The only resemblance to its roots or the apothecary of old is that it is predominantly white - shelving, walls, floors and bright lighting make it seem clean and almost sterile. It certainly gleams from the street and I have never been in one of these as large as this one. It has to be close to 15,000 square feet.

Let's examine what Shopper's has become: Yes, they have a stylized pharmacy counter and they are certainly profiting in this space with the aging population and the preponderance of new drugs being designed for just about any affliction be it mental or physical; they have a huge presence in cosmetics and fragrances as they smartly took advantage of the merchandising and financial woes of the department stores here in Canada; but what is most surprising is the amount of food and consumables they are carrying today. It is as if they are taking on all comers across categories to become the 21st century version of the "General Store". The only thing that is missing is apparel like our friends at Loblaws has proffered.

I know that Tesco has opened up Fresh & Easy stores in the U.S. and once mighty 7/11 has almost disappeared from consciousness. Canadian Tire has tried its hand at convenience stores but I believe that Shopper's is trying to take it to a brand new level. This is an excellent example of extending your brand and the product selection that your core customer buys anyway. It's all about convenience for their loyal customer base and increasing the basket size to drive higher returns to justify the huge increases in store size across the country.

So what does this mean? It is another way to look at consolidation except instead of the traditional mergers or acquisitions route, Shopper's has decided to roll up categories organically and out-assort department stores, convenience stores and general stores. The strategy certainly seems to be working.

What is worthwhile to note is that the mastermind behind this strategy was a guy named Glenn Murphy who is now CEO of Gap, Inc. What is ironic is that Gap's strategy actually needs to be the opposite of Shopper's successful strategy that he implemented. The assortments and stores need paring down in both Old Navy and Gap brands, not expanding.

Is this really his strong suit? Only time will tell.

TheRetailTherapist :)

Off the top of your hat, where would you go?

Maxi, IGA, SuperC, Loblaws, Rachel Berry, Metro, Tau, Walmart

Confused? Yep, it's normal. Coming to a new area means new supermarkets. Here's my instant guide to finding your bonheur.

Organic / Healthy:

Rachelle Berry

Tau

Major supermarkets have almost no organic fruit and vegetables in them. They're at least 10 years behind Europe, so you'll need to pass by one of these companies to get your fresh food.

Upscale supermarkets:

Metro

IGA

Look for Metro plus and IGA extra as they're larger. Metros tend to be franchises.

Midrange:

Loblaws

Discounters:

Maxi (Part of Loblaws)

Super C (Part of Metro)

Warehouse:

Costco

Walmart (doesn't sell much food)

It's been explained to me that Québeckers will go to the supermarket once a month and buy lots of frozen stuff as the only time they have to cook is the weekend. This may explain why there are so many greengrocers around specialising in fruit and vegetables. They are wonderful shops and often have upscale epicierie products. I would recommend Valmont on Mont-Royal and at Brossard. Unfortunately, most have almost no organic products.

Most supermarkets distribute flyers each week with their special offers and promotions. If you need to save money, it's worthwhile getting hold of these.

As part of the aforementioned promotional campaign by Loblaws, my household received a shopping box filled with an assortment of free goodies. I decided to engage #1 in helping to review the items for the blog.

In the box were a box of grape Jello, a bottle of Ocean Spray Cranberry Cocktail, Tostitos Restaurant-style tortilla chips, Diana's BBQ sauce, and a bottle of Kraft Catalina dressing.

Jello: #1 declared this easy enough for him to make by himself (he's 6.5 years old). He also declared it very yummy, but not very healthy. He decided we could make it healthier if we added fruit and used fruit juice, but still thought it had a lot of sugar in it. It surprised me to realize that he's probably only had Jello one or two other times in his life.

Cranberry Cocktail: This is something we buy normally from time to time. #1 loves it and immediately asked if we could have more. We typically dilute it with 50% water, but even so the bottle was gone by the end of the day!

Tostitos: Tortilla chips are another family favorite, though we don't generally buy this brand. #1 liked them because they were extra salty, but decided that they weren't really a healthy snack on their own. He prefers his with a lot of salsa ("red sauce" in our house).

He refused outright to review the BBQ sauce and the salad dressing. LOL I have to say that I really like the Diana's BBQ sauce -- it's good as a wing sauce, steak sace, and also great in slow cooker recipes. The salad dressing isn't really a brand we buy -- too many ingredients I can't pronounce -- but it tastes good.

