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We do we Canadian Allow Retailers to Rip Us Off??
March 28, 2018
5:09 pm
John Wayne (Marion)
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March 21, 2018
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Today I was in Canadian Tire shopping for fuel stabilizer for my wife's lawn mower. While I had never bought this product before....I just bought the cheapest.

But what I did notice!!!

A name brand product, Lucas Fuel Injector Cleaner
Used to be $7.99 and is now $9.99 and it is at eye level
And just below the name brand they now have their house brand MotoMaster in a similar unique bottle for $7.99

So the days when house brand was supposed to be the best value...took over the regular priced name brand slot...price wise!!

So if I buy the house brand I am being ripped off and being laughed at by CT.
If I buy the name brand I am being ripped off and being laughed at by CT as they roll on the ground.
If I buy the name brand on sale...what the heck...the regular price it used to be, before the excessive mark up!!!

The same name brand in the US is $5.99 and often goes on sale....by 2 get one free.

We are going to hell in a hand basket and we say nothing about it!!!!

In the short term I wonder if I should shop at a auto parts store the does NOT have house brands to play pricing games with.

March 28, 2018
5:23 pm
Top It Up
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December 17, 2016
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Well, in my case, merchants are "getting away with it" because I usually go to THE store that I think will most likely have the product I'm looking for. I can stare at the price and likely use a couple of expletives BUT will end up paying the piper because either I can't be bothered to go look elsewhere or can't think of where else to go look - here take my money - using Apple Pay, of course.

March 29, 2018
5:39 pm
mmlt
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February 4, 2017
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Our system is fatally flawed. Monopolies abound in most every sector of business giving big business free reign.
Look at the bread scandal. Easy peasy to manipulate markets in Canada.
I don't know what the remedies are. The middle/working class take a beating. Mostly our fault for shrugging our shoulders and rolling over.

March 30, 2018
7:35 am
Doug
British Columbia, Canada
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I'm glad you pointed this out, Mary. I've observed Canadian Tire to be one of the more egregious abusers of their pricing power for in-house store brands. They build awareness for and adoption of their private-label brands, some of which they've bought outright now (i.e., Paderno), then jack up the price at or near equal to the price of brand name products. To be sure, the quality of some brand name products has come down due to outsourcing of manufacturing operations to third parties, many of which make the same private-label products owned by major retailers, but there certainly seems to be a problem. 🙂

All I can suggest is try and support brick & mortar retail as much as possible else we further become a bunch of shut-ins watching courier vans and trucks shuttle our packages and purchases down streets and highways in communities void of most storefront commercial businesses. Find a price for a comparable product on Amazon.ca (other Canadian e-commerce retailer), bring it in-store, show how it's the same or very similar and ask for a price match. If they refuse saying they "don't carry that brand," then say, "I realize that, but thought I'd give you the opportunity to compete for my business. I will help you out if you help me out. Want another shot at it? Feel free to consult with a supervisor/manager if need be" If they still say, "no can do," then say, "OK, you can't say I didn't try, three times no less, guess I will buy on Amazon.ca. Thanks for the lack of being able to do business with you." sf-cool

Cheers,
Doug

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