The convenience question - Page 3

JHikka · #41 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 12:51 PM**

How available are rideshare services in European cities after midnight? If i'm ever stumbling somewhere at 2AM it's usually via Uber; curious if places like Copenhagen/Munich/Brussels have similar levels of ridesharing ability.

Vancouver having no Uber/Lyft is laughably bad in 2018. Get on that.

niwell · #42 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 12:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug

Once you've experienced American service levels, the alternatives seem retrograde. I rarely bother with restaurants in Australia as the process is too frustrating. I was at a conference in Europe a few months back and we visited some friends in Switzerland. Simply going out to dinner was too much of production to justify the effort.

I spend a fair amount of time in the US and I'm not sure this has jived with my experiences. It certainly varies place to place (one of the worst experiences I've had is in Chicago), and depends on the type of establishment you go to. Europe has seemed a bit slower in terms of service, but at smaller bars and restaurants I can't say I've ever really gotten bad service. Scandinavia in particular seemed pretty similar to what I'm used to in Toronto. I could see that in more touristy settings or chain family restaurants the differences become more stark.

All in all I'm not sure I'm 100% sold on the 24 hour consumer convenience lifestyle. It can certainly be useful at times, but it's debatable whether or not the benefits outweigh the negatives. Closing times for the vast majority of retail stores at 8 or 9pm seems more than late enough for me. Obviously bars and restaurants are different and most people I know in that industry operate on different hours entirely.

Martin Mtl · #43 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 12:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

Quebec in my opinion is only semi-convenient. For example, you can't really buy a pair of shoes or a dress shirt or a vacuum cleaner or a filter for your furnace after 5 or 6 pm anywhere in the province AFAIK.

Hein ?!? Les Canadian Tires sont ouverts à Montréal tous les soirs jusqu’à 21h, sauf le samedi et le dimanche (17h).

Et le Centre Eaton au centre-ville observe les mêmes heures d’ouverture. La Baie sur Sainte-Catherine est ouvert tous les soirs jusqu’à 21h, sauf le samedi (20h) et dimanche (19h).

lio45 · #44 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 1:10 PM**

J'allais dire la même chose. Pour acheter qqch de relativement commun (aspirateur, etc.), c'est jusqu'à 21h la semaine et 17h la fds. Pour qqch de très spécialisé, là, oui, faut s'attendre à ce que ça soit inaccessible les soirs de semaine ainsi que les fds.

Acajack · #45 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 1:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Mtl

Hein ?!? Les Canadian Tires sont ouverts à Montréal tous les soirs jusqu’à 21h, sauf le samedi et le dimanche (17h).

Oups. J'avais oublié d'indiquer que je parlais du samedi et du dimanche soir. Ce qui est quand même assez différent d'Ottawa, Toronto et pas mal partout ailleurs au Canada et aux USA où les centres commerciaux et les grandes surfaces sont généralement ouverts le samedi soir, et souvent le dimanche soir aussi.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Mtl

Et le Centre Eaton au centre-ville observe les mêmes heures d’ouverture. La Baie sur Sainte-Catherine est ouvert tous les soirs jusqu’à 21h, sauf le samedi (20h) et dimanche (19h).

Les heures d'ouvertures semi-prolongées pour certains commerces sur Ste-Catherine, c'est assez récent. Ça date de quelques années à peine, non? Et puis il n'y avait pas un projet qui permettrait aux commerces du centre-ville de demeurer ouverts 24 heures aussi?

Acajack · #46 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 1:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lio45

J'allais dire la même chose. Pour acheter qqch de relativement commun (aspirateur, etc.), c'est jusqu'à 21h la semaine et 17h la fds. Pour qqch de très spécialisé, là, oui, faut s'attendre à ce que ça soit inaccessible les soirs de semaine ainsi que les fds.

Désolé pour la confusion les gars.

Mais Walmart et Canadian Tire dans la région de Montréal (et pas mal partout au Québec à ma connaissance) ferment à 17 h les samedis et dimanches.

À Ottawa Walmart à tout le moins est ouvert jusqu'à 22 h 7 jours sur 7. Quand ce n'est pas ouvert 24 heures.

Taeolas · #47 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 1:16 PM**

Quebec really surprised me this past summer. I was in Sherbrook/Waterville area for a funeral, and went to the mall on a Wednesday evening, and was shocked to discover they were closing around 6pm I think (maybe 5pm). Even New Brunswick has had 9-9 Weekday (and Saturday) retail for most of its major malls for years now; so I was expecting something similar when I was in la belle province.