The green shopping box? The best part of the package, IMO! I love these for so many different things: laundry baskets, garden totes, toy box, potluck carry-all, ..oh, and they get used for groceries, too! ;)

After looking everything over, though, #1 declared that the only really "healthy" thing was the juice -- and that's only because he can't read the words on the label yet. Both of us agreed that Loblaws should make sure that they include more really "healthy" foods in this promotion if they truely want people to "Eat Well".

Want your own assortment of Loblaws freebies? Today is the last day to enter!

L'indice phare, le S&P/TSX 60, affiche une perte de 700 points en une session et demi.

Je regarde la tendance et cet indice sous la barre des 10 000 points est parfaitement envisageable d'ici un an.

Ce n'est pas la baisse du prix du pétrole le problème ni la hausse des prix des métaux qui stagnent.  Ça c'est un petit problème à court terme.

Le gros problème est que plusieurs actions composant l'indice n'offrent pas un bon potentiel d'investissements avec la récession profonde à venir au Canada.

À commencer par les grandes banques.

Ensuite le secteur des transports avec Canadian National, Bombardier, Magna International et Canadien Pacific.

BCE qui la remplacera au sein de cet indice?

Que nous réserve Research in Motion et Nortel durant cette récession?  Un OPA pour l'un et une autre profonde restructuration pour l'autre?

Rogers Communications, Shaw Communications et Telus performeront-elles bien dans cette récession?  Fusions à venir dans ce secteur?

Weston, Loblaw's, Canadian Tire, Groupe Pages Jaunes, Tim Hortons devraient voir leurs chiffres d'affaires plafonner et même rétrecir durant cette récession.

Je viens de vous énumérez là 20 compagnies de l'indice, soit le tiers, qui subiront la récession de plein fouet.

N'allez pas croire que l'indice s'en ira à 20 000 points durant cette récession.

Le 10 000 points est davantage envisageable malgré les bonnes performances à venir de Agrium, Potash Corp, Barrick Gold, Kinross Gold et plusieurs compagnies du secteur de l'énergie et des mines qui composent à elles seules près de la moitié de l'indice.  Parcontre je ne dis pas que toutes les compagnies du secteurs énergie et des mines performeront à outrance.  D'où l'inquietude face à l'indice torontois.

Par exemple Petro Canada pourrait voir son chiffres d'affaires augmenter à cause de la hausse continue du prix du baril de pétrole mais voir sa demande diminué au Canada donc des profits moindres à venir.

Aussi un dollar canadien baissier ça attire moins les investisseurs étrangers.

Je vous le dis, 10 000 et moins c'est pour bientôt.  Shorté l'indice en ce 2 septembre?  Pourquoi pas?

Une bouteille régulière de bière (contenant de 341 ml) a un taux d’alcool de 4,7 à 5 % et fournit environ 150 calories.

Il existe aussi des bières légères, qui sont un peu moins alcoolisées (2,6 à 4 %) et un peu moins caloriques (±95 calories la bouteille).

Depuis quelques années, on peut aussi trouver sur le marché des bières réduites en glucides.  Elles contiennent légèrement moins de calories que les bières légères et affichent une teneur en glucides nettement inférieure (environ 2,5 grammes par bouteille comparativement à 13 grammes pour les bières régulières).

Les trois grandes brasseries canadiennes ont leur bière à faible teneur en glucides.  Labatt Sterling, Molson Ultra et Sleeman Clear.  L'épicier Loblaw's offre sa bière de marque Choix du Président à faible teneur en glucides (2,5g).

En ce qui concerne les bières sans alcool (0,5 % d’alcool), les valeurs caloriques varient beaucoup selon les ingrédients ajoutés pour remplacer l’alcool (glucose, fructose, caramel…). Elles contiennent parfois plus, parfois moins de calories que les bières régulières. Certaines marques maison sont intéressantes.  Celle de Nos Compliments, à 40 calories et 6 grammes de glucides pour une canette de 355 ml, celle du Choix du Président, à 52 calories et 10 grammes de glucides pour une canette de 355 ml.  Attention de ne pas confondre cette dernière avec la bière à 2,5g toujours du Choix du Président.

Une bière régulière de 341ml à 4,9% à 5% d'alcool contient 150 calories et 13g de glucides.  Une bière dite légère de 2,6 à 4% d'alcool contient 95 calories pour 4 grammes de glucides.

The box(es) arrived today, much to the excitement of the boys. I'm going to get them to do the real work -- the sampling, etc. -- and then add my own thoughts. They are products I have purchased in the past, though never regularly, and will likely buy again from time to time in the future. As part of the promotion the prices on these items have been lowered, making them more affordable.

