The South Bayview Bulldog

Here’s Dave McDonald recently in the neighborhood with his cleaner than clean 1963 Chevrolet Impala station wagon. It’s a great looking car and benefits from a practically untouched interior ( lower right).

Happy helpers hold up Mom’s prize of a free bistro-style carafe at Homefront during the Summer Sale Event on Saturday. There were three winners in all. The game was easy. When shoppers showed an interest in a secret item — in this case the carafe — it was theirs. Thanks to everyone for a really busy day and to all the merchants who helped make it a fun day on South Bayview.

Just like when the posters were plastered one after another on walls, the Bulldog is here in multiple form (above) to recommend that you come out to South Bayview for the Summer Sale Event today. Merchants all the along the strip have sales, specials, giveaways and regular merchandise to show you. We all look forward to seeing you.

For years the uneven pavement of Bayview Ave. has made the street a frightening and sloppy experience for pedestrians. During a rainy rush hour this large puddle outside Badali’s catches dozens of unsuspecting people. Motorists may not even know they are about to hit the pool. Here’s a scene from Friday. The two women on the left are being drenched. On the right, two men stand back, waiting for the cars to pass. Here’s our 2009 post on this problem

Bell Canada was conducting a survey Friday to find the best location for a traffic light monitor box. That’s the device that powers and controls stop lights. It’s work that is contracted by the City and where traffic monitors go the traffic lights are sure to follow shortly after. The word is that increased traffic through the four-way stop intersection has made this move necessary. There are moire cars passing through Leaside on their way to the businesses on Laird Drive.

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.

Sears Canada has replaced its president and CEO, Dene Rogers (right) with a wunderkind executive from Loblaws, 39-year-old Calvin McDonald (left). The move is said to be an effort to improve Sears position before Target Corp. arrives in Canada. McDonald will replace Rogers effective immediately, Sears said in a statement. Rogers is planning to return to the U.S., the company said. The decision to hire McDonald, a highly-regarded executive away from Loblaws suggests that Sears’ U.S.-based owner is serious about reviving the brand. Sears’ losses have been widening as its sales under perform the broader market. The retailer lost nearly $50 million in the first quarter as sales shrank 7.1 per cent to just under $1 billion.