WE SHOPPED SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO: ZELLERS

Get ready for a big dose of nostalgia, Canadian shoppers - Zellers is back! On March 23rd, one of Canada's favourite discount retailers, Zellers, opened locations within 12 Hudson's Bay stores in Ontario and Alberta (25 stores nationwide are planned). G went to check out their location in Edmonton's Kingsway Mall location to get the scoop on opening day, and B & C joined in on the action this weekend!

Having originally shuttered its doors a decade ago, Hudson's Bay indicated that a comeback for the discount chain was imminent in 2022, and that has finally come to fruition! Each Zellers now takes up 9000 to 10000 sq ft. of the floor plan of existing Bay stores. Gone are the in-store restaurants; instead, there are temporary food trucks serving up classic Zellers Diner fare to celebrate each store opening. The main feature is products from Zellers' "in-house" brand name Anko, which was actually originally developed by Kmart Australia and of which Zellers has obtained exclusive distribution rights to.

Now, it's kind of hard to review an entire store (or store-within-a-store, to be more accurate), but we'll do our best! Get ready for an onslaught of photos - hopefully this helps you decide if you want to check it out for yourself!

G's first impressions: As someone who is perpetually allergic to crowds, going on opening day was never my intention - however, the lure of a $3 classic grilled cheese from the Zellers Diner-inspired food truck overpowered my usual sense of self. Apparently this was a force felt by many Edmontonians, as the food truck sold out after about 2-3 hours so I never got a chance to try the food! That being said, it might've been for the best - if the hour-long wait times I've heard about on IG are correct, I probably wouldn't have stuck around even if it was free!

(Well, maybe if they offered multiple free sandwiches...)

The Zeller's store itself is located on the 2nd floor of the Bay in Kingsway Mall, and it was pretty packed (both times we went)! Employees in red shirts were on hand to greet people and direct confused nostalgia-and-bargain-seekers like myself to the area. Pet products, bath/home goods and kitchenware lined the walls, and clothing, toys and stationary/frames took up a central section.

Home goods and decor immediately caught my eye. The Anko branded products were cute and dare I say it - looked pretty decent in quality. It's no West Elm, but there were some pieces I was able to find that would've looked at home in Simons, but for a significantly lower price point; I also got some similar vibes to the Loblaw's in-house brand Life at Home. I did also hear Ikea comparisons thrown around by other shoppers a lot too, which I'd agree with!

See? I took too many photos.

Also, most of the shelves I spotted seemed to be made of particleboard, though that's to be expected for the price.

I didn't need any kitchenware, so I kept my hands to myself in these aisles, but there were some pieces that looked pretty cute and decent quality if you're looking to stock up! There were plenty of dinnerware options, some small appliances (not pictured), utensils, pots/pans, and more.

Now, I do want to note that not everything was a steal - while there were a decent amount of affordable items, there were also some that weren't really worth the cash IMHO. For example, their metal utility carts, while cute, have cheaper dupes at Ikea/Homesense/Michaels (we're talking a $75 vs $50 price difference!).

I also didn't take any photos of the clothing section, as it was small, cramped, and from what I could tell over a quick pass-through, relatively sparse - so I wouldn't really recommend visiting if you were only on the hunt for adult fashion (there seemed to be more kids clothes), at least for now. (Apparently, they also sold out of branded Zellers hoodies real fast.)

So, what was my actual haul?

While many things were tempting, I settled on a textured donut vase for $12, a rattan tray with handles for $16, a mini lime and coconut candle for $1.50, a marble candle holder/tray for $3.50 and a set for 4 faux leather coasters for $4. Free stickers came with the purchase - an unexpected but very welcome surprise!

B & C's impressions: Gracilianca all stopped by Zellers again on the weekend, with eyes on the pets section for B & C's fur-children and other good deals!

B: It was fun! Cool to see all the stuff and they had more than expected. The pet section was definitely a highlight for me and the home stuff was mostly quite affordable!

C: I have the same thoughts as B about Zellers! I liked it, and it had lots of variety. For the most part, the signage was good!

Our collective haul:

From left to right: 2 pack of tea towels for $5 (note: unlike everything else, this was a Bay item on sale, but a great steal nonetheless!), 3 pack of tea towels for $3.56, table runner for $10, dog harness seatbelt for $12, giraffe dog toy for $14, tire/rope dog toy for $14, hilarious swan dog toy (swipe for additional photo) for $20.

Last words: would we shop at Zellers again?

G: Yes! If Zellers sticks around, I'd be really interested to see what more it has to offer. I'm intrigued by the Anko brand (if anyone knows about the longevity of their electronics/small appliances, I'm all ears)!

B & C: Yes!

Disclaimer: this review is not sponsored by Zellers or the Hudson's Bay (though we'd love to be!)