The Bay

Very seldom do I give out only one star, but today’s experience was by far the worst I’ve ever received.
I don’t usually shop at the Bay as it usually doesn’t have what I’m looking for. But once in a while I will check it out as they usually have great sales.
Today I was looking for a belt, nothing more, nothing less. I browsed around both the men’s and ladies departments and found the colour and style I was looking for. Lucky for me it was on sale too!
After searching for an open till I finally found one in the ladies boutique area. Now, maybe because I was dressed in a simple tank and cut off jean shorts that I didn’t quite fit the bill.
As I walked up to the till the woman working looked me up and down and said «yes» with a scowl on her face. I cheerfully said hello and placed my belt on the counter. She rang me through and my purchase came to $ 19.85. I had a few $ 20s and a $ 100 bill and asked her if she happened to have enough change in her till to break the $ 100 bill since it was kind of early in the day. She rudely replied with a «No, I can’t break that, go over there». So I gave her a $ 20 to avoid having to void the transaction and to make it easier for both of us. She then replied with «I have no change for that either». I was a little confused as my change would be .15 cents… She said «okay fine» and took my $ 20 bill and threw the change on the counter. Not placing it nicely, literally threw it! I then waited for her to hand me my receipt and put my purchase in a bag. Nothing! She stared and me and asked if I needed anything else. I asked her to please put my purchase in a bag and the receipt in the bag would be fine. She let out an annoyed gruff and stuffed my item in the bag and walked away.
My experience at The Bay today was a huge disappointment.

I don’t shop here all that often, but it is a staple of the downtown Edmonton shopping scene. I like the Bay in general partially because of the history in Canada, but also because of the fact that the Circle K club at the University of Alberta hosts its gift wrap benefiting the Bissell Centre at various Bay locations (including this one) every year!
While I find that the technology in most Bay stores is out of date, this is not anything different than other department stores on this scale. Shopping from a registry is relatively easy here and quality of items is generally pretty good.

We bought a washer/​dryer in Aug 2012. The washer leaked the first day causing damage to the ceiling of the floor below. Delivery/​installer guys from DYNAMEX came back the same day, checked it out, and admitted that he clipped a hose with his foot by accident during install that caused the leak. A plumber I called was there to witness his admission. Installer did fix the issue and it stopped. Both the plumber and installer inspected the ceiling below and noticed the damage (lines forming along the tape lines in between drywall).
DYNAMEX sends out a contractor to look at ceiling. Assesses damage and says that they would fix the ceiling by dropping it down and building a new one. I said no, and that we would want the ceiling fixed to original condition. Contractor informs us that the delivery company would not pay to do that and to contact them directly.
I tried contacting the delivery company (DYNAMEX) and never received a call back. I contacted The Bay once a month from Sep 2012 until Oct 2013, and finally found a manager willing to look into the issue.
Today, Nov 1^st 2013, I receive a call back from DYNAMEX and they apologized for taking 14 months to call back but based on their investigation, neither their driver nor contractor recall what happened are denying my claim.
Just spoke to The Bay and they are washing their hands clean and leaving me to deal with DYNAMEX.
Thank you for showing me why I should never ever give you any of my business.

Not so much a fan of the Bay but I’m really not a fan of this location. I really don’t enjoy department stores because there is just way to much to sort through. I only stop in when there is something I really need. This particular Bay doesn’t have a Mac counter which makes it much less useful to me.
As with the general trend of this mall the Bay is quite outdated. I don’t mind stopping by to look at the kitchen items they have because sometimes they do have really good sales but other than that I don’t ever really wish to spend an extended amount of time in this location.

We (The Bay as in the oldest CDN company in Canada) have been taken over by American Lord & Taylor which is a department store chain in the USA.
The Bay before the American buy-​out was in a real stale and glum position which severely needed a body lift and it got one with the new owners.
Every department is now more interesting and there are several in-​house items from Lord & Taylor such as leather gloves which give Holt Renfrew’s House Brands a run for their money.
I enjoy walking through the Bay now; however, this City Centre location really lacks in service personnel (you just cannot find help when you need it and the service cash registers always have too long long of a line up/​wait).

I shop at the Bay a fair bit, but this location is not my favourite. They have a reasonable selection of housewares, etc on the main floor, but I’ve always found the second floor clothing department pretty lacking. There are better Bay locations in town, that’s for sure.
Usually it’s pretty quick and easy to get service here, except for weekdays at lunch time. Expect to wait forever then.

I was shopping downtown and walked through The Bay. I recently found out they carry the Philosophy line and came across a one day sale of buy one set, get one free, and they were also having scratch and save. I couldn’t resist getting 2 sets for less than the price of one. You could never get them at this price at Sephora.
I went to pay and there wasn’t a line as all cast registers were open. I scratched 10% off but the cashier gave me 15%, kudos to her! Based on this experience, I give them 4 stars. The service isn’t always good so different shopping times, I would rate them a 3.

This Bay always has what I’m looking for, but it takes awhile to find it. It often takes just as long to find an employee who can help me. The sun has set on the Bay’s former glory; it’s a dingy store.
I’d give the Bay an even lower score, but the few employees there are generally quite helpful. I’ve come to realize that it’s faster to wait in line at one of the few cashiers in order to ask a question than to walk around looking for an employee on the floor.
Not surprisingly, most of this review doesn’t apply to the perfume/​makeup department. There are plenty of employees there, spraying perfume on you at every turn. Unfortunately, knowledge of things that don’t make you smell better is not within their purview.

The Bay has a lot of household items, from suitcases to tvs, to patio sets and pottery, I can see why a lot of people choose The Bay for their wedding registry. I like going through the store and seeing a variety of items all in one location. That being said, this is perhaps one of the less busy locations in Edmonton. There are also a lot less staff here, and a lot of items are very disorganized.
The Bay also carries a variety of clothing items, however it is more orientated for their female clientele. The same disorganization from the household items can also be found at this location too. I also find that they carry less of a selection of men’s clothing than their other locations. If you find something that is not very expensive there, expect to spend 5 minutes trying to find an open cashier, then another 10 minutes waiting in line.

Though they are still going strong, The Bay has fallen a long way from owning half the property in what is now Canada.
I still enjoy browsing around this department store from time to time, but always leave a little disappointed: it’s less well-​kept than it should be, with clothes often kind of strewn about, and everything is EXPENSIVE. And not only that, when you do decide to buy something you’re left waiting in line for the one cashier at customer service forever.
Their makeup counters are an exception to this rule, though; service there tends to be fast, excellent, and the selection is great.
This Bay location has a small café by the entrance, and a fur salon next to the lingerie.