticketed price.
One Target employee told JNM Journal that the liquidation signs caused a somber mood within the store. It was a signal the store’s closure was near, and that they would have to find new jobs.
Misleading sale
Within minutes of the store opening, shoppers ran to the electronic and cosmetic departments, and the cart corrals around the store were empty. But not everyone was buying items and filling up their carts.
According to one customer, the promised 30 per cent off sale was misleading, as only certain items were actually on sale, and most departments had items priced at only 10 per cent off.
Meanwhile, another dissatisfied customer was asking Target employees why certain electronic sales didn’t even take off the HST.
Customers at this store were quite disappointed with the advertised liquidation sale. Target Canada had been known for marking up prices that did not compete with Walmart, Costco and Best Buy, and people expected more of the final sale.
Some bargains
For some scavengers, a few deals were present.
All toys were 20 per cent off, with many people scooping up Lego play sets that rarely go on sale.
The entire cosmetics department also saw most items priced at 30 percent off, causing many to fill baskets full of lipsticks, nail polishes and e.l.f. branded products.
Shipments still coming
Despite the attempt to unload its inventory, Target was still receiving shipments of goods.
One employee said stores in East Hamilton received large trucks the previous night in order to clear out Target’s Ontario depot.
As one final arrow to Target, three times as many customers entered the store at 9:00a.m. It appeared as most customers didn’t even know Target opened each morning at 8.a.m.
In the evening hours of Feb. 4, Target was officially granted approval from a judge to begin liquidating merchandise at all of its stores.
As announced in January, Target is closing down its operations in Canada after experiencing a less than stellar beginning.
Target expects to have all 133 Canadian stores closed by May 2015.