What will you get out of reading and responding to our review? Well, courtesy of Loblaws, one of my readers will win a matching basket of goodies, so stay tuned!

My oldest is hopping up and down on one foot right now, badgering me about trying one product in particular, so I should really get to it and make a taste testing checklist for them so they can dive in. ;)

No one's really sure. Although it certainly makes me think of the movie "Groundhog Day": Wealthy American purchases Canadian iconic retailer and names a senior American retail executive to run the show. Repeat. Again.

It hasn't worked before so why does anyone think it will work again?

They really should change the script.

I happen to understand that things were at least more profitable these days under the late American Jerry Zucker's reign. But no one really knows for sure as it is a private entity. One thing is for certain, the dilemma of what to do with an out-of-date department store concept and a second fiddle of a discount chain (whose stores come in so many different shapes and sizes) is still not resolved. Everyone wants to talk about real estate values, but they only actually own one location in downtown Toronto. There may be some favourable terms negotiated on some of their leases but the landlords won't just let them sub-lease at the drop of a hat.

The Bay department stores haven't really changed that much. Their exclusive apparel licensing arrangement with U.S. department store giant Federated (or Macy's I forget which) may be terminated seeing as Lord and Taylor is now stepping into HBC's deerskin slippers. The aisles are still crowded, the merchandising is a bit boring and every other retailer, specialty and big box alike, has taken market share from them. There is no compelling reason to shop at The Bay.

Zellers is another story. Wal Mart has absolutely decimated all retailers that deemed to play even remotely in their arena. Now they are coming after another Canadian icon, in groceries this time. G-d help Loblaws.

Zellers, with about 380 doors, caters to that same audience and has been unable to gain any traction like Target has been able to glean south of the border. Their stores are still uninspiring, their mix is eclectic at best and a lot of their stores are way too large for their markets.

If anyone has a shot, I guess a real estate expert and his already burgeoning retail empire might be all that's left to try and salvage this beast. They were quoted as saying that this is not a real estate play (although everyone who has looked at this seems to claim that's where all the value is) and that they can probably open 12-15 Lord and Taylor stores in Canada. Where, pray tell, other than maybe 2 in Toronto, 1 in Vancouver, 1 in Calgary and 1 in Montreal (if it's even worth it to translate everything for one store).

I certainly wish them luck but I have thought for a long time that Zellers needs extra cool factor and wow merchandising and The Bay should look at the Japanese department store model which actually rents out space in their stories high stores to the best, hippest and most productive specialty retailers and makes a very tidy profit doing so. If you aren't productive (and we are talking close to $2000/sq.ft. minimum) they terminate your lease and replace you with someone who is more so.

Maybe that is what we should do with the new owners...they should have 12-24 months to become productive or their time in Canada should be terminated...

TheRetailTherapist :)

Ce que j'ai trouvé d'inhabituel ....

Dans les grandes surfaces à Mtl, on ne pratique pas le principe français de la marche en avant. On entre et on sort du magasin par le même espace entrée/sortie. En clair, on entre dans la zone d'achat, on effectue ses courses, on passe en caisse et on revient dans la zone d'achat pour ressortir. Et ce, chez les discounters comme maxi ou chez des enseignes plus haut de gamme comme Loblaw.

Ce que j'ai trouvé d'appétissant.....

Les baies : fraises, framboises, mûres et bleuets sont des incontournables. Elles entrent dans la composition des tartes (pie), très populaires.

Du maïs, "blé d'inde", qui dans les grandes surfaces sont épluchées sur place par les acheteurs, avant d'être mis en sachet.

Délicieux, les radis blancs !

De très nombreuses variétés de gâteaux, tartes, donuts etc..

Américan size ....

Ce que j'ai trouvé de plus pratique que chez nous...

Tous les produits possèdent une même étiquette très lisible donnant l'information sur la valeur nutritive :

Une dernière chose enfin: certains commerçants vous disent "bye bye" au lieu de "au revoir" . Ça fait drôle au début parce qu'en France, "bye bye" comporte une valeur affective et amicale qui en la circonstance est hors de propos. Cette valeur affective n'est sans doute pas présente dans la version québécoise !!??

Se restaurer au Québec :

Nous avons bien sûr fait quelques restaurants, poussés par nos charmants mais non moins gourmands bambins. Et les meilleurs restent encore à faire..

Petit déjeuner !

