On Saturday, Wendy and I went out to the new Wal-Mart Super Centre in Saskatoon. Despite not being a Wal-Mart fan, I am not a Wal-Mart hater like some of you. Despite that, I wasn’t really impressed.
The Pros
- Wendy said that the grocery prices were cheaper than Co-op or Safeway or but about the same as at Superstore.
- There is a Tim Horton’s and a McDonald’s there. Both were too crowded to go inside but at least it is an option.
The Cons
- Horrible line up with too small of space between the tills and the aisles. It mean that I have to “excuse me, pardon me, just sliding through” all the way through the front of the store.
- Not enough parking. Way less parking then at Stonegate and even less than at Preston Crossing. About 2/3 of what there is at Costco. This is going to be an ongoing problem for them.
- Way too much merchandise in the main aisles. We had a cart and it was a pain to navigate.
- There is no competition nearby. I used to go to the Confederation Mall location because I knew that if they wouldn’t have what I wanted, I could check out Superstore or Canadian Tire.
In the end I found myself lamenting the closure of the Confederation Mall Wal-Mart and I can’t see us going out there for anything, despite it being closer to us than the other two. I know their grocery prices are going to cheaper than our neighborhood Safeway but there an amount I will pay for a better shopping experience and Safeway provides that (Wendy also works there). As for Wal-Mart, I think Preston Crossing Wal-Mart has become my Wal-Mart of choice.
I am not sure if I like the new wal-mart either. It is constantly busy. The line ups are so bad something that I was standing in like for about 30 minutes just to get a few groceries. When I shop I like to take my time, but when I am done, I like to get going home, as fast as I can. I do have to say some of their employees are very nice. I had to return something the other day and the young lady at the customer service desk was so friendly, she was so charming, that I didn’t even mind my product didn’t work. I am not sure about shopping there, but I definitely wouldn’t mind returning some things.