Great topic Thor! I had no idea about the monopolies in Canada. I buy skin care and makeup items at Nordstrom....I find they carry a huge variety of brands and my go to brand is Clinique. I must admit I did indulge and bought a Tom Ford lipstick for the first time thanks to the Angelina Jolie ad campaign and I bought the exact color she wore in the campaign. Nordstrom's in store order pickup is so handy because of package theft. I do think Nordstrom has lost a lot of luxury consumers because I have read online reviews advising people to buy luxury from other department stores or the brand's boutiques because they would order something online and receive an item with obvious signs of wear that look like it has been used and then returned due to Nordstrom's lenient return policy. I have shopped at Nordstrom Rack but the only things I bought were Champion sweatshirts. I have seen some Kate Spade and Kurt Geiger bags I have been tempted by but I am on a bag ban indefinitely.
Thank you for watching! Omg totally forgot to mention Nordstroms return policies! I remember returning some obviously used items from people... I think that also added to their downfall haha and omg Kurt Geiger bags are actually so cute.
Great video! I still have my Nordstrom name badge too 😅 I was a seasonal employee during the holidays back in 2020 here in the U.S. I find them to be a bit overpriced and mainly only shop there for shoes. I agree with you about Nordstrom Rack. Most of the merchandise in there is junk but I still find nice shoes in there from time to time. I’m a Sam Edelman shoe head and can always find them here at more affordable prices.
Thank you for watching! Omg totally remember Sam Edelman for the shoes ahaha I miss the stores assortment as it was different than what Canadian merchants would buy but overall I don't see them coming back!
Nordstrom is my one-stop shop. They have everything I need. I've been to the Nordstrom Toronto once and the merchandise was basic' not the same as the flagship Nordstrom stores in the USA.
Laughed at your example, as I bought a Prada wallet for my graduation gift..... from Holt Renfrew. I still was surprised when all the Nordstroms closed tho! I found Nordstrom Rack to be full of way too trendy pieces that nobody else wanted - tho I did buy a pair of sunglasses while on vacation in Ottawa. And your Target Montreal experience is 100% my Target experience in Ottawa - what were they thinking???? I heard that Target in Canada is now a business case, in at least one school, for what not to do.
I checked out the Nordstrom Rack across from my workplace in Toronto, went there a decent amount of times but rarely found anything I actually liked - a lot of ugly Tommy Bahama kind of styles... little selection of clothes and shoes in general, the cosmetics and colognes seemed really low scale. The main Nordstrom at Eaton Centre downtown Toronto was ok, but I was more likely to find something at The Bay down the street, OR if I was looking for something more upscale I was more likely to find it at Saks, also just down the street. Its too bad they're gone but rumour is that Simon's will be taking over that particular space and that is WAY more exciting as they offer good selection of affordable and designer brands, more unique than any of the other retailers mentioned
Thank you for sharing!! Yeah totally agree, I feel like they tried to fill a niche that didn't need to be filled in Canada. Simons should be going into the Vancouver space as well which is exciting, but I feel more inclined to either shop online at SSENSE or just go to Holts if I really want something more special!
with all due respect, I have to disagree with you about some things. TBH I feel like Vancouver should have been their only store in Canada maybe 1 in Toronto but thats a stretch. As you know numbers don’t lie and Van was clearly the cash cow meanwhile all their other stores were flat line. The only thing they did wrong imo was not doing market research in all the other cities they opened in which clearly don’t have the market for the store and they clearly shouldn’t have opened those locations. Let’s call a spade a spade and admit that the only reason Nordstrom pulled out of Canada was due to its failing US stores so Canada was just collateral damage (Aside from the other failed Canadian locations). Again the numbers don’t lie. I personally love Nordstrom and like the variety of product carried and the fact that its not just for rich people and I know you know what I mean. The store seemed always so busy and bussling with people. The best thing about them are their staff who are always happy to assist you no matter what unlike at somewhere like HR where they are very judgey and stuck up. But yeah Vancouver was the only viable option in the Canadian market and it’s a real shame they had to pull out. Thoughts?