A few years before that, I was in Scotland (for a different funeral), and in Edinburgh, it did feel like things closed up relatively early, but there still felt like a lot of stuff going on in the evenings as well. (Granted I was in walking distance of a cinema and casino complex which were open later evenings). The smaller shops tended to have 9-5 hours, but the bigger places tended to be open hours I was used to (9-9 type hours).

So in that respect, I think I found Edinburgh more familiar convenience wise than Quebec was.

Acajack · #48 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 1:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by CityTech

Confederation Line will end at 1am Monday-Thursday, 2am Friday & Saturday, and 11pm on Sunday. There will be overnight replacement buses.

Thanks. And as I mentioned, Ottawa already has an all-night bus system. So overall it's not too shabby there.

Acajack · #49 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 1:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taeolas

Quebec really surprised me this past summer. I was in Sherbrook/Waterville area for a funeral, and went to the mall on a Wednesday evening, and was shocked to discover they were closing around 6pm I think (maybe 5pm). Even New Brunswick has had 9-9 Weekday (and Saturday) retail for most of its major malls for years now; so I was expecting something similar when I was in la belle province.

A few years before that, I was in Scotland (for a different funeral), and in Edinburgh, it did feel like things closed up relatively early, but there still felt like a lot of stuff going on in the evenings as well. (Granted I was in walking distance of a cinema and casino complex which were open later evenings). The smaller shops tended to have 9-5 hours, but the bigger places tended to be open hours I was used to (9-9 type hours).

So in that respect, I think I found Edinburgh more familiar convenience wise than Quebec was.

My local mall (the biggest in the city) just recently announced with a big publicity splash that they were going to *extended hours* on Saturday nights. They now close at... 6 pm.

They've also been open on Wednesday nights until 9 pm for a couple of years, but even then some retailers don't open on Wed night. They close early on Sun-Mon-Tue. Thu and Fri they're open until 9 similar to how I think it was in the rest of NA when I was a kid.

plrh · #50 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 1:40 PM**

I hate holiday closures the most. I never know what to do with my kids on holidays. I noticed that Manitoba Liquor Marts seem to be open on holidays now (except Christmas and Easter), which is new. Not that I take my kids to the liquor mart that often, it was two separate points.

Acajack · #51 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 1:41 PM**

When I think of it I am surprised at how many things are closed when you'd think they'd normally be open. Like on Sundays or evenings.

My wife and I's favourite fine food shop/grocery is closed on Sundays and closes up early in the evenings. Around 6 or 6:30 pm. They're open Saturday until 5 pm I think.

My usual cobbler (shoe repair place) closes around 5:30 pm every day and is open on Saturday morning only. Closed on Sunday.

My bakery is also closed on Sundays, closes at mid-afternoon on Sundays and closes around 6 pm weeknights.

These are all businesses located in suburban strip malls, though they are indepedendent retailers too.

Acajack · #52 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 1:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by plrh

I hate holiday closures the most. I never know what to do with my kids on holidays. I noticed that Manitoba Liquor Marts seem to be open on holidays now (except Christmas and Easter), which is new. Not that I take my kids to the liquor mart that often, it was two separate points.

I've been shocked to see how much stuff was open in the U.S. on Christmas day and also Thanksgiving, which is huge for them.

esquire · #53 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 1:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

When I think of it I am surprised at how many things are closed when you'd think they'd normally be open. Like on Sundays or evenings.

My wife and I's favourite fine food shop/grocery is closed on Sundays and closes up early in the evenings. Around 6 or 6:30 pm. They're open Saturday until 5 pm I think.

My usual cobbler (shoe repair place) closes around 5:30 pm every day and is open on Saturday morning only. Closed on Sunday.

My bakery is also closed on Sundays, closes at mid-afternoon on Sundays and closes around 6 pm weeknights.

These are all businesses located in suburban strip malls, though they are indepedendent retailers too.

The people who run small owner operated shops need a day off too!

Until recently, Manitoba only allowed Sunday shopping from 12-6. Supermarkets didn't open until noon. I think that only changed a few years ago. I can't say that I consider it to be an improvement under the current arrangement.

Acajack · #54 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 1:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

The people who run small owner operated shops need a day off too!
.

Oh, I agree and I am not complaining.

I am not an advocate of shop-till-you-drop-24-hours. Just giving my observations.

kool maudit · #55 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 2:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JHikka

How available are rideshare services in European cities after midnight? If i'm ever stumbling somewhere at 2AM it's usually via Uber; curious if places like Copenhagen/Munich/Brussels have similar levels of ridesharing ability.

