Calgary Openings, Closings, and Developments

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

It would probably make a big difference to product availability in Quebec though. Canada is a small market, small enough that some firms pull out rather than deal with this stuff.

If they ended it nationally Anglo Canada would get American choices for more stuff. And many firms would quit producing a French version and just give up on the Quebec market and sell the English version only.

It's a hidden subsidy from the rest of the country to Quebec. We all pay more for goods (and have worse availability) so they can have French packaging.

You’d probably see more imports to Quebec from France and other francophone countries, though they would be more expensive.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I just want to know if Imported Kleenex will become a thing.

Do people shop for the brand specifically? I couldn't tell you what brand we have and they're all the same to me.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Slava

Do people shop for the brand specifically? I couldn't tell you what brand we have and they're all the same to me.

I buy the ones with the nicest box patterns.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

Selling products in Canada is unduly expensive.

I wonder what would happen if bilingual labeling laws were repealed. Would that in and of itself really make a difference for French culture? Of course to sell in Quebec products would need French labels.

Would the printing really make any difference at all? It’s like that Robot Chicken parody of Star Wars where they hesitate to laser blast the empty escape pod. It’s not like anything appreciable changes by having a bilingual text on the package. The only pain would be having two sets of packaging for the same country. And it’s also not like manufacturers don’t change graphics or labels for a myriad of reasons, like Stampede, Super Bowl, or the Olympics.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Would the printing really make any difference at all? It’s like that Robot Chicken parody of Star Wars where they hesitate to laser blast the empty escape pod. It’s not like anything appreciable changes by having a bilingual text on the package. The only pain would be having two sets of packaging for the same country. And it’s also not like manufacturers don’t change graphics or labels for a myriad of reasons, like Stampede, Super Bowl, or the Olympics.

It’s usually just used as a talking point by people who don’t like Quebec.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Slava

Do people shop for the brand specifically? I couldn't tell you what brand we have and they're all the same to me.

I literally stare at the aisle and if theres a yellow sticker indicating one is on sale I buy that one.

I go through so much Kleenex at my office and house it is insane. I've got myself and 3 kids with allergies, my one daughter probably goes through a couple of boxes a month...easily.

She is the kind of person that has Kleenex in her coat pockets or in her purse at all times.

But that Professor makes a solid point. Its an easily substitutable product. I have no loyalty to one brand over another, 'house brand' is perfectly fine by me and Curlers are insane.

[Sr. Mints]

Originally Posted by transplant99

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/busi...ly-clark-says/

Of course the Irvings are in the kleenex tissue business. I'm also surprised I didn't know that.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by Slava

Do people shop for the brand specifically? I couldn't tell you what brand we have and they're all the same to me.

Not partial to brands. It's just a disposable snot rag.

Now that I've discovered Scotties also has a similar lotion-coated product, it won't matter to me.

I'll still call it Kleenex though...

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Locke

I go through so much Kleenex at my office and house it is insane. I've got myself and 3 kids with allergies, my one daughter probably goes through a couple of boxes a month...easily.

Reactine is a miracle. A year’s worth takes up way less space than a year’s worth of Kleenex.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Reactine is a miracle. A year’s worth takes up way less space than a year’s worth of Kleenex.

Heres the thing...I do not do well with medications, but as for my kids...they seem to have developed an immunity or something...Reactine was a miracle...for a while...I think they got used to it or something.

[Barnet Flame]

Originally Posted by Slava

Do people shop for the brand specifically? I couldn't tell you what brand we have and they're all the same to me.

Most definitely!

I don’t think I could live with the shame of someone seeing me blow my snot into some common no frills Kleenex knock off.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Barnet Flame

Most definitely!

I don’t think I could live with the shame of someone seeing me blow my snot into some common no frills Kleenex knock off.

That’s why they invented kleenex box cozies. I actually have one made for a toilet paper roll if you want to get really frugal.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by iggy_oi

It’s usually just used as a talking point by people who don’t like Quebec.