Au Québec, petit déjeuner se dit déjeuner et le déjeuner, c'est le dîner, le dîner devient le souper. Mais on s'y perd encore ! 6 pains dorés par adulte et un gros pancake pour les enfants, on ne s'y attendait pas.

Premières impressions :

HUG : J'aime bien. Les pizzas sont bonnes, mais quand on mord dedans, tout vient en même temps. Au petit déjeuner, c'était délicieux. On s'est régalé, on a mangé de gros pancake de 15 cm de diamètre. Ils ont des hamburger avec 3 couches de pains et 4 steaks.

Titou : C'était un peu gros, mais j'ai bien aimé. Les pancakes j'aimais pas. Je préfère les hamburgers et ce que je préfère boire c'est le Pepsi.

Phy : Ça va être dur de garder la ligne ...

BRN :Trop grosses les portions ! Heureusement il y a les doggy bag.

BRN : Beaucoup de constructions l'été...

L'isolation des bâtiments se fait souvent par l'extérieur, que ce soit pour une maison ou pour un immeuble.

Nous avons également vu des lotissement de pavillons à ossatures bois se faire ainsi. Pour la finition extérieure, vous avez le choix entre la brique de terre cuite, le clin ou le parement de pierre. Que choisiriez-vous ?

-------------------------------

Spéciales dédicaces :

à Marie Ber et Marie-Pierre :

]]> http://investglobe.wordpress.com/?p=251 Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:14:58 +0000 investglobe http://investglobe.ru.wordpress.com/2008/07/08/laction-du-groupe-jean-coutu-un-beau-desastre/ Le 17 avril 2007 j'écrivais un article sur le fait que la direction du Groupe Jean Coutu venait d'annoncer son désir d'acquérir pour grandir au Canada.

À ce moment là, la veille, l'action de Groupe Jean Coutu clôturait à 15,50$.

Un an et presque trois mois plus tard, l'action est à 8,13$.

Pendant ce temps et pour la même période l'action de son principal compétiteur au Canada, Shoppers Drug Mart - Pharmaprix est passé de 50,54$ à 54,69$.  Pas la mère à boire comme rendement, moins de 10% mais c'est beaucoup mieux que la débâcle de l'action du Groupe Jean Coutu une perte de 47,5%.

On a beau blâmé Rite Aid dans la mauvaise performance de l'action du Groupe Jean Coutu, le réel blâme est pourtant très évident.  Il suffit de se rendre dans 4-5 succursales du Groupe Jean Coutu et de se rendre dans 4-5 succursales de Pharmaprix et ce dans des villes différentes pour comprendre.

La plupart des succursales du Groupe Jean Coutu sont petites et pas très homogènes et souvent avec des petits stationnement.  J'ai visité plusieurs succursales à Montréal, Drummondville, Québec, Hawkesbury.

Que vous alliez à Montréal, Ottawa, Sherbrooke, Drummondville et Magog les succursales de Pharmaprix sont presque tous identiques et les articles placés pratiquement au même endroit d'une succursale à l'autre.  C'est très facile de s'y retrouver. 

Il est donc simple de constater que c'est Pharmaprix au Québec qui a le vend dans les voiles dans les pharmacies et non le Groupe Jean Coutu.

Pendant que le Groupe Jean Coutu rénove d'ancienne succursales et qu'il en ouvre quelques nouvelles, Pharmaprix ouvre des succursales flambant neuves et homogènes. 

Est-ce qu'en ce 8 juillet j'achèterais des actions du Groupe Jean Coutu?

Non. 

Je viens de lire le dernier bilan trimestriel et j'ai encore de gros doutes. 

Le Groupe Jean Cout possède 32% de Rite Aid, qui ne vaut plus en bourse que 325 millions américains.  Soit environ 331 millions canadiens. 

Si selon la direction du Groupe Jean Coutu, Rite Aid contribue tant à la perte de la compagnie, ils n'ont qu'à donner les actions à leurs actionnaires sous forme de "spin-off" et se débarasser de ce canard boîteux ou encore de vendre au plus offrant. 

Mais ils ne le feront pas car il y a anguille sous roche.

Ignorons un instant la part de Rite Aid dans le bilan trimestriel et on découvre que les ventes du Groupe Jean Coutu ont augmenté de 4,7% mais que le profit d'exploitation a reculé. 

La direction du Groupe Jean Coutu, qui parfois je me demande si elle nous prend pas pour des caves, nous mentionne que la baisse des prix des médicaments génériques, la météo et une croissance moins forte dans les médicaments pour les allergies, la toux, le rhume et la grippe ont eu un impact négatif sur ses revenus.

