Sony to close all Canadian stores within 6-8 weeks

[kenny]

We've all read about Target leaving Canada, Sony is also leaving (although this one was in the works for quite a while)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/sony-to-close-all-14-canadian-stores-within-2-months-1.2902094

[Tik-Tok]

Not surprised. Every time I walked into one the prices were 20% higher than the same product at BB/FS, and the sales people were just a shade better than used car salesmen.

[KRyn]

Does this mean they will be liquidating all their current stock in short order?

[bjstare]

I'll definitely be looking for some deals. On what, I'm not sure yet haha

I've always had good luck at Sony stores - they seem to have had some great sales in the past.

[Dumbass17]

Everytime i walked by a Sony store, there is never anyone in there shopping.

agreed that BB/FS always have better deals and sales for the same product

[b_t]

Sony stores never really made sense to me. Maybe if Sony was consistently head and shoulders above their competitors and had normal prices the stores could have survived. Even then, for proper prices their stuff just isn't a good deal. Any time I go shopping for a new HT component, Sony is on the list, and then is the first one off it when I see the tepid reviews online.

[natty54]

maybe they are going to blow this out

http://store.sony.ca/85-x950b-4k-ultra-hd-tv-zid31-XBR85X950B/cat-31-catid-All-4K-XBR-Ultra-HDTVs?_t=pfm%3Dcategory

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by b_t
Sony stores never really made sense to me. Maybe if Sony was consistently head and shoulders above their competitors and had normal prices the stores could have survived. Even then, for proper prices their stuff just isn't a good deal. Any time I go shopping for a new HT component, Sony is on the list, and then is the first one off it when I see the tepid reviews online.

Sony no longer has the draw to operate this model. Apple operates on the same model and Apple stores are fine.

Heck you only find may be 1/5 of products in an Apple store and they are still ok.

[CanmoreOrLess]

All SONY stores price matched (although other stores had different model numbers to avoid this), so there was that going for it. I was in a SONY store a week ago, first time ever. I thought the store was well designed, tons of products I'd not seen before, not that I was looking before. If they had stuck to malls like Apple instead of freestanding stores perhaps they'd have had a chance. The store I was in for thirty minutes, near downtown Calgary, was empty.

I was looking at this TV: http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-tv/

This version was spectacular but something like $8,000: Sony KDL-70R550A 70-Inch 120Hz 1080p 3D Internet LED HDTV

[Fly Fishin']

It was a redundant store in my mind as their product were already in every other store so why did they need it? I remember when I was in high school I would walk by the one in market mall and you could deer hunt in those stores it was soo empty.

[JustinMCS]

MEXX is also closing all stores too.

[Neil4Speed]

Originally posted by Xtrema


Sony no longer has the draw to operate this model. Apple operates on the same model and Apple stores are fine.

Heck you only find may be 1/5 of products in an Apple store and they are still ok.

This exactly. I think Sony has made bit of a turnaround in the past couple years, coming out with good quality competitive products without the enormous price premium they commanded in the early 2000's.

The Sales people were typically pretty high and mighty, and definitely felt that you were going into a MB dealership sometimes.

Definitely will miss going to the Sony store and checking out the high end ES gear back in the late 90's. Still recall the sales guy telling me about DVD's and showing a demo on a late model XBR WEGA.

[Disoblige]

I remember spending $300 in 2005 for a 1 GB High Speed Pro Duo memory card to use for my PSP and digital camera. Still have it and use it too haha.

[jacky4566]

MEXX, Target, Sony, Sounds like Canada is shutting down.

[BigMass]

Originally posted by jacky4566
MEXX, Target, Sony, Sounds like Canada is shutting down.

there are only 2 sony stores in Calgary anyway, nobody went to Target, and Mexx? Sorry never been there once. Once we get Canadian Tire or Walmart or Ikea leaving then we know we're fucked.

[benyl]

I have only owned Sony TVs, but never once bought one from a sony store.

I did buy monitors and a laptop from a sony store. but that is because a beyonder worked there and I got me a discount! haha

[jsn]

:werd: I've only ever stepped foot in a sony store a handfull of times over the past 10 years, and I've never purchased anything from them. Sony store simply did not make sense to me. Their products were not any cheaper nor were their staff any more (or less) helpful than FS or BB. FS and BB staff are equally as useless, but at least they have other options I could compare with.

At least for apple, they led the smartphone revolution and were the first to create a user friendly tablet for the masses. Not that I use them, but it makes more sense to shop specifically for apple products especially since they have a unique OS. None of sony's products are revolutionary or unique so it's nice to have other products to compare side by side. Even ages ago when walkmans and CD players were new, and sony was at the top of the game, I was more of a panasonic shockwave type of guy

[rage2]

I used to shop Sony products exclusively at Sony stores. They price matched, had tons of stock, and even carried obscure shit such as Minidisc that I was using for a long time. At work, we all loved the portability and weight of the VAIO laptiops, so at one point all new laptop purchases were through the Sony store downtown. I stopped buying Sony products in 2008 since my rant haha.

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.php?threadid=216905

Funny though, the only piece of Sony equipment I have left is that receiver I'm ranting about in that thread. It still works well, and since everything is HDMI now, that component black crush bug doesn't affect me anymore. I never did get that firmware update lol.

