Only in Canada!

[Pook]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/saskatoon-canoe-canadian-tire-money-1.5193298

What kind of Canoe can you buy for $777 CDN?
A Pelican Explorer???

Bruce

 

[Iskweo]

Hahaha...outstanding

 

[sweeper]

That was a great story. Good for him.

 

[memaquay]

Could have been this beast
https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/pelican-canoe-15-5-ft-0798301p.html#srp

 

[Guest]

Ya know, if you are young and strong, and want some molded-in drink and rod holders, what else are ya gonna do with a briefcase filled with $940 in Canadian Tire currency?

$940 even in stacked Loonies would have bought a much better used canoe, but I guess that wasn’t the point of the exercise.

I might have bought, I dunno, snow tires, and saved up for a canoe. Does Canadian Tire sell tires?

“There were still wads of Canadian Tire money left behind after the transaction was finalized. Terfloth said the change will go toward a cover for his new vessel”

Wait, Canadian Tire sells spray covers? Oh heck, I may have to cross the border after all.

 

[recped]

No "spray covers" at Crappy Tire (and yes they do sell crappy tires and a few good ones), they DO sell boat covers for storage purposes even on occasion ones for canoes/kayaks but pretty much only a seasonal item in the Fall.

I suspect the canoe in question is this one:



Not many "young and strong" have ANY actual Crappy Tire paper money, not many people use cash there and they get their "CT Money" electronically.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Happy Canada Day! I tried to offer to buy a Placid Boatworks Shadow with CT cash but was turned down

 

[Guest]

No "spray covers" at Crappy Tire (and yes they do sell crappy tires and a few good ones), they DO sell boat covers for storage purposes even on occasion ones for canoes/kayaks but pretty much only a seasonal item in the Fall.

I have never been inside a Canadian Tire, but having read so many references to tents and paddles and other gear sold there I am envisioning a Dick’s Sporting Goods where they also sell some tires in the back.

 

[Odyssey]

I still save up a big wad/wedge/bundle of CT paper over time and spend it. They also make excellent book marks. I know of a school teacher who was given a thick pile of CT cash as a retirement gift collected by his students. I thought it was charming and thoughtful.

 

[recped]

I have never been inside a Canadian Tire, but having read so many references to tents and paddles and other gear sold there I am envisioning a Dick’s Sporting Goods where they also sell some tires in the back.

The Crappy Tire of today is a shadow of what it once was. In my early days (50+ years ago) it was mostly auto related (parts and service) with a full hardware department plus some sporting goods. These days the auto repair is still there (not to be trusted), the hardware is essentially gone and the bulk of the now huge stores is mostly housewares, patio furniture, small appliances etc. They do carry a lot of low quality camping gear, a small step up from what Wal-Mart has. They also operate standalone auto parts stores, Mark's Work Warehouse (clothing) and a couple of other chains.

It's like a cross between Wallyworld and Bass Pro, very little of the good brands you would find at REI or similar.

The might be best known for their absolutely atrocious customer service, they hire a lot of "kids" and blank stares are the most common response if you ask a question!

Back in the day it was a real experience to go there, the stores were set-up with a single long counter and behind that were rows and rows of shelves, you went to the counter and looked through the catalogue, wrote up your order and handed to a guy who would give it to one of their staff who were all wearing roller skates, they would skate off through the maze of shelves to pick your order. In most smaller towns CT was THE place to shop for almost anything auto/hardware related, maybe the only place. The CT catalogue was equivalent to the Sears catalogue, everyone anxiously awaited the new one.

These days they are just another giant big box store in a power centre, my local is in a spot with a Home Depot, a Best Buy and a large grocery store, service is terrible, the goods are mediocre, service is crap but they are still a tradition. The CT Money is still something everyone knows about and remembers (as I mentioned it's almost all digital now).

The now own a number of other related chains including dedicated sporting goods stores plus brands like Helly Hansen.

https://corp.canadiantire.ca/English/our-banners/default.aspx

 

[yellowcanoe]

Still when you are on the road and find out that you forgot something and all you need is a crappy short term use item CT is handy.. I am fond of the one in Renfrew.

Only in Canada.. Quickie Convenience Stores.... hmmm quickie WHAT?

 

[recped]

Yup! Pretty much for anything when on the road here you are either looking for the next Timmy or Crappy. Another good CT is in Espanloa as are most of the stores in small towns.

Virtually ALL CT's are franchises, the older ones have often had the same owner/operator for 50 - 75 years. The giant stores in the big city on the other hand.....not so good.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Timmy IS Crappy. Got anything else? Do not bring up Starmegabucksburntcoffee. I have been there a few ( less than ten times) and Vente Grande Latte WTF???? All I want is a cup of black coffee and no foo foo.. When I ask for that they are all confused.

But next week enroute to the ferry we will be getting groceries in Canada's Chocolate Town!

 

[Robin]

I like the Canadian Tire in New Liskeard, Ontario. For me it's a "been driving for a while" and just to get out and get something last minute like YC says. Yes, the kids have no clue, but they seem nice and it's just a cool place to walk around. It's also fun to see some "Walmart" types so far north.
Jump back in the truck for that long haul west across Highway 11 all refreshed...now where can I get some Poutine?

 

[memaquay]

Some of my best canoe trips were done with crappy Tire tents and gear. Those cheap CT tents with the poly tarp bath tub floor could not be beat. You could survive a flood unscathed, as long as you put a blue poly tarp over them.

 

[recped]

Jump back in the truck for that long haul west across Highway 11 all refreshed...now where can I get some Poutine?

Probably in Kapuskasing!

 

[recped]

Some of my best canoe trips were done with crappy Tire tents and gear. Those cheap CT tents with the poly tarp bath tub floor could not be beat. You could survive a flood unscathed, as long as you put a blue poly tarp over them.

That's kinda funny! My buddy who drove me to Labrador last year had an old one, he did not have an extra tarp and the bathtub floor acted just like a bathtub should, collected all the water that came in through the leaky roof!

 

[memaquay]

That's true, lol, at best the tents were "water resistant", especially with the baby sized fly that only covered the screen in the roof. Once mine was fully outfitted with the blue tarp completely encasing it, no heated rocks were necessary for an impromptu sweat lodge. I still use the old rubber/canvas crappy tire air mattress, haven't found anything to beat it, although I don't think CT carries it anymore, I get them from my local hardware store for 25 bucks.

When I first took up bicycle touring, all my gear came from crappy tire too. I bought their premiere ten speed, think it was 200 bucks, that was about 40 years ago. I put 60 miles a day on that bike for three summers in a row before i bought a "real" bike. I remember at the end of one summer, my last day on the road, I wanted to make tracks, so before I left the campsite I threw my CT tent and sleeping bag in the garbage bin.

The first guns I ever bought came from CT too.

Whenever I get to the big city of Thunder Bay, I aways stroll through one of the new Super CT's. They are now carrying some high end stuff, like water filters, specialty stoves, even dry bags. One could still outfit oneself for a canoe trip with the entire package for a fairly decent price. A few years ago, they were even selling a decent poly canoe for 699.

It's strange, but as I get older, I find myself leaving more and more of the expensive light weight name brand crap at home. I'm going to T Bay on Thursday, maybe I'll look for a new $29 bath tub floor tent.