Bon sens, les pharmacies Jean Coutu ce sont en réalité des dépanneurs et des micro-épiceries.  Ils vendent des billets de loterie, des revues, des livres, de la nourriture, des articles scolaires, du shampoo, des balais à neige (y'a neigé pas mal non?), de la pâte à dent, des crèmes à rasé, des lotions solaires, des lotions pour verres de contact, du chocolat à Pâques, des décorations aux fêtes, des costumes à l'Halloween, services de photos, ventes d'appareil et accessoires de photos etc... etc... Venez pas me faire brailler sur la météo et les allergies à la baisse.

Non mais à quelques articles près, c'est quoi la différence entre des dépanneurs Couche-Tard et les pharmacies de Jean Coutu?  À part quelques articles près, les différences majeures sont que l'un vend de la bière, du vin et des produits de tabac et l'autre des médicaments.

La réalité est que la tendance au Québec ce sont les grandes pharmacies ou les pharmacies incluses dans les grands supermarchés ou les grands magasins.

Également, la population du Québec vieillit et la consommation de médicaments ne s'en va pas en diminuant.   

C'est ça que je veux dire quand je dis que j'ai parfois l'impression que la direction du Groupe Jean Coutu nous prend pour des caves.

Ce que la direction du Groupe Jean Coutu ne nous dit pas c'est que la compagnie stagne et fait du surplace pendant que Pharmaprix et les pharmacies de Wal-Mart et celles de Loblaw's ont le vent dans les voiles.

Comme un malheur ne vient jamais seul, au 31 mai, le Groupe Jean Coutu détenait du papier commercial adossé à des actifs (PCAA) payé 35,6 M$. Une réévaluation à la baisse de 7,1 M$ avait été enregistrée au cours de l'exercice financier 2008.  Quelle en est la réelle valeur aujourd'hui?

Tout ce que j'ai mentionné plus haut se réflète sur le prix de l'action en bourse et d'après moi d'ici 6 mois, le prix de l'action du Groupe Jean Coutu devrait se retrouver sous la barre des 6$.

Pourquoi?  Simple, visitez les succursales du Groupe Jean Coutu et celles de ses concurrents et vous comprendrez que le Groupe Jean Coutu a bien du chemin à faire pour ramener son action à 15,00$ ou même au-dessus des 21,58$ atteint le 9 septembre 2005.

Dans 6 mois, je réévaluerai s'il en vaut la peine d'acheter l'action à ce moment là.

Petite suggestion à la direction du groupe Jean Coutu.  Pourquoi ne pas offrir des services d'optométrie dans vos pharmacies comme le fond si bien Costo et Wal-Mart?

Bien que le prix soit dispendieux, j'aime beaucoup les smoothies de la compagnie Arthur's.

À la première gorgée on est pas déçu, le goût est à la hauteur de ce que l'emballage laisse présager.

J'ai essayé leur saveur "ultra baies" format 325ml et je dois vous dire que j'en aurai bu d'autres immédiatement.

C'est vraiment bon.

Petit hic, il y a beaucoup de sucre, on parle de 31 grammes par contenant de 325ml.

Fait à noter sur la compagnie Arthur's, ils mentionnent sur l'emballage que 10% des profits sur la vente de ce produit sont versés à un organisme de charité. BRAVO!

Le smoothies ultra baies est une bonne source de vitamine C, de potassium, de magnésium, de manganèse et de 40% d'un autre bon truc que je n'ai pas pu savoir car la madame qui ne souriait pas au Loblaws gare Jean-Talon, a fichu une étiquette orange "Loblaws" dessus le contenant...

Ms. Kermani -- who as recently as two months ago tried to reinstate her business with Loblaws -- told police that her threat to shoot another executive wasn't a real threat. Rather, it was an old Iranian expression about shooting a snake to stop it from biting you, she said.

