It’s a shame, but I always wondered why they closed down Zellers and kept The Bay alive. Zellers could have been profitable if they had optimized their processes, I had a few family members who worked at the warehouse in Montréal and were laid off, those were decent jobs and it cost Zellers some decent money, I think Walmart was a lot more efficient prioritizing deliveries from the suppliers to the stores and their warehouses or distribution centres must have been a lot more efficient. While The Bay gets hurt by this economy, Zellers would thrive.
The Bay should have reduced its square footage a while ago, years before it went down (same with Sears) it was mostly empty space. It was expensive and there wasn’t much for me (man who doesn’t buy perfume or fancy clothes), but eventually I think those department stores are doomed, Walmart may survive because most of them have a grocery store, a pharmacy and cleaning supplies and other everyday item. They run a really tight ship and cut their expenses, at the expense of their staff but that’s how they can survive.
I hope the few stores will survive and that The Bay will manage to keep an online presence, they’re a part of our history after all.