Canadian Retailers should send a Thank You to Target Stores - Not because they're leaving but Because They Came  As many have written, retailing in Canada prior to the Canadian Push of American retailers was to some degree stalled and growing slowly along with the population, with no competitive pressure to invest in new stores, new outlet centers, the e-commerce channel, and a host of other things. So to a large degree this Canadian Push and then especially the Target 133 store blitz absolutely woke everyone up and got all of the retailers, young and old, in the game and changing. And if it had not been for the Target Blitz, the 133 stores at one time fear that it struck in every retailer in Canada, maybe Loblaws wouldn't have bought Shoppers, or Rona wouldn't have turned in the best numbers the company has ever seen, and there's plenty of other current great examples scattered across Canada. And there's a number of those that the Push has shuttered or has it been the normal retailing pressures. But at the end of the day maybe Canadian retailers should send a thank you to Target to merely say thanks for giving us a jolt and sorry you didn't make it but we're tougher than you think and we'll take care of our own. Just a thought - Gus Downing

RUDE SHOPPERS: Target workers ask for compassion, please - Like we said, upset the Canadian consumer and this is what you get  Employees are sharing stories about rude, angry customers hurtling invective, taunting staff and abandoning merchandise at the cash when they don't think the discounts go deep enough. Employees say the retailer's bull's eye symbol on their uniforms has become more than a just a logo. "We've taken to calling our 'guests' vultures now, because everyone only comes in to pick at our bones. It's awful. Show some compassion, please," one staffer pleaded on Reddit. thespec.com

Canadian consumers prioritize payment security above all else - 4 years into EMV chip and PIN  New study commissioned by Visa Canada showed Canadian consumers still prioritize payment security above all else. Surpassing convenience (14 per cent) and speed (10 per cent). Additionally, nearly half (48 per cent) of credit cardholders report they worry about fraud when shopping online. Fraud is now historically low with Visa data showing 6 cents for every $100 of global Visa transactions. Contactless NFC payments are the next step in this rapid evolution of commerce in Canada. cnn.com

B.C. man sues Lululemon after a display mannequin allegedly knocks him out
A Vancouver Island man shopping for yoga togs says he ended up instead with a concussion and neck injury after a mannequin in a Lululemon Athletica store toppled on to him, and he's suing the clothing giant. But the chain says the incident never happened as he claimed, and even if it did, he was responsible for knocking the mannequin over himself and was impaired, possibly by drugs or alcohol. theprovince.com

LCBO has indefinitely shelved plans to put express kiosks in Ontario grocery stores

The Outlet Collection at Niagara - Largest open-air mall in Canada - Trying to Capture Shoppers Going to the States

Bikini Village files bankruptcy protection - stores to remain open

Uniqlo plots move into Canada; the International clothing retailer will open stores in Toronto first, then Vancouver 

Battlefords RCMP investigating string of thefts by same male suspect hit four businesses with distraction theft

Langley RCPM investigating 2 suspects in the theft of over $1,000 worth of clothing from MD Charlton 

Brandon man arrested for theft, twice in same day at same store

Man charged in the theft of an ATM machine from a movie theater in Waterloo