From smalldeadanimals, read the comments section:

as matter of fact , Mitra Kermani is very white woman and most look like Scotish people, but why you think colour is matter.
I do not see any smart comments from above only they hate her since she is Muslim

Honey Pot remind us of Michael Kimber in house lawyer of Loblaw

Kathy Shaidle remind us of Wendy Ealre outside laweyr of Loblaw

Kate is Christina Litt is assitant of Wendy Earle

they both three above names are Jewish Canadian

Only Jewish hate Muslim so much as we see it above comments

the only exception is that Loblaw employee are not like Kathy Sheidle are used F words in any of their communication.
but I noticed from all b and f words from Honey pot the message that Kathy said:
she is funny she said:

" I can post whatever the hell I want on my blog, because this is Canada "

bully woman enjoy put down any good woman they do not know why
I can see of what we it posted in Kathy Sheidle born with poor family and too much hate and she plan to transfer this hate to all people here and she enjoy say it as her freedom while her problems she does not know why she hate Mitra Kermani so much
Kathy Sheidle I was wonder if she is German jewish she talks like one of them

is some Jewish like Kathy sheidle not discuss you so much of stick to his gun in mail to topic of Muslim are all bad and she hate tehm all
I think she is act more moran than Mitra Kermani here
we never see any Loblaw employee complaining before in any post Kathy Sheidle pot is hoter than Loblaw employees

but be carefull if Mitra Kermani kick ass of too many Loblaw employee who are more smarter and talk much nicer than Kathy Sheidle then Kathy need to prepare at least $500000 legal fees as so far loblaw spend to put lable for Mitra and nobody could sue Mitra Kermani yet but Mitra sue Loblaw I do not think Kathy Sheidle is has any money any body can spend on her to sue her except one funny blog only she and few her funny freind listen to her
just grown up Kathy you are almost married woman or your husband will leave you soon the way you are talking.
look how many proud canadian F and B words used
Oh Canada!!! Muslim woman never used bad wording only they kick some ass who barked like Kathy belive she is the only white woman here!!

Posted by: Mohameed

Hmm..."Mohameed" seems to be very invested in this topic...how does Mohameed know that "Mitra very white woman" and also, Mohameed appears to have a non-sequitur type problem with Jews...that's funny.

via small dead animals

Entertainment Liquidators

I mostly buy PC games so as a PC gamer I think there are good deals to be had there. Boxed PC games are $10 each, or 3 for $25. Jewel case games are I think $5 each, or 3 for $12. While they do carry older games (like the ones in giant old style boxes), most of their stock is current. The majority of the games you'll find are ones that have been released over the last couple of years. For instance you can get Scarface there for $10, which still sells at retail stores for over $30. They seem to carry a lot of Dreamcatcher titles, and since I'm a fan of the company and its adventure games, this is a bonus. Some of the titles I've managed to pick up from this warehouse for cheap include: Dreamfall, Shock Force, and Nibiru. I haven't bought any console games from there but I think you can get good deals on previous generation titles.

Futureshop, Best Buy, and Business Depot are other places I buy my PC games from. I like to save my money so I'm always looking for deals. I try to usually wait until titles come down to the $10 range. I've managed to get games like King Kong, Battle for Middle Earth 2, and Rome Total War all for $10 or less each at these places. Console games are a bit more expensive but the bargains are usually under $20. Even Loblaws and Great Canadian Superstores carry games now. I've picked up a few console deals like The Warriors (PS2) and Genji (PS2) there.

Sometimes though, there are games that one must buy at a higher price. I still wait for the price to come down, but I only wait until I have the feeling these games are going to disappear from store shelves. This category for me includes the majority of the Star Wars titles; and just a little while ago I had to buy Stalker (for $25 I think). In any case, I think it's money well spent.

And if you're wondering about EB (Electronics Boutique), I've given up shopping there. I find those stores too noisy, too busy, and too disorganized. There are at least 5 EBs within a 15-20 minute drive from me, but I'd rather buy my games somewhere else. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Besides, I never find what I'm looking for.

CanDevs

Food, as you all know, is something that we need to survive. Whether you eat too much, too little or the right amount for your body type, here are some tips on how to cut down on your grocery expenses without starving.

If you are on a really tight budget, food banks are a great way to get free food. Some people volunteer there to stock on groceries. This could definitely be a great way to meet some interesting people with fascinating life stories as well. One new friend of mine named Greg who I met on my way to meet an old friend Simone, told me about his experience volunteering at a food bank not too far away from where we both live. He said that the people he met there were great and he also got a lot of free food.

Speaking of free food, Greg is a cook and gets a lot of free stuff from the restaurant he works at. If you are looking for a job and need to make ends meet, looking for something in the food industry may be a good way to earn an honest living and stock those empty shelves in your kitchen.

Also, a lot of restaurants and grocery stores throw away food at the end of the night. The Loblaws, close to where I live, have their sandwiches with healthy stuff in it like tuna, egg, cold meats and different kind of cheeses that are half price at closing time. You can get a $4 CDN sandwich for half the price and have all your meals set for the day.