Vancouver having no Uber/Lyft is laughably bad in 2018. Get on that.

Copenhagen had Uber but then banned it due to protests from the taxi unions. Taxi companies now have Uber-like apps and are available 24h, but they are more expensive than Uber.

This is an anomaly, though. Stockholm has late-night Uber in the same fashion as Toronto.

In terms of the sort of late-night activities that leave you stumbling, Copenhagen has 24h beer, wine, and spirits sales as well as a scattering of 24h bars ('bodegas') so it's pretty wide-open in that sense. I've kind of aged out of that though.

Taeolas · #56 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 2:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

The people who run small owner operated shops need a day off too!

Until recently, Manitoba only allowed Sunday shopping from 12-6. Supermarkets didn't open until noon. I think that only changed a few years ago. I can't say that I consider it to be an improvement under the current arrangement.

Yeah, mom and pop shops, I don't begrudge having limited hours. They have limited employees, and need breaks by themselves too.

Even small chains are often in similar situations, though I'm not surprised some businesses shift their hours to match their customers (like Local gaming stores open afternoons/evenings so people can play at their stores).

Bigger, national chains though, you sort've have an expectation across English Canada at least, to be open 9-9 Monday to Saturday at the very least. Sunday shopping laws are still prevalent enough that 12-5 or 10-6 hours on Sundays seem to be somewhat expected, (but a 24h store isn't surprising either).

The hours I see in Quebec remind me of New Brunswick in the 80's and 90's; 9-5 M-Th, 9-9 Friday, 9-5 or 9-6 Saturdays, and maybe 12-5 Sundays. It was a fairly big thing when the mall in Woodstock shifted to 9-5 M-Tu, 9-9 W-F, 9-5 Sat, 12-5 Sun.

Now I think Walmart and CTire and the grocery stores are all 9-9 M-Sat, if not 9-10. They're still limited to 12-5 Sundays due to the town still limiting Sunday shopping.

someone123 · #57 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 4:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JHikka

Vancouver having no Uber/Lyft is laughably bad in 2018. Get on that.

It is the same old story. Taxi lobby. The provincial government has said that they will continue to carefully study the issue indefinitely.

I actually don't mind the the idea of having a local app or separating the app from the service and having a marketplace for taxi apps. The root problem is that cities only issue licenses for so many taxis, and this makes no sense. Cities should have a background check and vehicle registration process with a nominal fee and no cap on the number of licenses. They justify their system by saying that it is necessary to maintain safety but this is bogus. Sometimes they are honest and say that they are worried about taxi drivers being able to "make a living" but it's unclear why we should have a Communist-style centrally planned economy but only for taxis. It is a case of regulatory capture.

lio45 · #58 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 5:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taeolas

Quebec really surprised me this past summer. I was in Sherbrook/Waterville area for a funeral, and went to the mall on a Wednesday evening, and was shocked to discover they were closing around 6pm I think (maybe 5pm).

??? What "mall" was that? Hours in Quebec are nearly universally 8-21 M-F and 9-17 Sat-Sun.

Unless you're talking specialized shop or mom & pop store. Those may be closed on weeknights and weekends.

Acajack · #59 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 6:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lio45

??? What "mall" was that? Hours in Quebec are nearly universally 8-21 M-F and 9-17 Sat-Sun.
.

I wouldn't say that.

Carrefour de l'Estrie closes at 5:30 Mon-Tue-Wed.

Promenades Gatineau closes at 5:30 or 6 on Mon-Tue. So does Les Galeries de Hull.

I also randomly checked Carrefour Angrignon in Montreal and Mail Champlain in Brossard. They also close early Mon-Tue.

Others may be open late Mon-Tue though. Galeries d'Anjou, Fairview Pointe-Claire, Promenades St-Bruno.

But all of them seem to have a "hard" Saturday and Sunday early closing time.

Acajack · #60 Posted **Oct 23, 2018, 6:04 PM**

The three main malls in Ottawa: St Laurent, Rideau and Bayshore, are all open on Saturday night until 9. But close at 5 or 6 on Sundays.

I've been to St Laurent exactly once on a Saturday night. Because I had no choice. Long story.

Anyway it was noticeable that the vast majority of shoppers were what you might call "new Canadians". Tons of families in particular. This part of Ottawa has a lot of "new Canadians" to begin with, but on a Saturday afternoon one doesn't necessarily get the impression that they make up most of the clientele. On Saturday night (or at least that Saturday night), you certainly did.