Sobeys

So it has been a while since Sobeys bought out Safeway, and my worst fear has actually been assuaged.   Sobeys is apparently going to start carrying Lucerne brand milk.  Which is good, because it is my ideal preference.  Now I don't have to go to Safeway for milk.  Yay!

Beatrice brand just bothers me.  I can't quite put my finger on why.  Dairyland is acceptable though.

Advances in technology are regressions

Has anyone else ever noticed that advances in technology lately are not necessarily superior to what we had in the 80s and 90s?

Sure we have cell phones and tablets and octo core processors... But the software running on them is often buggy and poorly implemented.

The Winnipeg public library used to have an easy to use and fast computer system for searching for books.  You could use telnet to access it from the Internet or over dialup.  It was easy to use and gave you information you need.  They replaced it with a poorly made web based system. 

Maybe its the way these web systems are implemented that bothers me.  But I think its deeper than that.  The lack of relevant information , the way things are programmed not being particularly optimized.  The old systems were programs.  These systems are web based scripts that access a database.  I dunno its not just the library though I don't mean to pick on them.  Its not just computers.

Toys, don't have the same quality or attention to detail.  Look at a transformer from the 80s.  Now look at a modern day one.  Still decent, but not the same. Tonka trucks. Hot wheels.  Part of it is plastic vs metal, but still.

Sure in some cases there are reasons.  the new method is cheaper, and more up to date.  OK I get it.  But don't pretend its better.  Because it rarely is.

Menards to replace Target at Polo Park

Midwest American home improvement retailer Menards will be opening its first Canadian store in 2016 on the site of what was Target Canada's flagship Winnipeg store prior to bankruptcy. 

Menards, a chain of home improvement centers in the Midwestern united states is owned by a privately held company headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.  It has approximately 285 stores in 14 US states: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Kentucky. It is the third largest home improvement chain in the United States, behind The Home Depot and Lowes. 

When asked why their first Canadian location would be in Winnipeg, spokesperson April F. Menard stated "We have always been inundated with requests from people from Manitoba to open up a Menards location in Winnipeg.  Y'all share the same values and interest in Nascar as we do, and we have been in negotiations with the province of Manitoba to facilitate this move for more than two years.  The fact that this property was available so cheaply also didn't hurt"

When pressed as to how prices would compare to shopping in their American stores, Ms Menard stated that while there would be an increase in prices in Canada, they would still be competitive and reflect what the market could bare. 

Menards Canada, known for their slogan "Save big money at Menards", will instead go by the slogan created by Canadian brand awareness firm AdTrends Canada: "We have reasonably priced inventory at Menards Canada"

"We think this slogan accurately reflects the Menards Canada brand." Said Frank Duben, head idea man for AdTrends.  "They aren't run by idiots like a certain dartboard themed retailer we all know well"

Look forward to Menards opening in Winnipeg on April 1'st 2016.