If you are like me and you are a breakfast person who enjoys eggs, bacon and some home fries – check out governmental cafeterias. They often have food at discount prices that do not compare to food you will find in other restaurants for the same price. Remember, it is public property.

For dining out, there is always the fail safe “all you can eat buffet.” If you allow yourself to starve enough in the morning and go at a time when you know you will not need to eat again for the day, you can visit one of these places (the ones in Chinatown and Indian villages are especially good). Actually, you cannot go wrong checking out the food of the world wherever you may be located.

Now for the traditional grocery shopping – flyers and coupons are your friends. Plus, if you can stand the attitude at times (with the exception of local grocers) try going to places where you can bring your own bags or they may provide boxes for you to take your stuff. I was with a girlfriend Joan of mine and we saw a man riding his bike carrying another bicycle. If that could be done, imagine the strength you could build up carrying your groceries with your bike.

If you are blessed to have a car, you need to work out if it is worth it to drive to a supermarket with great deals, or just walk to the nearest one and save on gas. Let us hope the exercise will not kill you.

You can also take advantage of the fact the weather is still good and enjoy an old-fashioned farmer’s market. If you avoid the ones in the ritzy neighbourhoods, you can get great deals on everything from jams to corn. Sometimes these farmer’s markets have such amazing deals that it’s worth it to take your car, or rent one, to get out of town and do some shopping in a place a bit out of the way.

One of my fondest memories growing up was my Dad taking me and my siblings out to do apple-picking outside of Toronto. They say apples keep the doctors away, so stock up. It would be hard to live on apples alone, but at many of the orchards you can get a number of fruits dirt cheap and in large quantities.

If you are ever really starving and there is just nothing in the fridge and in the cupboards, there is a Chinese proverb that says “one can go without eating for many days, but needs green tea.” Mind you I received this proverb from my friend Steve and I do not know about its scientific basis. I would advise you not to try this at home, but green tea (which you can find inexpensively in China Town) is a great way to suppress your appetite, thus keeping your food costs down.

If you have a large family, buying in bulk is always an option. Places like Costco can be a good way to support an army. If you just basically need to support yourself, good advice I got from my friend Joan was to not stock on food. You can end up finding your shelves filled with things you will never eat. Buy what you need and then maybe the rest of the world will have more too.

I hope that helps since $100 can go pretty fast on food. I have seen it happen in the blink of an eye and not really understood what the woman in front of me in the grocery line was buying. Always check the prices of the food, remember flyers and coupons can be your friends if you are into that sort of thing and think cheap and be cheap.

Donna Kakonge is a freelance writer/communicator/professor in Toronto. Her books can be bought at: http://stores.lulu.com/kakonged. She is working on another book she is hoping will be published in 2008.

China have announced recently to ban the usage of free plastic bags starting on June 1st, 2008. China has finally decided to act upon saving the planet! Did you know that "Chinese people use up to 3 billion plastic bags a day and the country has to refine 5 million tonnes (37 million barrels) of crude oil every year to make plastics used for packaging, according to a report on the Web site of China Trade News (www.chinatradenews.com.cn)"? (Shipeng & Graham-Harrison, The Star)

In our home province Quebec, Huntingdon is the first town to ban plastic bags. Even their Publi-Sac (weekly flyer distribution) isn't handed out in plastic bags anymore! The citizens have apparently accepted the new law imposed by the mayor quite well. "While stores can still sell products wrapped or bagged or boxed in all manner of wasteful plastic packaging, banning plastic bags is a start, the mayor says." (Michelle Lalonde, The Gazette)

Now, the following question surfaces: is banning the use of plastic bags really efficient for saving the environment? Most people re-use their plastic shopping bags to contain garbain. Without them, what are we going to put our garbage in? Large garbage bags sold in stores are usually much thicker and even less biodegradable. Should research be done to invent a new way to dispose garbage? Here's an interesting read: Does Banning Plastic Bags Help or Hurt?

So far, the use of cloth tote bags is much most widely encouraged. Plastic bags are never rarely recycled, and paper bags involve some tree-cutting. Some grocery stores have given out free cloth tote bags like Loblaws and IGA. Perhaps, soon in Quebec, we will have to pay for plastic bags too? But then, does that mean that those who are richer get to pollute the planet...?