[2Legit2Quit]

Most Sony stores were only used for dropping off products for warranty repair. I'm surprised they stayed open this long with better competition box store wise, and online buying becoming more and more popular. RIP.

[benyl]

Originally posted by rage2
I used to shop Sony products exclusively at Sony stores. They price matched, had tons of stock, and even carried obscure shit such as Minidisc that I was using for a long time. At work, we all loved the portability and weight of the VAIO laptiops, so at one point all new laptop purchases were through the Sony store downtown. I stopped buying Sony products in 2008 since my rant haha.

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.php?threadid=216905

Funny though, the only piece of Sony equipment I have left is that receiver I'm ranting about in that thread. It still works well, and since everything is HDMI now, that component black crush bug doesn't affect me anymore. I never did get that firmware update lol.

Waiting for Apple rant in about 5 years... lol

[sputnik]

Sony stores for me always seemed more like Sony "showrooms".

People would go there to talk to the sales guys about Sony products, but then go buy them from other retailers.

[rage2]

Originally posted by benyl
Waiting for Apple rant in about 5 years... lol
Already had one when iOS8 was released. Difference was, they fixed all the problems in a matter of weeks.

The grass isn't greener on the other side, all of our Lollipop users at work still can't connect to wifi here lol.

[BensonTT]

Originally posted by cjblair
I'll definitely be looking for some deals. On what, I'm not sure yet haha

I've always had good luck at Sony stores - they seem to have had some great sales in the past.

I doubt there will be any deals.. They will probably just send it back to the warehouse.. Its not like Sony is going extinct..

[BokCh0y]

All my stuff at home - TV, amps, speakers, etc., are all Sony stuff, ever had issues with the products.

All my stuff was bought thought from FS or BB, I never bought from the store even though they price matched or had email coupons that gave you a bit of better discount. Reason I never bought from the store was because of the shitty dbag service I would get every time I walked in. It was like pulling up to MB dealership driving a 90's civic haha. Service was always shit in the Sony store, so I chose to deal with the kids working at FS and BB instead. At least they'd pretend to care haha.

So yeah, can't say I'm sad to see the stores shutdown.

[BokCh0y]

Originally posted by BensonTT


I doubt there will be any deals.. They will probably just send it back to the warehouse.. Its not like Sony is going extinct..

There may be some deals....

When they renovated the store downtown, i got an email from them with a discount coupon to go in and buy stuff at a discounted price. I never went cuz i hated the staff.

[Nitro5]

Originally posted by jacky4566
MEXX, Target, Sony, Sounds like Canada is shutting down.

I thought they said MEC on the radio yesterday and was worried what all the unwashed granola hippies were going to do.

[clem24]

Originally posted by rage2

Already had one when iOS8 was released. Difference was, they fixed all the problems in a matter of weeks.

The grass isn't greener on the other side, all of our Lollipop users at work still can't connect to wifi here lol.

WP... :D

[CapnCrunch]

I think I bought my PS3 from a Sony store, only because they were sold out everywhere else and I knew nobody ever shopped there lol.

Stand alone stores like theirs made no sense for me, because it's a pain to compare to competitors products.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by CapnCrunch

Stand alone stores like theirs made no sense for me, because it's a pain to compare to competitors products.

It would make sense if the prices were less than BB/FS, etc. as it's more direct sell from manufacture to consumer, but when their prices are 10-20% more, that's just retarded.

[BensonTT]

Any of you guys been to the Chinook location recently? Any discounts yet?

[BigMass]

Originally posted by BensonTT
Any of you guys been to the Chinook location recently? Any discounts yet?

they said their stock is all going back to the warehouse to sell online so no discounts there. Only thing will be floor models a day or two before they shut down. Which will be in around a week I believe, but don't quote me on that. So basically, kinda lame

[BensonTT]

^^ Thats gay.. Thanks man..

[nicknolte]

Originally posted by BigMass


they said their stock is all going back to the warehouse to sell online so no discounts there. Only thing will be floor models a day or two before they shut down. Which will be in around a week I believe, but don't quote me on that. So basically, kinda lame

That's the same thing I was told as well.

The demos went fast though, I walked into the Sony Store by 15th Ave SW about three weeks ago and all the cameras except for the low end Alphas were spoken for.

[thetransporter]

I stopped with sony when they had half ass tvs at walmart..

the older stuff was much better.

also I did have luck finding a vaio that was made in Japan still is running picked her up on ebay ... .

[thetransporter]

so let me guess this straight recap last two months;
Oil prices come down
Gasoline prices come down
ouse prices come down
CAD$ comes down

Target closes down (CEO told Canadians if they don't like TC buy from the US)
Canadapost stops door to door delivery
Sony store closes
Mex closes
layoffs downtown
office space vacant (drilling, energy, environmental companies)

[BigMass]

Originally posted by thetransporter
so let me guess this straight recap last two months;
Oil prices come down
Gasoline prices come down
ouse prices come down
CAD$ comes down

Target closes down (CEO told Canadians if they don't like TC buy from the US)
Canadapost stops door to door delivery
Sony store closes
Mex closes
layoffs downtown
office space vacant (drilling, energy, environmental companies)

sounds bullish. Expecting a %20 jump in house prices this year!