John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!

Love your column. Have you heard anything about an opening date for the Target store in Vernon?  Keep up the good work.

I really don’t know what is going on with the Vernon Target store because the company has everything locked down so you can’t get the information until they want you to have it. The fact of the matter is that the Vernon store was farther ahead than the Kelowna store in remodelling. The Eastern Company that looks after the cleaning up have hired people in Vernon to do that. This is to make the store beautiful after the construction work is completed; moving the islands into place and make it clean and ready for the stocking crew.

I would think the Target people will open the Okanagan stores at the same time because of the expensive media they will use to get to their new customer base started. This is a very clever marketing organization and their methods are proven. When they opened the stores in Ontario out came a 28-page flyer and Canadian TV commercials. They make it happen.

The Kelowna store in Orchard Plaza is still under construction and is to be turned over to the Target stores May 15. That could certainly change. Then with the cleanup and the stocking of the local store it should be ready to open to the public in July. This was the latest date we had been given.

Stocking takes a bit of time because the stocking crew are working to a plan all ready established by the opening of the stores in Ontario. The stocking of the shelves is a very intense part of the beginning of the store for the public. Every thing is worked out on the calendar because some items have a six week shelf life. Shelf stable products are different and can be placed anytime. We don’t know as yet whether there will be any fresh goods in these stores.

It is going to be exciting and the local consumer in this marketplace will get the benefit of the market changing their pricing to match or compete with the new guy on the block.

Note:  A recent Insights West online poll surveyed 867 BC adults regarding their opinions about the US retailer Target’s planned entry into Canada. This poll was conducted shortly after the first Canadian stores opened in the Toronto area. While British Columbians will have to wait till later in 2013 to experience Target in BC, we have nearly all heard the news about Target’s Canadian debut (96% aware) and it seems that consumers are for the most part pretty excited about Target coming to Canada.

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Another reader sent me this e-mail and put me to work with a polling job. 

I enjoy reading your column and am sure you never run out of topics.  I have a question.  I live in Glenmore very close to the Conservatory at the corner of Summit and Glenmore and have been there long enough to remember when the project was started.  After all those years, it’s still a terrible eye sore that I have to drive by every day.  The grounds have never been landscaped and I would really like to know if they are contravening any city bylaws.  Why can’t they be forced to clean up their act?  Even a fence to hide some of the ugliness would help.  I understand they will be building town houses there but that is no excuse to not beautify the property in the meantime.  Knapweed takes over the south-east corner every year and calls to the city have to be made to get them to clear it up.  The corner of Summit and Glenmore is really the “gate” to Glenmore and the Conservatory mess is an affront to all who live there.  I have contacted the Glenmore Residents’ Association and Mohini Singh (who didn’t even take the time to reply to my e-mail) and still nothing seems to be happening about this issue.  Wouldn’t the Glenmore Residents’ Association have some clout with the City if a petition were to be started (which I would be happy to get involved with)?  Thanks for taking the time to read my comments.  I’d love to see you write about this issue.

Angus Thomson came up with the facts:

Whoa! I haven’t had any real complaints about the look of the Conservatory for years. When it was a mess, it was a mess and the people complained about it. Now since the two builders finished what had been started and left by the original owner I thought it was a blessing because we could have been stuck with quite a situation and no one wanted to face that. The two builders Dennis Bigham and Bob Buvyer and their new company Sunstar Ventures did an incredible job in revitalizing that project which had gone through a bankruptcy. These two developers have been in business here for many years and have done work all over Western Canada. I believe their final creation on that site was remarkable and they deserve credit for that. I know all the grounds are not the way the public may like them to be. I asked nine people that I know that live up that way and drive by as you do everyday and they are not that bothered because they know there is more work to be done. There is a second lot up there which is a number of acres and they are still for sale. I had heard there was a grocery chain interested but that seems unlikely now.

There has been a lot of money invested in the Conservatory site and there will be more because the developers want it to be nice for their tenants as well. I know it can be frustrating but just think what it might have been.

Photo: Contributed

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Have you seen the TV ads for the new coin counting machines the TD Bank has brought into Canada? The bank has over three hundred of them. They are placed all over Canada but of course not in Kelowna for the Okanagan. This has become a money maker for the TD Bank and a service for their customers.

We phoned the TD locally and the information is very straight forward.  Headquarters in Toronto didn’t include Kelowna in their plans. They no nothing west of Bay Street.

The first coin counting machine I ever saw was in San Diego years ago in a grocery store and they were using it to bring customers into that store. I think they charged $7 in those days and now it’s a percentage of the total.

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Shania Twain is in Las Vegas with her big 90 minute show at Caesar’s Palace in the music town. She is playing The Colosseum and that is her home for two years.

Ticket prices are $114, $333 and $342 for the first five rows. She has been away from show business for eight years - health issues and a crazy personal life were to blame. She lost her voice and her will to perform. The show named “Still the One” has been doing good business. Her contract there lasts until the end of 2014 and then she will probably be back in the business touring and recording. She is the best selling country artist in history with over 75 million albums sold.