The Loblaws reusable tote bag, now sold for $0.99 each.
(Credits to President's Choice and CNW Group)

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It is the bib of course!  Five dollars,  affordable for us budget conscious mommas. It is made of flexible plastic (feels like silicone) so it will fold small in my bag when going out for my birthday dinner, (that's right going out for dinner is not a regular activity) it will clean up easy and it will allow my child to move. Ya gotta love those hard plastic bibs which the kids  struggles to move their hand to their mouth as it scratches  their neck every time they move. I would have a fit too if I were trapped under such a bib. No, this bib is going to work and I am thrilled because I have abandoned the bib and have consequently  been doing a lot of laundry. Maybe this will help me keep up with the laundry. Oh, ya I forgot to tell you, it is made by "Joe" Fresh Style and I bought it at the grocery store, "Fortino's". The major grocery store that carries President Choice  in your area will have it.  Joy loves it.

After our class, we shared a wonderful lunch at the Pantry - Ottawa's best kept secret. My mom opened the Pantry Vegetarian Tea Room some 30 years ago, and I spent lots of time there as a teenager washing dishes, waiting on tables and of course, eating. The Pantry is very quaint and cozy, and has a special old-world feel. It hasnt changed much in years and is my favorite place in Ottawa.  Located in the Glebe Community Center at Lyon & Third Ave. in the Glebe, Caroline now runs the show. The food is mostly cooked but if you ask her, she'll do up a special raw salad. Make sure to order a large salad with extra red cabbage - it's absolutely delicious!

today's food log:

• 4 ozs e3live
• firewater
• 1 liter green juice (chard, kale, zucchini, celery)
• 2 apples
• 1 large salad with grated red cabbage
• dulse
• 1 medium mixed green salad
• 1 Wild Oat cookie
• handful of living sunflower seeds

 Purchased From:

Real Canadian Superstore/Zehrs/Loblaws/Extra Foods

Price:

$14.99 CDN

Comments:

The PC Glass Teapot with stainless steel infuser is one of the nicest and most practical teapots I've seen.  It's clear glass, which I love for making beautiful flowering teas.  It has a stainless steel infuser, which means no discoloration, which is common with plastic infusers.  Plus it's a nice shape and holds enough water for 5 cups of tea.  Really, you can't go wrong.  It's a very practical little pot at a good price.

The only drawback that comes with a glass teapot is heat loss.  If you need your tea to stay warm for any period of time, invest in a ceramic/stoneware/cast iron pot, which will keep the tea hot longer.

Rated:

There was little competition so prices were high, and since there was a limited number of shops - they were busy all the time. Many families we knew left town to go to Mississauga for groceries when they could. A&P closed about four months ago and re-opened in a new plaza. The store was larger, with lots of selection but it was expensive. Its competitor Loblaws seemed to have set the price standard in Milton. Shortly after, the old A&P space became a Food Basics. We all rejoiced. Finally a place with reasonable prices. Not much of a shopping experience though - metal warehouse shelving, cramped aisles and only a few check-out counters.

On August 29th a new store opened. The old Loblaw's store closed and a new Superstore location opened down the road. However, it isn't the same Superstore - it is a newly revamped shop called Loblaw Superstore. New name, new format, new concept. According to a recent article in the Globe & Mail the Superstore banners were suffering, they were built to take on Wal-mart - but weren't performing well. Rather than scrap the big-box stores they decided to revamp them - and the Milton store is the first of its kind.

So far I am impressed. The home section has what the previous Superstore was lacking - decent merchandising. The whole section is well organized and clean, and visually attractive. They moved the drugstore to the middle of the store, not tucked into a corner as in the previous box stores. And it is huge! Everything is open and accessible. The grocery section has shorter aisles with a wide aisle in the middle at the centre for specials. It seems that rather than compete directly with Wal-mart - they have created a space that offers customers a more enjoyable experience.

The typical front checkout is non-existent at this store. They have opened it up just like the rest of the store. There are no candy-bars, no magazines...just the checkout!

Probably the best thing of all is that this is first bagless grocery store in Canada. No plastic bags. If you don't already know why they would do this - check out these facts about why plastic bags are an environment hazard. A week before opening the new store they gave out their Reusable bags to each home in Milton. Nice marketing move Loblaw! Now even if you shop at A&P you are carrying around a Loblaw bag. At the local Saturday morning market - every second person was toting the Loblaw bag.

And how granola is this - some of the closest parking has a sign that says "Hybrid Parking Only."

Loblaw Superstore just might work.

[The Canadian Food Inspection Agency,] Canada's food watchdog, and Loblaws Inc. are warning consumers that cans of No Name French Style Green Beans are being recalled from the marketplace because they may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria that causes botulism.

No illnesses associated with the Loblaws product have been reported.