This experiment did not last long. Moore Ave is open late, but not all night. The Loblaws store at Moore Ave. and Bayview Ave has quietly shifted to 24 hour business. An employee tonight said it happened Friday, June 17, 2011. “No more shooing people out of the store at 10 o’clock,” she laughed. The story appears to be that Loblaws decided it could no longer ignore the nearly universal move by competitors to open many stores all night. The action has been especially noticeable from Sobeys. But Metro and independent stores such as Tremblett’s Value Mart at Bayview and Davisville are also in the game. This of course doesn’t even deal with the American firms like Walmart who keep the lights on. It is, we think, a remarkable comment on the intensity of competition in the grocery business and the razor thin margins being earned on food. The amount of business done in the middle of the night will be essentially zero. And few experienced shoppers accept the public relations fluff about employees being happy to choose different shifts. Even though the number of staff required each night will be small, very few people want to work all night. It’s interesting to note that many staff members of Shoppers Drug Mart on South Bayview were concerned that the opening of a new store would mean 24 hour operation. In the event, management went for Open Til Midnight. A sensible move.