Um, no. Businesses aren't prejudiced. It's about costs. In my business, we have eliminated all of our Quebec clients, because the regulators have made it too onerous to serve them. It's just math - do you have enough business in the province to justify the increased costs and still be profitable and worthwhile? If sales are high enough and profitable enough, no problem. But costs have a tipping point, and dealing with Quebec has a high tipping point (in some industries).

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Um, no. Businesses aren't prejudiced. It's about costs. In my business, we have eliminated all of our Quebec clients, because the regulators have made it too onerous to serve them. It's just math - do you have enough business in the province to justify the increased costs and still be profitable and worthwhile? If sales are high enough and profitable enough, no problem. But costs have a tipping point, and dealing with Quebec has a high tipping point (in some industries).

Same here. I do taxes for Canadians all over the Country and out of the country, the only place I do not do taxes for is Quebec.

Its not worth it. Not enough clients to make the cost outlay profitable and too many hassles.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Um, no. Businesses aren't prejudiced. It's about costs. In my business, we have eliminated all of our Quebec clients, because the regulators have made it too onerous to serve them. It's just math - do you have enough business in the province to justify the increased costs and still be profitable and worthwhile? If sales are high enough and profitable enough, no problem. But costs have a tipping point, and dealing with Quebec has a high tipping point (in some industries).

Funny how a number of people who run businesses think that. But maybe we are all just so prejudiced to give up money on purpose to make Quebec look bad...

[timun]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Um, no. Businesses aren't prejudiced. It's about costs. In my business, we have eliminated all of our Quebec clients, because the regulators have made it too onerous to serve them. It's just math - do you have enough business in the province to justify the increased costs and still be profitable and worthwhile? If sales are high enough and profitable enough, no problem. But costs have a tipping point, and dealing with Quebec has a high tipping point (in some industries).

In this case, whether we have French-English bilingual packaging or not, pretty much all retail products have Canadian regulatory requirements necessitating Canada-specific packaging anyway. The idea that "Quebec makes the rest of us use bilingual packaging, which costs the producers and thus all of us as consumers money," is a red herring: we'd have unique Canadian packaging anyway. Instead there would be two different sets of packaging, one English and one French, which just makes Canadian production and distribution logistics even more expensive.

iggy_oi is right: the idea of ditching bilingual packaging "to save costs" usually is just used as a talking point by people who don’t like Quebec.

[Calgary14]

Uniqlo had big lineups when their store opened in Chinook: https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/2-000-peo...ntre-1.6536048

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Um, no. Businesses aren't prejudiced. It's about costs. In my business, we have eliminated all of our Quebec clients, because the regulators have made it too onerous to serve them. It's just math - do you have enough business in the province to justify the increased costs and still be profitable and worthwhile? If sales are high enough and profitable enough, no problem. But costs have a tipping point, and dealing with Quebec has a high tipping point (in some industries).

Originally Posted by Locke

Same here. I do taxes for Canadians all over the Country and out of the country, the only place I do not do taxes for is Quebec.

Its not worth it. Not enough clients to make the cost outlay profitable and too many hassles.

Originally Posted by bizaro86

Funny how a number of people who run businesses think that. But maybe we are all just so prejudiced to give up money on purpose to make Quebec look bad...

So is your argument that a company which sells its product in close to 80 countries globally is printing their labels only in English in all of those countries to remain profitable or that they can only profitably print labels in different languages in some other markets because Quebec isn’t a part of those countries?

[Locke]

Originally Posted by iggy_oi

So is your argument that a company which sells its product in close to 80 countries globally is printing their labels only in English in all of those countries to remain profitable or that they can only profitably print labels in different languages in some other markets because Quebec isn’t a part of those countries?

I dont have an argument. I know why I personally dont do business in Quebec, but I cant really speak for other businesses.

I really think that article by the Professor articulated it best.

The margins are thin and if you're not #1 you're making next to nothing. It makes more sense to quit and move along.

[Wormius]

Doesn’t Quebec have the second highest population in all of Canada? That seems fairly lucrative. What is specifically onerous about doing business there?