In California it's hit or miss, however I just bought from Nordstrom today LOL I am loyal as well! they have good casual designer menswear in San Diego :)
Great topic Thor! I had no idea about the monopolies in Canada. I buy skin care and makeup items at Nordstrom....I find they carry a huge variety of brands and my go to brand is Clinique. I must admit I did indulge and bought a Tom Ford lipstick for the first time thanks to the Angelina Jolie ad campaign and I bought the exact color she wore in the campaign. Nordstrom's in store order pickup is so handy because of package theft. I do think Nordstrom has lost a lot of luxury consumers because I have read online reviews advising people to buy luxury from other department stores or the brand's boutiques because they would order something online and receive an item with obvious signs of wear that look like it has been used and then returned due to Nordstrom's lenient return policy. I have shopped at Nordstrom Rack but the only things I bought were Champion sweatshirts. I have seen some Kate Spade and Kurt Geiger bags I have been tempted by but I am on a bag ban indefinitely.
Thank you for watching! Omg totally forgot to mention Nordstroms return policies! I remember returning some obviously used items from people... I think that also added to their downfall haha and omg Kurt Geiger bags are actually so cute.
Great video! I still have my Nordstrom name badge too 😅 I was a seasonal employee during the holidays back in 2020 here in the U.S. I find them to be a bit overpriced and mainly only shop there for shoes. I agree with you about Nordstrom Rack. Most of the merchandise in there is junk but I still find nice shoes in there from time to time. I’m a Sam Edelman shoe head and can always find them here at more affordable prices.
Thank you for watching! Omg totally remember Sam Edelman for the shoes ahaha I miss the stores assortment as it was different than what Canadian merchants would buy but overall I don't see them coming back!
Nordstrom is my one-stop shop. They have everything I need. I've been to the Nordstrom Toronto once and the merchandise was basic' not the same as the flagship Nordstrom stores in the USA.
Right, they totally missed the mark here. Should have given us what they give in the US!
Laughed at your example, as I bought a Prada wallet for my graduation gift..... from Holt Renfrew. I still was surprised when all the Nordstroms closed tho! I found Nordstrom Rack to be full of way too trendy pieces that nobody else wanted - tho I did buy a pair of sunglasses while on vacation in Ottawa.
And your Target Montreal experience is 100% my Target experience in Ottawa - what were they thinking???? I heard that Target in Canada is now a business case, in at least one school, for what not to do.
Honestly yeah Holt Renfrew all the way ahaha, I totally see that too for Target. It was a monumental, epic failure!
I checked out the Nordstrom Rack across from my workplace in Toronto, went there a decent amount of times but rarely found anything I actually liked - a lot of ugly Tommy Bahama kind of styles... little selection of clothes and shoes in general, the cosmetics and colognes seemed really low scale. The main Nordstrom at Eaton Centre downtown Toronto was ok, but I was more likely to find something at The Bay down the street, OR if I was looking for something more upscale I was more likely to find it at Saks, also just down the street. Its too bad they're gone but rumour is that Simon's will be taking over that particular space and that is WAY more exciting as they offer good selection of affordable and designer brands, more unique than any of the other retailers mentioned
Oh and yes, anyone visiting Canada definitely check out Holt Renfrew if you want good designer brands in a department store setting
Thank you for sharing!! Yeah totally agree, I feel like they tried to fill a niche that didn't need to be filled in Canada. Simons should be going into the Vancouver space as well which is exciting, but I feel more inclined to either shop online at SSENSE or just go to Holts if I really want something more special!
We had a Nordstrom in Ottawa ….the selection for men was so bad, no style at all….but i love the fragrance and shoes sections…..❤
Literally should've either not opened at all or at least tried to compete with the Bay!
with all due respect, I have to disagree with you about some things. TBH I feel like Vancouver should have been their only store in Canada maybe 1 in Toronto but thats a stretch. As you know numbers don’t lie and Van was clearly the cash cow meanwhile all their other stores were flat line. The only thing they did wrong imo was not doing market research in all the other cities they opened in which clearly don’t have the market for the store and they clearly shouldn’t have opened those locations. Let’s call a spade a spade and admit that the only reason Nordstrom pulled out of Canada was due to its failing US stores so Canada was just collateral damage (Aside from the other failed Canadian locations). Again the numbers don’t lie. I personally love Nordstrom and like the variety of product carried and the fact that its not just for rich people and I know you know what I mean. The store seemed always so busy and bussling with people. The best thing about them are their staff who are always happy to assist you no matter what unlike at somewhere like HR where they are very judgey and stuck up. But yeah Vancouver was the only viable option in the Canadian market and it’s a real shame they had to pull out. Thoughts?
In California it's hit or miss, however I just bought from Nordstrom today LOL I am loyal as well! they have good casual designer menswear in San Diego :)
Thank you for watching! I've been to a few in the states and yeah it really is hit or miss, but they have a decent enough selection I guess!