Castanet

Anyone know the opening date for the superstore?

Thursday Nov 15th.

Where is it? Zellers?

What's happening with Wholesale Club?

Heard that they will still operate, but with a focus on commercial customers.

Went there today just to check it out-the parking lot was insane. lol
Got some decent "in store" sale stuff, now it's back to my fave Nesters store.

Haven't checked out the Superstore yet. Any general impressions? Does it seem much smaller than other Superstores in the valley? I'll probably venture in there on Saturday.

We went yesterday, bright, open, clean, and I thought it was MASSIVE, but I haven't been to any others.

BC Dave wrote:Does it seem much smaller than other Superstores in the valley?

It's going to be a little smaller, but it will be no slouch. The Penticton building is 133,000 square feet, compared to Superstore in West Kelowna at 175,000.

>>the square footage of the building is being reported in the Western at 110,000, but I've also seen it reported at 90,000. Does anyone know for sure?<<

It may be smaller than Westbank but it is now the largest grocery store in Penticton. It is a welcome relief as Wholesale Club is just a blemish on Loblaws. Went there 2pm Friday, mistake, won't do that again. I really like the 6am opening time and 11pm closing time. I will be shopping at the less peak times from now on though the long walk to my car gave me some needed exercise.

Speaking to a number of smaller retailers around town , according to them this new monster store is having a definite impact on their business. One business has been so impacted that they are lying off staff.

I don't think there is too much to be concerned about, I remember when a second, bigger hardware store opened in town , people said the other would be forced to close , In reality the smaller store gave more personal service and many of their customers chose to stay with them.

However, there is a definite negative impact to employment in the retail sector when a mega store opens in a community, so think on when you decide where to shop , it may be one of your friends or relatives next joining the unemployment line.

I suppose there are two ways to look at it. I for one am thrilled with the new superstore, and it is a much more enjoyable than going to Walmart. (I'm sure that will wear off.)
It's sad to hear about people getting laid off, but maybe it's a sign of the times. WalMart is finally moving forward with their expansion to add the grocery part of the store. Maybe the laid off people can find work there?

We will have two superstore giants competing for our business. I can't see it boding well for the smaller stores, but I do see good prices coming our way! I filled my freezer on the weekend for 1/2 the cost I normally would have had to pay.

ToddT wrote:WalMart is finally moving forward with their expansion to add the grocery part of the store. Maybe the laid off people can find work there?

Has Walmart started construction on the expansion yet?

The math of market sharing is pretty straightforward, there are only so many customers to go around so any bisiness going to the new store will be business that wasn't going somewhere else. The only upside I can see is the possibility of customers sjopping in Penticton that once were going up the highway to Westbank and Kelowna. I've been getting great service from staff I know well at Save-On for years, I can't see abandoning that. I've only been in the new store once, I'll likely take a closer look as to prices and selection but I won't be shopping there any more frequently than I did at the Wholesale Club which was maybe ten percent of my grocery dollar. It's real bright though. And huge.

civilengineer wrote:
Has Walmart started construction on the expansion yet?

They pulled a permit about 2 weeks ago. Value around $7,000,000. That ought to inflate the construction stats.